Casino Joe Pesci Pen
By David Amoruso
Hollywood loves gangsters. Not because film makers condone their crimes, but because their stories make them lots of money. It’s difficult to name any other genre that has so many titles based on a true story. Yet, despite this label, the true story often gets twisted to fit the silver screen. That is why Gangsters Inc. shares its knowledge of the facts and truth behind these blockbuster gangster flicks.
When it comes to epic mob movies director Martin Scorsese outdid himself with Casino. It tells the true story of Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal and Anthony “The Ant” Spilotro and how the Chicago Outfit dominated gambling in Las Vegas and is based on the research and eventual book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas by Nicholas Pileggi.
In the movie the names have been changed. Lefty Rosenthal turned into Sam “Ace” Rothstein while Spilotro was now named Nicky Santoro. Thankfully their actions remained the same and the acting of Robert De Niro as Rothstein and Joe Pesci as Santoro is, as you can expect from these two stars, top notch.
The clip stabbing with a pen from Casino (1995) with Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci Chase, couple of shooters for the ladies. Yeah, we made a great pair. I made book and Nicky made sure we always collected. Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in Scoresese's 1995 epic, Casino. (Photo: Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection) In contrast. Stabbing a guy with a pen.
Where Scorsese had shown the gritty streets of New York City mob life in Goodfellas, in Casino he upped the ante and showed us the glamorous lives of the men who controlled a billion dollar industry. And, “how [they] messed it all up.”
The true story of Casino was featured in several Gangsters Inc. stories. Most dealing with the individual players or certain incidents more than with the exact plot of the movie. The men responsible for the Las Vegas skim and the money from the Teamsters were bosses Antonino “Joe Batters” Accardo and Joseph Aiuppa, while capo Joseph “The Clown” Lombardo saw to it their orders were carried out as commanded. We have profiled them all.
Spilotro was sent to Vegas to oversee the skim at the casino. He had made a name for himself back in Chicago after learning the ropes from “Mad Sam” DeStefano, one of the most evil mobsters ever to walk the streets of Chi Town.
All in all the violence portrayed in Casino did a good job at showing the capabilities of the group of stone cold killers the real Chicago Outfit had at its disposal. Like when Chicago boss Antonino Accardo needed to send a message to some guys wo burglarized his home.
In the movie Scorsese even cast real mob killer Frank Cullotta to play, essentially, himself as he shoots his way through the final scenes of the movie.
More on Casino:
- Mafia hitman Frank Cullotta on movie 'Casino', Tony Spilotro, Killing Informants, Cooperating with FBI
- The lucrative and violent years of Las Vegas mobster Tony Spilotro’s infamous Hole in the Wall gang
- The story behind the documentary: Back Home, Years Ago: The Real Casino
Get the latest on organized crime and the Mafia at Gangsters Inc.'s news section.
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Copyright © Gangsters Inc.
Released: 22nd November 1995
Director:Martin Scorsese
Stars: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone
Casino Joe Pesci Pen Scene
Certificate: 18
Reviewer: Luke Walkley
The De Niro/Scorsese partnership begins another chapter with the 1995 film Casino.De Niro stars as Casino owner Sam ‘Aces’ Rothstein, In an era of over-the-top glitz and glamour, Rothstein is flying high as the front man for the Mobs multi-million dollar Casino in Las Vegas, The Tangiers. To protect their investment they send Aces boyhood friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) a hot headed, muscle man. It seems to be running perfectly, the combination of Ace’s brains and Nickys brawn keeps them at the top of their game and the money continues to roll in, until Ginger Mckenna (Sharon Stone) becomes part of the equation. Mesmerizing Ace, they eventually marry and he gives her everything she ever dreamed of. However she loses control and her drug and alcohol addiction cause her to come between Sam and Nicky, as well as causing Ace to take numerous risks. Something he has learnt never to do.
The film is an interesting mix of bright lights, dazzling performances and memorable scenes. Casino shows us the cracks behind the glossy exterior of Las Vegas’ five-star lifestyle. You can enjoy the Las Vegas-lifestyle from the comfort of your own home with Spinzwin Casino
Casino creates a fantastic atmosphere from the start, in the opening scene we see Ace climb into a car, only for it to explode seconds later. Starting at the end, Casino back tracks its story across several decades. A clever re-telling of the events that unfolded in Las Vegas is due to the narration of the story by several of the main characters. Nicky (Pesci) and Ace share the majority of the narrating, while smaller characters jump in and out when describing events that affected both Nicky and Rothstein. The interweaving of the dialogue spoken within the scenes and the narration is a perfect example of the subtle ingenuity that Scorsese has created with Casino.
While De Niro is as good as ever in his role as Rothstein, it is a rare occasion where one of his performances plays second string to another actors. However, Pesci is even more impressive as Nicky Santoro than he was in a similar role as Tommy De Vito in Goodfellas. He really is the perfect psycho. His ability to ‘lose it’ never ceases to amaze me and it is his mentality that sets up the films, if not some of modern cinemas, most hard-hitting scenes.
I would not use the above description lightly. Any scene that can still cause its viewers to cringe the fourth or fifth time of seeing it deserves a mention. I’m referring to two scenes in particular. Firstly, the ‘pen scene’, while drinking at a club, Ace is told to shove a pen he finds ‘up his ass’ by an arrogant bar-goer. Nicky hearing this, grabs the pen and stabs the man repeatedly in the chest and neck. Gruesome and graphic, but Pesci’s expression is pure acting gold. In the second scene, Nicky is interrogating an Irishman to find out who was behind a bar shooting. An interesting questioning technique is used- Placing the man’s head in a table vice and tightening it until his eye, literally pops out of his head. This scene is one of the few moments that it’s impossible to turn away from yet you know you should.
A special mention must go to Sharon Stone’s performance as Ginger, switching from confident hostess, to shaking drug addict she is perfect as the woman that ruins it all. Her actions and betrayal cause Ace and Nicky to clash and ultimately see their relationship spiral out of control. James Woods cameos as pimp Lester Diamond, the man who Ginger can’t turn her back on despite having everything see dreams of with Ace.
At 178 minutes long its certainly one of the most in depth films you could hope to watch (with the exception ofOnce Upon A Time In America, with a staggering run-time of 220 minutes) However, there are so many details and events within the film, that it never drags. Scorsese never lingers for long on the unnecessary. His eye for perfection from both the cast and the writing creates a fantastic film experience that should be enjoyed by anyone who is a fan of his work, De Niro, or good movies in general.
Joe Pesci Pencil Casino
Casino is a hard-hitting but all the while unbelievably entertaining film. A fantastic concept matched with equally top-class acting gives one of the best films of the 90’s and is perhaps Scorsese most underrated piece of filmmaking. Take a gamble and watch Casino- I bet you can’t help but enjoy it.