Casino
Movie, 1995, The '90s, Set in Las Vegas
Casino is #15 of 26 in release order and #15 of 26 in chronological order in the Martin Scorsese.
The story
In Las Vegas, two best friends-a casino executive and a Mafia enforcer--compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Casino recap
Casino (1995) follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a sports handicapper sent by the Chicago mob to run the Tangiers in Las Vegas while it skims the take. Martin Scorsese directs and co-wrote it with Nicholas Pileggi, from Pileggi's nonfiction book. Robert De Niro plays Ace, Joe Pesci plays his childhood friend Nicky Santoro, a made man sent to protect him, and Sharon Stone plays Ginger McKenna, a hustler Ace marries. Ace doubles the casino's profits, and the bosses get their cut in suitcases. Nicky, banned from the casinos, sets up a crew of burglars and extortionists and draws the attention Ace wants to avoid. Ginger cannot let go of her old pimp, Lester Diamond (James Woods), and slides into drink and pills. Ace fires a slot manager who turns out to be the brother-in-law of a county commissioner, who blocks Ace's gaming license, and Ace takes to hosting a TV show from the Tangiers. Ginger and Nicky begin an affair. In the filmography it falls between The Age of Innocence and Kundun, and his eighth with De Niro.
Casino ending explained
Casino ends with the FBI taking down the skim and the bosses killing everyone who might testify. Ginger dies of an overdose in Los Angeles. Ace survives a car bomb he suspects Nicky planted. Nicky and his brother Dominick are beaten with baseball bats by their own crew and buried alive in a cornfield. The old casinos are demolished and replaced by corporate resorts. Ace, kept alive because he still earns, ends up in San Diego doing exactly what he did at the start: handicapping games for the mob.
Post-credits scenes
No. Casino has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Casino
Casino is streaming on Prime Video and YouTube TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 79%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Age of Innocence, before Kundun.
- Chronological order: after The Age of Innocence, before Kundun.
Cast
- Robert De Niro as Sam 'Ace' Rothstein
- Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna
- Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro
- James Woods as Lester Diamond
- Don Rickles as Billy Sherbert
- Alan King as Andy Stone
- Kevin Pollak as Phillip Green
- L.Q. Jones as Pat Webb
- Dick Smothers as Senator
- Frank Vincent as Frank Marino
- John Bloom as Don Ward
- Pasquale Cajano as Remo Gaggi
Directed by Martin Scorsese.