His wife, congenitally incapable of fidelity and moderation, lapses into drug and alcohol dependence and maintains a romantic link with her old pimp and boyfriend (James Woods). Also, he's self-destructively bound to childhood gangster-pal Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who wants to control his corner of Vegas with a dangerously conspicuous protection racket.ĭuring the following decade, Rothstein is tormented by both parties. Rothstein falls in love with, then marries Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a classy hustler who drains him of money and trust. After coming out gangbusters in its first and finest hour, the 180-minute movie loses all its chips in the remaining two.Īs long as he toes the line with the local politicians (who expect royal treatment whenever they pass through), keeps an eye out for the professional scam artists and ensures a regular flow of cash to his superiors, Rothstein can live like a lord.īut there's trouble in paradise almost immediately. Unfortunately, by those standards, 'Casino,' Scorsese's would-be epic about fear and loathing in Las Vegas, is not great. His failures are infinitely more robust than most Hollywood successes.

Martin Scorsese is gifted enough to be assessed at a higher level than most filmmakers. Also, he's self-destructively bound to childhood gangster-pal Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who wants to control his corner of Vegas with a dangerously conspicuous protection racket. However, Rothstein falls in love with, then marries Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a classy hustler who drains him of money and trust. Sent to oversee four of their casinos in Las Vegas, he has to make sure this easy-cash system runs smoothly and lucratively.Īs long as he toes the line with the local politicians (who expect royal treatment), keeps an eye out for the professional scam artists and ensures a regular flow of cash to his superiors, Rothstein can live like a lord. In the early 1970s, Sam 'Ace' Rothstein (Robert De Niro), a brilliant bookie, has been thrown a golden bone by his Midwestern mob bosses.

Casino or goodfellas