Casino (film)

Casino is a Academy Award Nominated 1995 crime drama film. Sam "Ace" Rothstein is called by the mob to oversee the day to day operation at the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Nicky Santoro, an enforcer, is sent by the mob to make sure the money is skimmed off top and other mobsters and casino are kept in line.

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Written by Nicholas Pileggi.

No One Stays At The Top Forever (taglines)

Sam "Ace" Rothstein

• 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?
• [About Nicky]: No matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on. You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he’ll keep comin’ back and back until one of you is dead.
• In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing, and keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose. In the end, we get it all.
• Meetings in the middle of the desert always made me nervous. It is a scary place. I heard about the holes in the desert and for all I know, there could have been a hole nearby with my name on it.

Nicky Santoro

• [About the bosses] These old greaseballs may not look it, but believe me; these are the men who secretly control Las Vegas. Because they managed the Teamsters Union. The Teamsters Union was who you had to go to in order to borrow money to build a casino. And no one got approved for a loan from the Teamster's pension fund unless these guys in the room knew they were going to get their little suitcases.
• I think in all fairness I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do. For instance, tomorrow morning I'll get up nice and early take a walk down over to the bank and walk in and see you and um, if you don't have my money for me, I'll crack your fuckin' head wide open in front of everybody at the bank. And just about the time that I'm coming out of jail, hopefully you'll be coming out of your coma and guess what? I'll split your fuckin' head open again. 'Cuz I'm fuckin' stupid, I don't give a fuck about jail. That's my business. That's what I do.
• You put my money to sleep, [and] I'll put your fuckin' brain to sleep!
• Listen to me, Anthony. I got your head in a fuckin' vise. I'll squash your fuckin' head like a grapefruit, if you don't give me a name.
• You know I'm tryin' to put somethin' really big together out here. You know what I'm talkin' about, huh? You know! If you're actin' like this now, how can I depend on you?
• You know, I don't wanna bring this up but you've been treating a lot of people with a lot of disrespect, even your own wife.
• [Talking to Sam at the Nevada desert] Get this through your head- get this through your head, you Jew motherfucker, you! You only exist out here because of me! Without me, you, personally, every fuckin' wiseguy skell around is gonna take a piece of your fuckin' Jew ass. THEN where you gonna go?! You're fuckin' warned- don't ever go over my fuckin' head again, you motherfucker, you!
• I used to send Marino back home with a piece of what I made. Not a big piece, but what did they know? They were 1500 miles away, and I don't know anyone who can see that far.

Dialogue

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: Keeping Remo happy with money was the strongest insurance policy.

Sam hands Remo his gambling winnings

Remo Gaggi: Son of a gun, how in the world did you get Michigan-Oklahoma?

Sam shrugs his shoulders

Remo Gaggi: Protects his craft, that is what I admire about this man! Listen, what do you have on for next week?

Sam Rothstein: It is too soon for me to tell, but if you come around Thursday, I ought to have an answer for you.

Remo Gaggi: Thanks a lot, Ace.

Sam departs but Remo motions Nicky to be spoken to in private

Remo Gaggi: Listen Nicky, your boy Sam there is a real asset. Not like those other friends of yours with rocks for heads. Would you please ensure no harm comes to him.

Nicky Santoro: Sure thing, Remo.

Remo Gammi: At a boy!

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: Now, on top of everything else, I need to make sure no one messes with the Golden Jew.

---

Sam Rothstein{as narrator}: I hired an old friend of mine, Billy Sherbert as the casino manager and we got to work. Of course, I had to guarantee employment for a few juiced-in local cowboys. They were blood relatives of the local politicians, and I did not want to make waves. Without us, these men would still be shoveling manure.

Sam Rothstein: What is this mess? Ward, you have to keep a cleaner station. If you need Mr. Clean, just page him, all right?

Don Ward: Will not happen again, Sam.

Sam Rothstein: You call me Mister Rothstein!

Don Ward: Sorry, will not happen again, Mr. Rothstein. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Sam Rothstein: Do not apologize, just do it right!

Sam and Billy depart slot machine area

Sam Rothstein: Is it just me or is that just another dumb WASP?

Billy Sherbert: We have to keep him on board. Or else we will anger the natives.

Sam Rothstein: I would not give this bum a mop job if I had my way.

---

Billy Sherbert: Sam, we have a problem. That big man over there, he has his socks on the card table.

Sam Rothstein: Sir, if you would please remove your legs from the table and put on shoes?

Cowboy: What is the problem, I am having a bad night!

Sam Rothstein: The problem is that we have rules, and that is filthy behavior. This is a casino, not some sawdust joint. Is there a problem with such a simple request?

Cowboy: Fuck off!

Sam Rothstein: That tears it. [to security guards] Kick him out, and if he will not leave peacefully, send him out the door head first.

Security guard: Sir, we are going to have to ask you to leave.

Cowboy: Bullshit, I ain't going anywhere.

Security guard: Bullshit, you are out of here!

[Four security guards grab cowboy and carry him outside]

Cowboy: Whoa!

