Casino: Who was the Goodfella here?
*****CAUTION: SPOILER ALERT! PROFANITY LADEN AND GRAPHIC CONTENT!!!*****
I will say it right off the bat. The movie “Casino” is one of my favorite movies of all time. I feel that all 3 main characters should’ve won an Oscar for their prospective roles. They made the story believable even though the real story is different from the movie.
I digress. What will this be about? Oh yeah, the characters - specifically the main ones who left us captivated the entire movie.
For one, many people laude Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert DeNiro's character), a serious, highly intelligent, precise gambling expert handicapper as the hero and wronged. However, I will, I guess "break down" why he is no better than Nicky Santoro and Ginger McKenna who were made to look like the only bad people in the movie.
And this is the genius behind Martin Scorsese films; the character development is amazing and layered. You must watch out for the signs, words and actions.
So Mister Sticky Fingers Nicky is a “made” man from the Chicago Outfit mafia. A crude, snarky, disrespectful and extremely tough guy who’s married with a son. He adores his son a great deal. His wife, Jennifer, seems to be a ride or die but I don't get the sense that Nicky loves her as much as he loves his son with her. Her responsibilities seem to be to take care of the son and whatever bullshit Nicky wants her to do that's illegal.
Anywho, Nicky was nothing but drama. He was sent to Las Vegas, which he wanted because it was where all the action was… and he also loved the showgirls.
He really wanted to be his own boss, knowing that the mafia outfit couldn't "see" what he was doing in Vegas. So, besides watching Ace's back to make sure no one fucked with the "Golden Jew", he started making it known in Vegas, to everyone, who he was, and he was not to be fucked with.
Now I want to start with Nicky because some would say he is easily the "baddest" of bad guys in this film. He is also the easiest one to talk about in terms of character.
Let's start with his wife.
It's clear his wife was a rock; very loyal. It's quite sad though, because she helped smuggled in diamonds for him in her hair, which she could've gotten caught up by security at the airport and been arrested for his BS. She had to befriend Ginger (she probably didn't care to) due to Nicky's connection to Ace, just so they got the lay of the Vegas land. She probably had to deal with Nicky's volatile attitude, abuse and stubbornness which can't be easy. (I wish they explored a little character development with her, btw) She also had to chat on the phone with Ginger a certain way since the phones were tapped, just so Ace and Nicky can quickly speak to each other and/or meet.
Nicky didn't seem to take her anywhere. He was having a good ol' fucking time, creating his restaurants, fucking showgirls, meeting and greeting Las Vegas elites, and gambling. Wifey was nowhere in the picture during these "fun times" sans his fuckering with showgirls.
Mind you, his wife is gorgeous! But, you know, Nicky is a greedy fucker and a cheater.
Frank...
I don't think Frank liked Nicky. Why do I say this?
Well, Nicky flexed his muscle with Frank, although I understand in some ways why he did so. You're a gangster/"made" mobster who had to make sure his people are in line and let them know that he's with the shits and not the type you should ever "go over his head" or fuck with.
Nicky telling Frank he would have "ratted by now" and saying the shit he said prior to that when they were torturing Tony Doggs, to try to get him to tell them who ordered the hit to Remo Gaggi's bar (the mafia boss from the Chicago Outfit). Ugh. What a dick! No real faith in Frank. Even if he was joking, Frank didn't respond like it was a joke, "Yeah…thanks".
When Nicky decided to start sleeping with Ginger and Ginger wanted Ace "terminated permanently" Frank didn't seem at all happy about it but just went along with the program. And who could blame him? He was asked directly by Remo if "the little guy was sleeping with the Jew's wife" and he flat out lied and said he hadn't heard anything.
He protected them all - what I'm calling the 3 bad main characters in the movie - by lying to the top boss, which could've gotten him killed (and for all we know, it probably did. Remo could have sent Frank and others to take care of Nicky and his brother Dominick out in the cornfields to face his homeboy and take his ass out… then once he got back to where-ever, was killed by the same dudes who put Nicky and Dominick in the ground - just for lying to him. It was telling when Remo stressed him to tell the truth.
We saw Frank alive in the end, but I think had the movie went on or if it was in the scripts at some point, Frank was killed as well. I got the sense Scorsese sympathized with Frank a little bit) all because Nicky needed to stick his ick with a d inside of Ginger.
Even when Frank was beating Dominick to death, you can hear the frustration from Frank, like he was holding back how he really felt until that very end of Nicky's and Dominick's life. He was sick of them both.
