Casino (1995 film)

Casino
Casino
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by	Nicholas Pileggi; Martin Scorsese;
Based on	Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas; by Nicholas Pileggi
Produced by	Barbara De Fina
Starring	Robert De Niro; Sharon Stone; Joe Pesci; Don Rickles; Kevin Pollak; James Woods;
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Edited by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Production; companies	Syalis D.A.; Légende Entreprises; De Fina/Cappa;
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	November 14, 1995 (New York premiere); November 22, 1995 (United States); March 13, 1996 (France);
Running time	178 minutes
Countries	United States; France
Language	English
Budget	$40–50 million
Box office	$116.1 million

Casino is a 1995 epic crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, adapted by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi from the latter's nonfiction book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.^[5] It stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak, and James Woods. The film was the eighth collaboration between director Scorsese and De Niro.

Casino follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein (De Niro), a Jewish American gambling expert handicapper who is asked by the Chicago Outfit to oversee the day-to-day casino and hotel operations at the Tangiers Casino in Las Vegas. Other major characters include Nicky Santoro (Pesci), a "made man" and friend of Sam, and Ginger McKenna (Stone), a streetwise chip hustler whom Sam marries and has a daughter with. The film details Sam's operation of the casino, the difficulties he confronts in his job, the Mafia's involvement with the casino, and the gradual breakdown of his relationships and standing, as Las Vegas changes over the years.

The primary characters are based on real people: Sam is inspired by the life of Frank Rosenthal, also known as "Lefty", who ran the Stardust, Fremont, Marina, and Hacienda casinos in Las Vegas for the Chicago Outfit from 1968 until 1981. Nicky and Ginger are based on mob enforcer Anthony Spilotro and former dancer and socialite Geri McGee, respectively.

Casino was released on November 22, 1995, by Universal Pictures, to a mostly positive critical reception, and was a worldwide box office success. Stone's performance was singled out for acclaim, earning her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

^ "Casino (1995)". BFI. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
^ "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
^ Cite error: The named reference variety-budget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Casino (1995)". Box Office Mojo. January 19, 1996. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
^ Pileggi, Nicholas (1995). Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80832-3. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2019.

[1] "Casino (1995)". BFI. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

[2] "AFI|Catalog". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved October 13, 2023.

[variety-budget-3] Cite error: The named reference variety-budget was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[mojo-4] "Casino (1995)". Box Office Mojo. January 19, 1996. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.

[5] Pileggi, Nicholas (1995). Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-80832-3. Archived from the original on August 20, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2019.

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