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Storyline
This Martin Scorsese film depicts the Janus-like quality of Las Vegas--it has a glittering, glamorous face, as well as a brutal, cruel one. Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, mobsters who move to Las Vegas to make their mark, live and work in this paradoxical world. Seen through their eyes, each as a foil to the other, the details of mob involvement in the casinos of the 1970's and '80's are revealed. Ace is the smooth operator of the Tangiers casino, while Nicky is his boyhood friend and tough strongman, robbing and shaking down the locals. However, they each have a tragic flaw--Ace falls in love with a hustler, Ginger, and Nicky falls into an ever-deepening spiral of drugs and violence.
Written by
Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Motion Picture Rating
(MPAA)
Rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive strong language, drug use and some sexuality
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Martin Landau mentioned in a 1995 interview after winning an Oscar, that he was offered a role in the film, but he turned it down because he thought that "there was nothing to the part."
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Goofs
After being chastised by his mother, Piscano backs into a display of olive oil, displacing some bottles. In the next shot of them, they are perfectly arranged.
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Quotes
[
first lines]
Ace Rothstein:
[
voice-over]
When you love someone, you've gotta trust them. There's no other way. You've got to give them the key to everything that's yours. Otherwise, what's the point? And for a while, I believed, that's the kind of love I had.
[
Ace's car explodes]
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Crazy Credits
"This is a fictional story with fictional characters adapted from a true story."
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Alternate Versions
Finnish VHS release is cut by 1 minute. Notable cuts were:
- Tony Dogs being tortured with the vice
- Baseball bat killings
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Soundtracks
Walk On The Wild Side
Written by
Elmer Bernstein &
Mack David
From the Columbia Film
Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
Performed by
Jimmy Smith
Courtesy of Verve Records
by Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
Published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc. - Film Divison
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As a lifelong gambler who has crossed paths with a few fringe types portrayed in the film, I'm well aware of the story, the culture, and the ambiance of the Tangiers, the fictional casino placed in the control of Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert Deniro). Rothstein is not a mob member, but a "moneymaker" for them because he's the nation's best sports handicapper. It was refreshing for a movie to finally show that not all gamblers are stupid, but instead one of those who takes advantage of the many who are.
Rothstein's partner in crime is Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who is far less convincing as a mobster than he would seem to like to believe. Sharon Stone plays the psychotic Ginger, a once-in-a-lifetime role in that it was the only time in my life I could bear to watch her on film. The supporting cast is strong, led by James Woods and Don Rickles (excellent in his dramatic capacity), and the movie is generally well-acted.
If you are a gambler or know the "wiseguy" culture, the movie doesn't have to be explained, while if you aren't, you'll feel like you've stumbled upon the secret meeting place of the mafia and made privy to what is said, without anyone knowing you were there. This film is based on the true story of what happened when the mob tried to put its men in suits and have them heading a casino, and why it has never been tried since. The homage paid to the incestuous nature of Nevada politics was an excellent touch.
Most of us wouldn't like a guy like Sam Rothstein, nor would we like to be him, but if we go to Vegas for a weekend and stay at a casino/hotel, we'll have a better experience if his watchful eye is ensuring that our stay is a pleasant one. The film's nod to how Vegas has been sanitized since those days is also accurate, and reflects sadness at a lost era, where the baby (the "old school" types who made Vegas great) was thrown out with the bathwater (the organized crime influences).