In 1975, an expert bookie & handicapper Sam Rothstein a.k.a. Ace goes somewhat legitimate when the Chicago based Italian Mafia hires him to run the Tangiers Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Ace can do the job, applying for his gaming licence despite his past, while having his ever changing job title be anything but running the casino and the actual license getting lost in the never ending process. Ace’s best friend from childhood Nicky Santoro, eventually comes along for the ride, he who the Mafia hires to be Ace and the organisation’s unofficial protector. Ace is able to make a success of the casino, which includes the process of the Mafia bosses being able to skim profits off the top, while making the entire business look legitimate to the authorities. Ace’s success is placed into jeopardy by Nicky, not only by his reckless, violent, volatile and ruthless behavior, but also by wanting to build his own empire in Las Vegas. Ace’s success is also placed into jeopardy by his wife, Ginger McKenna, who he knows is a hustler when he married her and he wants to trust her in every aspect. She ends up being a self-destructive woman, her primary weakness being in wanting to help a friend, a loser named Lester Diamond.
Scorsese can’t make a bad movie. Even his lower-rated movies are at the very least watchable. This movie is so great! Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone are all amazing in this movie. This movie didn’t win any oscars for its performances, and Sharon Stone who is easily the best in this movie only got nominated. The dialogue in this movie is good too, not to mention that the whole movie is fast paced, so the 3-hour runtime isn’t felt at all here. All the scenes flow so quickly. 10/10*
Director: Martin Scorsese
Written by: Martin Scorsese, Nicholas Pileggi
Starring: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone, James Woods, Kevin Pollak
Runtime: 178 minutes