Speaking of Ginger…
Nicky’s scazzy ass sees Ginger for the first time when Ace introduced her to Nicky and Jennifer and he was in awe when he saw her. You can damn near see him plotting like, "Me nuh getting she from he, forreal!" What a dirtbag.
So once Ace starts having problems with Ginger, getting her pimp boyfriend Lester beat up by Nicky's guys, Ginger runs to Nicky to complain (I will get back to this scene later). Instead of Nicky saying, "Ay, let's discuss this with your husband together or - better yet - leave me out of this. I'm a married man," something to that effect, he relishes in the fact that she runs to him, like he's a savior and yet, he was the one who was behind Lester getting his ass whooped. He didn't bother to advise her that he was there, and it was his guys, just only telling her that Ace may not have known who Lester was - and Ginger quickly corrects him.
Nicky just sits there, listening to her bad mouthing HIS SO-CALLED BEST FRIEND, and watching her. After her rants, he acts like this concerned "friend", telling her to ease up with the drinking and told her she was beautiful. So, miss thang hugs him, then gives Nicky soft pecks on the lips at least 2 or 3 times. And Nicky does nothing… but has a strange smirk on his face, almost like he was restraining himself and uncomfortable at the same time but reveling in the faux adoration Ginger was giving him. (Great friggin' acting by Joe Pesci here. To get across emotions on screen with the body language he showed was incredible to me).
Nicky could've backed off immediately if his friendship with Ace was really that important to him, if he truly cared about him, but he didn't (I will get into this later). Later, he would come to regret "fucking with this broad" after she made it obvious to Ace she was plotting something nefarious (offing him) with Nicky (although Nicky made it obvious as well by even entertaining and being around Ginger). The fact that in the opening of the movie Nicky mentions Ace and then Ginger (I understand, they were the main characters) and not his ride or die wife as a part of him and his life speaks volumes. Envy, power, greed, violence and Ginger were the center of it all.
Nicky really wanted everything Ace had. I think he wanted to BE Ace.
The mafia bosses adored Ace because of what he could do for them that really no one else could all the time. He was always going to be protected as long as he kept "winning" and making them money. I feel Nicky wanted that talent, that gift Ace had since it was the best insurance policy in the mafia world. Nicky didn't have that; he was just the muscle and thief who followed orders. There's a high percentage of people who can be “a muscle" but there is a low percentage of people who are like Ace. It's rare.
I also think Nicky wanted Ace's calmness to a certain extent. Nicky was impulsive, hot-headed, hard-headed and stubborn. He always acted like he was the smartest man in the room (Ace as well) but he was also quick to violence, which can be perceived as a weakness. Ace didn't have to be violent to be “respected”.
People flocked around him because of his personality and probably his style. Plus, he was running a casino, which Nicky WISHED he had that option.
Now back to the hard-headedness of Nicky. Nicky barely listened to anything Ace said. Ace warned him about the local cops and the "Black Book", which was filled with dangerous criminals that, in essence, can get you banned from entering certain states and/or premises.
He warned him a few times but - no - never heeded the warnings. He just did whatever the fuck he wanted and then complained when shit hits the fan, leaving Ace basically like, "I told you so". So, Nicky continues to double down on trash behavior because he still needed to "earn".
Nicky then started to turn his back on the Chicago Outfit, mostly because he wanted to do what he wanted and was tired of taking orders from them when Ace only had one order to comply with and that was to keep making money from the casinos so they could benefit from it. Other than that, he was his "own man".
Nicky wanted to be a boss and seeing Ace come off like a leader in his own world - being rewarded, running a casino the way he saw fit and was in contact with super elite individuals - he wanted that but more.
Another thing that is interesting about Nicky is, for as much bravado he has, he carried guilt. Case in point, when he volunteered to go on some heists with his crew, he didn't like the people he was stealing from looking at him, so he turned the picture frames he saw in their homes upside down so he didn't have to see them. It could be that he's religious, most likely Catholic. However, I think if any of his crew saw this action, they would've thought of him as weak. I sure the fuck would have!
Especially when he told that "beaut" of a casino dealer at the Tangiers that "if he had any heart he would've been robbing for a living" or something like that. Yet, yo ass can't rob a place with people's family photos staring at you? Ugh. Punk behavior.
When Ace and Nicky started falling out, Ace clearly was able to keep it moving as he had other friends he could hang out with. He didn't need the company of Nicky. Besides, he had his own life there before Nicky even arrived in Las Vegas. But to see the jealousy and clear attention seeking behavior from Nicky was childish.
