A tale of greed, deception, money, power, and murder occur between two best friends: a mafia enforcer and a casino executive compete against each other over a gambling empire, and over a fast-living and fast-loving socialite.
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 1970s and '80s 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>
In the Blu-ray commentary, Sharon Stone relates the story of how she came to be in the film. She says her first two auditions for Martin Scorsese ended up being cancelled for various mundane reasons (such as that Scorsese was held up by another meeting) and Stone's paranoia convinced her that he was blowing her off. When the director's people contacted her to try it a third time, she turned them down and went out to dinner with a friend instead. Scorsese tracked her down and showed up at the restaurant where she was dining to make a personal appeal. See more »
Goofs
Disappearing pack of cigarettes in the car when Sam is talking about how he might never get a gaming license because Nicky is bringing everyone down. See more »
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]
See more »
Crazy Credits
SPOILER: Nicky is about to finish his narration, he's cut short by the mobsters wanting to whack him. See more »
Alternate Versions
Original release and VHS showed a mirror with lines of cocaine in the hotel drawer of the Senator / Congressman along with the money chips. In the later DVD release the cocaine is no longer there. See more »
Unforgettable
Written by Irving Gordon
Performed by Dinah Washington
Courtesy of Verve Records
by Arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing
Published by Bourne Co. See more »
What a fantastic movie, thanks to its cast, top heavy with stars and fine direction of the "Oscar begging" Martin Scorsese. Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci are great, as always, together. But, surprisingly, it's Sharon Stone that comes of with all the acting credit, she simply effervesces as the gold digging casino hustler. After witnessing her performance myself I couldn't agree more, and think she deserves a place above Susan Sarandon who "stole" the Academy Award from under Sharon's nose. The photography is phenomenal and combined with great acting is a recipe for a classy film. However occasional brilliant sequences, are often marred by the continuous commentary, which prevents any real, deep, emotional involvement with any of the characters. Great stuff, just slightly flawed.9/10.
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What a fantastic movie, thanks to its cast, top heavy with stars and fine direction of the "Oscar begging" Martin Scorsese. Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci are great, as always, together. But, surprisingly, it's Sharon Stone that comes of with all the acting credit, she simply effervesces as the gold digging casino hustler. After witnessing her performance myself I couldn't agree more, and think she deserves a place above Susan Sarandon who "stole" the Academy Award from under Sharon's nose. The photography is phenomenal and combined with great acting is a recipe for a classy film. However occasional brilliant sequences, are often marred by the continuous commentary, which prevents any real, deep, emotional involvement with any of the characters. Great stuff, just slightly flawed.9/10.