Casino

Sam "Ace" Rothstein is a meticulous bookmaker chosen by mob interests to run a high-stakes Las Vegas casino, where his knack for numbers and strict rules turn the house into a cash machine. His carefully ordered life starts to fray when his old friend Nicky Santoro arrives as a brutal enforcer whose impulsive violence threatens the operation. At the same time Ace falls for Ginger McKenna, a glamorous hustler whose need for status and attention drags them into a volatile marriage. The film tracks the collision of ambition, loyalty and excess as the casino's glittering façade masks growing corruption, crime and personal ruin, with scenes that shift between business maneuvers and raw personal drama.

Released in 1995, Casino was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Scorsese and Nicholas Pileggi, adapted from Pileggi's nonfiction book about organized crime in Las Vegas, and stars Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci.

Sharon Stone received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of Ginger, a role that drew a lot of attention and remains one of her most discussed performances. Critics singled out the cast for strong work, particularly De Niro and Pesci.

Casino's portrait of Vegas opulence and underworld control has become a reference point for later films and TV shows about organized crime and the city itself. Several sequences, from lavish casino interiors to explosive confrontations, are often cited in pop culture discussions, and the movie helped define 1990s portrayals of mob excess.

Reviews praised the film's detailed look at how money, power and personal weakness interact, noting its long runtime but steady momentum. Audiences and critics admired Scorsese's confident direction, the pervasive voiceover narration, and the soundtrack choices that punctuate key moments. Some found the film episodic and heavy on violence, yet many view it as a major Scorsese work that interrogates greed, control and the costs of keeping an empire afloat.