Like, bro, you pretty much threaten the man's life in the middle of the desert which YOU told him to go to, and you think he was going to look at you with warm eyes and greet you with glee? No way. Ace clocked you from that moment on and never trusted you again. (I always told my guy, some Gems only need you to do some fuck shit once and you're never trusted again) Side note: The coolness to which we move on comes off mean and cold, but what the fuck are we supposed to do? Let people continue to treat you like shit? I'm not one of them. However, not all Gemini’s are like this. If you even believe in that kind of thing.
And what does Nicky do? He goes to the Tangiers Casino, which he wasn't supposed to be there at that point since he was banned, decides to play "21" table game and wanted his money, yadda, yadda, yadda but he was really there to get Ace's attention, since the "night" before Ace didn't acknowledge him and his crew at a nightclub.
Then we have Nicky fucking with Ginger and Ginger wanted Ace to be "deleted". Nicky also wanted Ace erased. His life was spiraling out of control with the drugs and booze, and he wasn't the same "Nicky" anymore, not as strong and was becoming sloppy and part of that sloppiness was following pussy he desired which was Ginger.
He wanted to have her, and it inflated his ego so much that she ran to him for assistance. He felt like a hero. So now he has the "affection" and attention from Ace's wife, he wasn't going to let that go. So, these 2 coked up mofos decide to fuck with Ace and Ace immediately understood what was happening.
And, again, Nicky realizing his mistake, after sleeping with Ginger a few times, that Ace knows what they're up to and, after kicking Ginger out of his restaurant establishment for being demanding and then hitting him, he may be in a world of trouble with the Chicago Outfit for sleeping with "the Jew's wife".
Once shit hit the fan, feds knowing what was going on (partly because of Piscano) and start raiding Tangiers, his crew and more, Nicky skips town to wait for the "heat" to die down. It's crazy that he left his crew hanging and didn't have them with him, especially his right-hand man, Frank. Nicky showed how selfish he was, and I found it telling that Scorsese made sure (or whomever wrote the movie) you saw who got rolled up (arrested) from Nicky's crew.
Nicky fittingly saw his demise at the hand of the one person who had to deal with his volatile, dangerous shit - that put him in danger most of the time - which was Frank. That was no mistake by the writers.
Lastly, Nicky blowing up Ace's car, essentially trying to kill his so-called, "best friend" was ridiculous. He allowed his jealousy, greediness and paranoia to ruin his friendship even more and he knew if he killed Ace, the Chicago Outfit would lose a substantial amount of money. He tried to kill 2 birds with one stone, then have the audacity to come back from skipping town, thinking everything would be okay - all would be forgiven, even after everything he did. Surveillance of him kissing Ginger, trying to kill Ace, not listening to the boss' "back home" anymore and not asking for permission to make moves. The Chicago Outfit realized their "made muscle" had to go.
Nicky was not a savvy gambler, and his hustle game was only good when he acted as the muscle, but not as someone with a crew that knew how to properly hustle a casino without the sheriffs noticing. You must be pretty bad for the sheriffs to notice and yet many hustlers come in, do their shit and leave. Hell, even the dudes Ace caught were doing their crap for years at the Tangiers Hotel and Casino. However, Nicky was a great thief, like I said.
Nicky sucked, for the most part, but he wasn't wrong on a few occasions.
Miss Ginger…
Ginger is the most misunderstood character in the movie. Just like Nicky, she was made out to be the "bad guy/girl" but there are things I feel people should've understood about her and, honestly, it says so much about our society and why some women deal with shit internally and act out later in life, etc, etc. and how most people view women when they are not at their strongest and so on.
"Ginger's mission in life is money…" - Sam "Ace" Rothstein
Let's talk about Ginger and why she is misunderstood before talking about all the horrific shit she's done.
Ginger clearly had trauma.
Yes, she is beautiful, statuesque and smart woman. However, she was damaged. Very damaged.
Lester Diamond. Yeah. Someone named that name is most likely some sort of hustler and/or pimp, which he was both. He was a "mooch" and another selfish individual whose priority in life was to make money by any means… through girls and women, specifically Ginger.
As he said on the phone with her when she just got married, he remembered seeing her as a 14-year-old with long legs… just gross. He was manipulative and wanted her to continue the grift within the marriage. Ginger clearly has been controlled by Lester since she was a child… CHILD. We know nothing about her parents.
However, I do feel there was a hint of pain (more than a hint) when Ace proposed to her and she asked Ace if he knew anyone who had a happy marriage because she didn't. She looked on the verge of tears when she said that. It makes you wonder if her parents had an unsuccessful marriage or that they were in unsuccessful marriages. Whatever it was, being married frightened her.
