Casino is a
1995 crime drama film directed by
Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by
Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese.
Robert De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a Jewish top
gambling handicapper who is called by
the Mob to oversee the day-to-day operations at the fictional Tangiers casino in
Las Vegas. The story is based on
Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, who ran the
Stardust,
Fremont and the
Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the
Chicago Outfit from the 1970s until the early 1980s.
Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on the real-life
Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, an intimidating enforcer and psychopath. Nicky is sent to Vegas to make sure that money from the Tangiers is skimmed off the top and that the mobsters in Vegas are kept in line.
Sharon Stone plays Ace's wife, the self-obsessed and devious Ginger, a role that earned her a
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and an
Academy Award nomination for
Best Actress.