Casino (1995)
- Eagle-eyed viewers have noticed a hidden easter egg referencing Martin Scorsese's previous film in the background of the opening scene.
- The original script for Casino was written over a decade before production finally began in 1995.
- Before Robert De Niro was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
Casino is a 1995 American epic crime drama directed by Martin Scorsese, chronicling the rise and fall of Las Vegas's mob-controlled casino era through the intertwined lives of three characters. Robert De Niro stars as Sam "Ace" Rothstein, a skilled handicapper installed by the Chicago Outfit as the front man for the Tangiers casino; Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, Sam's volatile childhood friend sent to protect the operation whose uncontrollable violence threatens to destroy everything; and Sharon Stone plays Ginger McKenna, a former hustler and Sam's wife whose addictions and infidelity accelerate the inevitable implosion. Casino was Scorsese's companion piece to GoodFellas, expanding from the street-level organized crime of that film to the corporate-level corruption that transformed Las Vegas from a mob playground into a corporate entertainment center.
Sharon Stone's performance was the revelation โ her Ginger was simultaneously mesmerizing and horrifying, a woman of extraordinary beauty and charm whose self-destructive spiral was depicted with devastating honesty, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Casino earned $116 million worldwide and is considered one of Scorsese's finest achievements in depicting the operatic tragedy of organized crime.