Let's stay in the scene of Ace proposing to Ginger. Ginger was direct and honest with Ace that she wasn't in love with him but she cared for him and apologized. However, Ace convinced her by using money and "security" so she can say yes to him.
What's sad about that is, it was mostly what she knew - all she knew. Be a hustler, use her feminine wiles and get money any way she could. Lester, in essence, "raised" her and now the man who promised marriage to her, Ace, the guy who acted damn near "holier than thou" was running damn near the same play on Ginger.
What do I mean by this? Well, Ace knew her background. For all his intelligence, he didn't invest in getting her mental health before having a child with her (who happened to be a girl). Ace just wanted her to be his "trophy wife", parade her around in expensive clothes and have her looking presentable and "coiffed" - all to make HIM look good. For all of Ace's posturing, he pimped Ginger out his own way. I will get back to his ass in a second.
Ginger did everything Ace asked for; hustling high rollers, making sure the staff received huge tips so they can get specific drugs, etc that's needed to make the high rollers happy and stay pretty.
Ginger was a little girl trapped in a grown woman's body. It didn’t help that the man who supposedly loved her - men - used her. Not to say she wasn't manipulative (Ace was as well) but she truly needed help and I think she probably would've respected Ace more if he focused on that. I think she really needed someone to see behind the beauty, brawn and "talent" and try to get to know the real Ginger. Who she really was. However, no one cared to learn.
There was a moment she was happy to be Mrs. Rothstein, because of the status she obtained from it. However, she knew it was all a farce and that she could never really escape her past.
And she was right that Ace didn't love her…HER. He only loved the idea of her and what she outwardly represented to him and for the rest of the city of Vegas. In some ways, he had her more under lock and key than Lester, which I will explain later.
Now for the fucked up-ness of Ginger.
Just like Ace and Nicky, she was stubborn, greedy and liked to have her way. No, not by trying to get her jewels and money that Ace promised her. I will get back to that later, but by, again, using her allure and body to get what she wanted.
Ginger knew - KNEW that Nicky had a crush on her, which is specifically why she sought him out to complain about Ace after Ace asked Nicky to “sic” his goons after Lester. She didn't go to her dear "friend" Jennifer to complain because… what could she have done in the long run? The long con started with Nicky, because she knew she was going to eventually leave Ace and get what she was owed by him. Nicky was the "right" person to help her with what she wanted and was happy to do it… well because like I explained, he also wanted Ace gone. I'll say they used each other, but one of them REALLY wanted to get in that puzz and desired her way more than she would ever desire Nicky.
(Btw, I wanted to point out names here: Nicky and Dominick. That's all.)
Anyways, super fucked up that Ginger cared so little about her "friendship" with Jennifer and starts sleeping with her husband. Bad enough the man was rarely home and was sleeping around but for Ginger to be that manipulative and selfish is unfortunate. I would like to think Jennifer went on to have a wonderful life without the abusive and controlling fuck that is Nicky.
I digress.
Ginger doesn't trust Ace (for good reason in some ways) but then says, "He's a Gemini. Triple Gemini. A snake", something like that, and you see Nicky's face looking amused and low key agreeing with her. I mean, the real-life Nicky and Ginger were the sign of Taurus. Not surprised they shared the same sentiment. I laughed at the scene and always do. Why? Because these 2 were the biggest, gotdam snakes in the movie! The shit they were doing behind Ace's back, fucking each other and plotting to kill the man was insane. The nerve of these 2.
Plus, what's interesting is when they introduced Lester, Ginger was wearing a snake printed robe dress. She also wore an Emilio Pucci abstract snake dress when she walked away from a “mark” she provided pills to while he was in the bathroom. In fact, Ginger wore a lot of animal/snake print clothing! So, I guess her clothing told us a story about her if you catch my drift.
And to top it off, Ginger attempted to kidnap their daughter, Amy, which is beyond foul. Horrible fuckin' mother, btw. It wasn't just the kidnapping, it was the fact that Ginger would have her daughter around Lester the Molester, who has been pimping her for years, since SHE was a kid. Unfortunately, she didn't see Lester as a bad guy, more like a fucked up "parental figure." And yet, they checked in to some hotel/motel under the name, "Mr. and Mrs. Rothstein" so she was acting and probably hoping that her life would be rich and plentiful… with Lester and not with Sam "Ace" Rothstein. Sadly, Ginger couldn't see that Lester was the bigger scammer in her life and didn't care about her at all, only cared about what she could DO for HIM.