Sam Rothstein{as narrator}: Sure enough, one hour later, I get a call.

Nicky Santoro: Ace, what in the world happened? Did you not know the cowboy was with me?

Sam Rothstein: No I did not, but he tell you I threw him out on account of him being rude to my staff and propping his legs up on a card table in his socks?

Nicky Santoro: No, hold on a moment Ace. [puts down phone and addresses cowboy] You took your boots off? You propped your feet upon the table?! You shit-kicking, stinky horse-manure smelling motherfucker you! Go back there and apologize now! [resumes phone conversation] Look Sam, if you could please do me a favor and let him back in out of respect for my crew. He is already very sorry and had no idea he was screwing with friends of mine.

Sam Rothstein: OK, I shall. But if he ever acts up again he is out. I do not care which crew he is with!

---

Backcountry. View of a truckstop

Sign: Idle Spurs Saloon. 60 Miles to Las Vegas!

Sam Rothstein{as narrator}: Welp, it was not long before I feared what was going to happen, actually did happen. Nicky managed to get him banned from every casino in Las Vegas. From that moment on I could not be seen with him within a 50-mile radius of the city.

Letter{dictated by Nicky}: Due to his unsavory reputation and criminal record; Nicholas Santoro has been determined to be detrimental to gaming and is hereby prohibited from going into any gambling establishment in the State of Nevada. Any casino found guilty of admitting him can be fined as much as $100,000.

Nicky Santoro: Can you believe this crap?

Sam Rothstein: Yes I can believe it. You got banned.

Nicky Santoro: There's got to be some way around this.

Sam Rothstein: Nope, there's no way.

Nicky Santoro: Let's say, for instance, I want to go in a restaraunt that happens to be inside a casino, to get one of those sandwiches I like?

Sam Rothstein: Forget it. You cannot so much as set foot in the parking lot. That is how serious this is.

Nicky Santoro: Screw it. They ain't getting rid of me.

Sam Rothstein{as narrator}: It just did not sink in with Nicky about the gravity of this situation and what his banishment for life meant. I mean, not being able to go inside a casino is one issue, but having your name in the black book is another. That is like sending your dossier to every state trooper and FBI agent in the United States. I mean, you are listed there alongside Al Capone. But Nicky did not care, he just didn't get it.

---

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: No matter what problems were outside the count room, it was all worth it. The cash kept rolling in, and the suitcases made their way to Kansas City. The only problem was after a while, the bosses noticed the suitcases were getting a little light Count room employee pockets a wad of cash.

Kansas City. Bosses are enraged at news

Tuffy: Wait a minute, you mean to tell me the money we are robbing is being robbed? We went to all that trouble and someone is stealing from us?!

Remo: Eh?

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: Even John Nance, the one who acted as courier, he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

John Nance: It is called leakage, it is part of the business.

Tuffy: Leakage my foot! I want the man who is robbing us!

Remo: Eh?

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: You need to understand that a man who helps you steal, even if you take very good care of him, he is going to want to grab a little extra for himself. Makes sense, right? But you try and make those hardheaded old greaseballs understand that.

John Nance: I only let them take this money because they are my guys. So you need to give them a little leeway.

Nicky Santoro{as narrator}: But the bosses never believed in leeway, so do you believe what these dingbats did next? They put Artie Piscano, the underboss of K.C., in charge of making sure no one skimmed the skim. The only problem was, Piscano was a disaster. This dodo bird could mess up a cup of coffee. And if anyone had any clue where this would lead to, they would have been better off composing novenas.

---

Sam has made an enemy in County Commissioner Pat Webb for firing his brother-in-law from the Tangiers. An inoppurtune moment occurs when Sam is made to admit he is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Tangiers, which is publicized by the media. Webb is holding up a newspaper headline.

Commissioner Webb: It says here that Samuel Rothstein, the Midwest bookmaker with mob ties has asserted that he is the boss of the $100 million Tangiers casino empire.

Gaming Agent #1: Did he really say that?

Commissioner Webb: Why of course he said that. It is all right here. Has that man even filed for a casino license yet?

Gaming Agent #2: I don't know, Sir. We will have to check.

Commissioner Webb: Well, if that will not give you a hernia, would you kindly do that? Oh, and check carefully, because we may just have to kick a kike's ass out of town!

---

Remo Gaggi: Franky, the little guy, he would not be helping himself to the Jew's wife, would he? Because if he is we have a serious problem.

Scene freeze-frames

Frank Marino{as narrator}: What could I say? If there is anything these old bosses despise, it is adultery. If I admitted that Nicky was having an affair with Ginger, both of them would get beaten or shot. But if I was protecting them, I would find myself getting killed right beside both of them. So what did I do? I lied through my teeth.

Scene resumes

Frank Marino: No, I did not see anything unusual.

Remo Gaggi: OK, but if you see anyone, and I mean anyone, messing around, you are going to tell me.

Frank Marino: Sure thing. The situation is seriously messed up out there, Remo.

Remo Gaggi: You are a good boy, Franky.