The flashing lights of the casinos provide all the glitz and glamour that disguises the blood that runs through the cracks of the Nevada desert. He also uses the setting to an ingenious effect. The fact that Ginger doesn't narrate proves the point: she's manipulating in the background, fulfilling her own personal (and questionable) motives. Scorsese captures all of this brilliantly, setting up the central conflict through heavy narration from Ace and Nicky that paints the internal picture, revealing their intentions and mistrust. Joe Pesci as Nicky Santoro – always a sinister force in a Scorsese film. As these three egos start to clash more and more, the situation explodes (both figuratively and literally). Ginger plays the two against each other, benefitting from both while slowly spiralling out of control. Ace and Nicky are two sides of the same coin, each vying to gain more power over the Las Vegas strip. And here, Scorsese wants to interrogate the ego through the frame of the American dream.Īce, Nicky and Ginger all oppose one another. Like all of Scorsese's gangster flicks, there's much more boiling beneath the surface. He even starts questioning Nicky's methods while pushing back against the authorities with a stake in the illicit infrastructure. He wants things to go his way at the casino, even though it's technically just a front for the Chicago Mafia. He wants Ginger to marry him despite her not reciprocating his feelings. And he gains the romantic attention of Ginger, a hustler who's equally interested in turning a profit.īut there's something not quite right. He works side-by-side with his childhood friend, Nicky Santoro ( Joe Pesci), a mob man who attacks first and asks questions later. Robert de Niro shines as Ace Rothstein in Casino. Or, in other words, a lot of power as he builds its revenue while feeding back cuts of the cash to the Chicago Mafia. All this gets him in the unofficial position of running the Tangiers Casino. He gets involved with people on both sides of the law. And yet, it surmises Ace's entire being and the nature of Casino's story: this is a film about ego.Īce Rothstein has ambition. Ace says it in the middle of a rant over the most profitable machines sitting in the wrong spot. This line, spoken by Robert De Niro's protagonist Ace Rothstein, isn't part of a defining moment. There's three ways to do things: the right way, the wrong way, and the way I do it.

Cast of casino movie