During this messed up kidnapping plot, Ginger is chopping and snorting coke in front Amy, which no child should ever see, and decided to tell her daughter, "Don't do this" was responsible parenting. Wild and disgusting. Super infuriating! I think Ginger envied her daughter a little, which is why she exploited her the way she did. Her daughter came into the world with money and a father, Ace, who purely loved her. Ginger clearly didn't care for her daughter's well-being and went as far as tying her daughter up in their home and leaving her alone. Drugs and alcohol were also the problem.
Now let me go back a second. I get the sense that Ginger and Lester would've tried to do what Lester did to Ginger when she was kid to Amy. Read between the lines. Even how Lester was speaking about Amy was telling but the writers were careful not to be too obvious. Ransom but also, if Ace didn’t pay up… I will leave it at the that.
After tying her poor daughter up and leaving her alone, she heads to Nicky's restaurant. Their plot was so bad. Because, at this point, Ginger was numbing herself with alcohol, Nicky was getting sloppy and both didn't think Ace would figure out they were in cahoots with each other at this point and not just in a sexual way.
Ginger hid behind Nicky, essentially, while a furious Ace reems down at her as quietly as he could.
Once they had their short argument when he finally got her home, which I will get back to later, she leaves again, goes back to Nicky's restaurant to let him know what happened. Nicky knew all of this was bad and it wasn't going the way he thought it would and Ginger is like, "Just kill him already". When Nicky doesn't comply with what she wants, she attacks him, he smacks her and throws her out of the restaurant.
Now, at this point she's ruined both relationships and she knew Ace would never look at her the same or forgive her. Now she wants her money and whatever else so she can go.
Finally free. She didn't even bother trying to get custody of Amy at that point. She was smart enough to know she would've lost that fight. That “child” within no longer had to answer to her other "father". She had her money (and more) and was gone.
Unfortunately, with that freedom came even more moochers, addicts and users, that ran through everything she left with and her meeting her maker. And you know what? Never heard from Lester again. By then he probably didn't need her. To him, she fucked up the biggest score they would ever have by leaving and divorcing Ace. Also, Lester may have seen her as washed up at that point due to the booze and narcotics.
Yes, Ginger was a grown woman and could've gotten help for herself. It's just unfortunate she couldn't and wouldn't get away from the same cycle and same type of people. She struggled to stay on a path filled with rules. She never met anyone who truly trusted and loved her… the former sadly for good reason. The cycle.
Sam "Ace" Rothstein…
Yeah I left him for last. Like I hinted earlier, Ace was also a bad fella in this. Many people see him as a victim; just a caring guy who just wanted to run a "square place" and have his life "nice and quiet".
Pfft!
Bro, you work for the fucking mob! Square place? They were skimming! You were a part of the shenanigans! Hell, you were ripping off motherfuckers all day and night because seeing anyone really "win" was like losing a million bucks!
Mr. Rothstein, sir, you didn't like the "whales" that came through, betting vast amounts of money and winning. So, what do you do, create a scheme where they are forced to come back to the casino and bet again… and again… and again until they lose all of what they played. YOU DIDN'T EVEN LIKE WHEN THEY TOOK FREE SOAPS AND TOWELS! Back then that wasn't an anomaly, you were allowed to take these items. However, you're so cheap as well as needing to make sure all the money lost would go into the greedy pockets of YOU and the fucking mob. Ugh.
And yes, the point of a casino is to keep people spending. The house always wins. However, people have brains and if they aren't gambling addicts, some would stay away from casinos that are straight losers and won't go back to the establishment and will go to the casinos that have a higher winning output.
Ok, let's start a bit from the beginning. Sorry, I have a lot to say about him. Didn't mean to jump in and lose it a bit.
Ace is an interesting character. You're supposed to love him. Seems solid. He had the right to be irritated with Nicky, but everything wasn't Nicky's fault - or Ginger's.
Ace suffered from OCD. Not fun if you’re diagnosed with it. I know. There are many degrees of OCD and Ace was up there in high level category. Wait - you know what? OCPD (Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder) is what he had, with some sprinkling of OCD. He needed to be in control. Hell, he told Stone he didn't want interference and wanted to run the casino "his way". On top of that the dice had to be right, the chips stacked correctly, etc. To make it more interesting, not one hair or clothing was out of place (down to his home). In some ways, he needed someone in his life to disorder his orderly life, a challenge… and saw someone who was not too different from him, which was Ginger. (Oooh I will get back to her)
And somewhat because of this diagnosis that he may or may not have known he had, this is all the messery this dude did.
Let's start with Tangiers Hotel and Casino.
Ward was an idiot but was also scamming for the very people who wanted the mob out of the casino business and out of their city. When some slots machines provided people with the chance to win at a high probability, Ace lost his shit. I laughed because Ward said something even I said, even though I knew he was scamming the Tangiers and Ace. My boy said, "People have to win sometimes…" Pure GOLD!
Hahahahahahahahaa!!!!!!! Yes, that was funny and true. As I said before, Ace needed people to come to that casino to keep losing. This is why he continued to watch the casino even at home, frickin' CCTV for crying out loud in his gotdamn bedroom to make sure "people weren't robbing him blind".
Bro… you lost your shit on someone scamming from the casino, yet you were literally doing the same. Ace thought because he was this incredible handicapper in betting where he rarely, if ever, lost a bet - got this shit down to a science - that he was better than many and of higher morale ground… and he wasn't! (Btw, I will be saying that last part a few times regarding Ace. Watch out)
Did I say this man said in the beginning of the movie that he was "given" a casino that was "legitimate" and that as a bookie and gambler he had to always look over his shoulder due to being hassled by the cops? You weren't "given" anything. Your job was to "run" the casino. You couldn't even say you were the boss! You had to keep changing titles every blessed week. And that casino was not legitimate! Ok, if you mean legitimate as it's an actual friggin' casino and not some faux shite, ok, you're right. However, nothing done at the Tangiers was legitimate.
Yes, you're not wrong for getting the cheaters out, which kind of includes Ward but Ward was tricky. He leaves; everything dies. Anyways, I understand all of that - the job you had to do was to make sure money in, a lot less money out - all for the "bosses". However, the hypocrisy is hilarious and, again, you act as if you're above the cheaters, crooks and skanks.
Hell, you were under the control of the mob. You're there to make that money and not let the money make you! (If you watched Player's Club, y'all should know who said that hahahahaaaa!) You were no different from Ginger. You were being pimped, Ace, just not sexually. You told Nicky, if anything happened to the casino it was "his ass" not Nicky's. Yeah, glorified "hoe" who had no choice but to make sure yo' pimps were fat and happy and not given any trouble.
Let's add more onto the OCPD diagnosis. Yes, super gross of the "cowboy" sitting at the poker table with his nasty ass feet resting on it. For Ace, this was him wanting to remind Mr. Cowboy that he was running a high-end casino and trashy, nasty habits and actions was not going to be tolerated. Absolutely agree.
Then him weighing the European dancers who were off a couple or so pounds during weigh ins. Oof. He was exacting in every way. And yes, I know it's not an anomaly that dancers usually must weigh in, be measured, etc to maintain a svelte look.
How about Ace sitting behind his desk and, so that his pants aren't wrinkled and to keep the seams crispy, he has his pants hanging up in the closet, with a few other items of clothes just in case he needs them?
The infamous muffins hahahahaaaa! Absolutely didn't blame him for his irritation here. The muffin he received while speaking with Phillip Green looked dry, barely any blueberries in them. Obviously, something was wrong in the kitchen. Could've been that the batter was uneven. But the chef's facial expression and single question was hilarious, then looking at Ace like he was crazy.
Another thing was he was so obsessive and fixated with his work, especially when the issue of not having a gaming license came to fruition. He continued to watch the news about it in his "John Barrymore" robe at night. Then in the daytime, he's seen in the same attire, smoking, and watching it again. I do find it crazy that he thought he would have a fair trial. At the time and with all the heat coming down on him and Nicky and the mob, that wasn't going to happen EVER, even if he never got into it with the racist Commissioner Pat Webb after firing Ward. They were looking for a reason to get someone who was working and/or affiliated with the mob and super sketchy past gone from "their town".
Mind you, this is a man, Ace, who pretty much enjoyed what he did (I think he thought he was some sort of comic book hero, a character with special powers), worked 18 hour days, so he says, while Ginger enjoyed the best things in life… I will get back to this soon.
No wonder the man had ulcers. Him gurgling his Mylanta. The smoking didn't help.
So, let's give Ace a break here. He was right about so many things. The number of warnings he gave Nicky was ridiculous. Nicky did say, "Do I have your permission?" when asking about moving out to Las Vegas, even if he was being sarcastic. I think he said it that way knowing Ace likes to think of himself as the boss in damn near every situation.
Nicky never wanted to truly listen to Ace because also in Nicky's mind he was "over" Ace. He was a made-man, legit. Ace was just a gambler/impressive ass handicapper.
Ace has some paranoia, for sure, but for good reasons. So, when he was providing Nicky those warnings, he cared… but also knew his friend very well and knew he wasn't going to listen to him. Reverse psychology probably worked.
I think Ace wanted to keep Ginger safe. Yeah, that's as far as I will go with how he felt about her. He called her a "good fuckin' actress". He was a good fuckin' actor himself. With mostly everyone. He was, for the most part, honest with Nicky.
Break over. Let's move to the "jag-off" Nicky stabbed multiple times with a pen. You see Ace walk in and while the "jag-off" was speaking to the women at the bar, Ace and the women exchange "Hellos" and he walks over to Nicky. You see the jag-off say "Who's that guy?" and Ace, seeing a pen on the bar counter, taps the guy on his back and asks him if the pen was his. Mr. Jag-Off disrespects Ace, and Ace stands there acting confused and innocent when, of course, as a muscle, Nicky hears what was said to Ace, takes the pen in question and goes to town on the Mr. Jag-Off's neck.
So why is this scene important? A couple of reasons.
Even though the interaction was… innocent enough, Ace cuts in while the women are talking to Mr. Jag-Off to say hi to them. It wasn't just a walk past kind of "Hi". He interrupted their conversation (and not saying excuse me) long enough to look at the women with his body slightly in between the women and Mr. Jag-Off, looks at Mr. Jag-Off and walks away. All brief but definitely temp checking and establishing dominance. Then he's all surprised that Mr. Jag-Off snapped off at him. And yeah, it got him stabbed up but, for Ace to then say what he said after Nicky did what he did to him was hilarious! He was questioning why Mr. Jag-Off became so upset. Ace loves the innocent act. He knew his homeboy was going to lose his shit and he didn't mind it at all. Standing there trying to faux stop Nicky at the end from beating the guy up further.
Now fast forward to when Ace won an award and Ginger was all dressed in gold (the symbolism is insane here. Such a trophy wife). He's standing in another room with Ginger and they're talking and smiling at each other. A young dude comes over and interrupts their conversation to say congratz to Ace. He then looks to Ginger, grabs her hand, gives it a kiss in a "polite" gesture and compliments Ginger for her beauty and Ace for being… lucky. You can see Ace was not happy about that and once the dude walks away, Ace says, "What balls on this guy," and fires dude the next day.
Ace may not have done the hand kissing gesture to the women at the bar who knew him and was wordy with them. However, it was damn near the same situation. The difference is Ace wasn't as obvious as the young dude.
I also think, because the real "Ace" was not much of a looker (DeNiro is very handsome to me) that he didn't care for any man getting close to Ginger, which included Nicky (can't really say I blame him) . DeNiro, in the film was, supposed to be "unattractive" in a sense.
Let's continue with his Ginger issues. As I said before, he worked long hours, 18 to be specific, while Ginger enjoyed the perks. I feel this is why his ass never got to truly know his girlfriend/wife. How the hell was the relationship ever going to survive - bump that - how was she ever going to "grow" to love him as he said before, when you are never there and when you show that you didn't trust her by questioning everything she did? Huh? And, yes, money going to Lester? Trash behavior no matter what. However, he already knew she still in contact with that man and once again, remember, Ace knew how Ginger felt and pretty much "bought" her, which is fucked up.
Let's go to the beginning a bit. Mr. Rothstein, sir, you fell for Ginger when you saw her on those security cameras hustling/stealing from her "mark". First thought was, "What a move" and instead of doing what you have been doing for a while, getting security to kick her ass out or confront her about what you witnessed, ban her from the casino and then kicking her out, you stare at her and "fell in love". You, Mr. Rothstein, sir, saw how beautiful she was, then her hustling ways, then she became "your mark".
Yes, I said "your mark". Ginger didn't care about you or the Tangiers at that moment. She was going to keep it pushing. You chased her. Some would say YOU were the mark, but she didn't know you, your tastes in women, etc. You chased her because she reminded you of YOU.
Then you found out a little bit about her. Then in barely 3 months you wanna marry her. Even she was thrown off. As she said you barely knew her and you said pretty much you knew all you needed to know… which is horrible, btw. You didn't care to know more about her because her aesthetics and charming personality were more important than getting to REALLY know and love her. Ginger told you the truth, telling you she cared about you but was not in love. But just like you kept narrating about Nicky, saying "He didn't care" and "He just didn't care", apply that to yourself.
Even the way you proposed to Ginger was not special and it centered around you. "I do one better. I'm trying to marry you," or some lame bullshit he said. Really? Ginger is clearly a "grand gesture" kind of woman and proposing by sitting next to her on a sofa, which isn't the problem, but it's you saying, "I'm 43 and I'm not getting any younger, I wanna have a family, settle down", something like that. No real mention of her and/or caring for her feelings. She even asked, while choking back tears, if he knew anyone in happy marriages because she didn't (Interesting since she met Jennifer, hung out with her and Jennifer was married. Ginger probably knew Jennifer and Nicky weren’t a happy couple). It seemed clear she was triggered by her past, probably her parents, and you sat there talking about trust and all this other shit - pretty much salesman your way into her heart. When she told you she was not in love with you, you then started explaining to her about what "love" is and then you pretty much threw money in her face when her next question was how she was going to be taken care of if they divorced - RED FLAG BTW - and you got her to marry you by throwing money and jewels in her face. Ace, you - were - THIRSTY!!!!!!!!
The little you learned about Ginger, you used it against her when you were upset, or she did something fucked up. Yes, she deserved ALL the smoke when it came down to kidnapping your daughter and having her around Lester, tying her up later and then leaving her by herself, then wanting to have you killed, but YOU CHOSE HER! YOU DECIDED TO PROCREATE WITH HER knowing full and well she was impulsive – I will say somewhat spontaneous! Right when you first saw her you saw her hustling in full sight, then made the guy lose all the rest of his money. You would think that was a HUGE red flag, that she was who she was and made no apologies for it, unfortunately. Her past wasn't a problem as long as she kept it cute, schmooze with your antique-looking elites, players, movers and shakers in town and kept you abreast of everything she was going to do and was doing.
Ginger was a frickin' trophy wife. The scene where she was in that beautiful gold dress was no damn accident by Scorsese. Then you saw the spotlight close in on Ace, which was really interesting because, to me, it made me think at the moment it was all about him and yet what he says about Ginger is SUPPOSED to be sweet and beautiful when it wasn't at all. He liked the way she "worked" the room. If I decoded what he meant by everything he said, it was "I love the way she makes ME look. Successful, rich with phenomenal taste and I can bag women like her. I'm a catch!"
No. Mr. Rothstein you're controlling and boring.
The best wife for him would probably be Elvira Hancock hahahahhahaaa! Or maybe not considering what I just said.
So Ace takes Ginger to banks with him depositing "shakedown" money, jewels, etc, to show her he trusts her "completely" because somehow that shows "love", you know, giving her the ONLY key that would get him back alive. (Btw, where was her "shakedown money" in case SHE was kidnapped?)
When she had jewels btw, he asks her, "Do I keep my promises?"
No, sir, you do not.
Near the end of the marriage, when Ginger wanted to leave, you - Mr. Rothstein – sir - flat out denied her what she was promised. At this point she didn't do those crazy things to Amy, their daughter and wasn't sleeping with Nicky yet. So, a lot of shit could've been avoided, and you would've won custody of Amy had you just divorced her, gave her the shit you promised her and let her go. At this point, she was overdoing it with the drinking and prescription drugs. Once she cut her hair, she became a full-blown coke, pill-popping alcoholic and was becoming even more crazy, like someone who was trying to escape a stalker. Money kept her with you, not love and you knew that and that's why you didn't want to give anything of value to her unless she continued to pretend “love” you. The charade was important.
The guy at the bank even asked you if you trusted your wife. You hesitated! Then you said yes and asked why. You spouted all that shit about trust, even going as far as asking her a few times, "Can I trust you?" and yet you didn't trust her AT ALL. There was no trust in the relationship.
Some may roll their eyes at me seeming to make Ginger into a victim… Like I explained earlier, she was someone who desperately needed therapy and, I think, most importantly, someone who cared to truly listen to her and get to know her.
When Ginger was laid out on their bed after the Lester Diamond beatdown from Nicky's crew, Ace was questioning her about his meds, which she is foul for taking his medication, and she lays there defending nasty ass Lester, saying he didn't have to have him beaten up. When Ace tried to comfort her, she had every right to snap at him seeing she didn't give shit and that he didn't care. Why? This fool said the wrong shit to her, saying, "People look up to you in this town". If he knew her, he would've known that didn't matter. Ginger seemed to want genuine, "see me beyond my looks and get to know me" love. Since every man she seemed to encounter saw her for just her physical attractiveness, she just continued to use it.
Then Ace said, which was the infuriating part, "I know you better than you know yourself".
Wow. YOU DON'T KNOW HER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Down to when you straight up told her after she was on the phone whispering to someone that she wanted to have you deleted, you screamed "You never loved me in the first place!" YOU GASLIT AND LIED TO YOURSELF!!!!!!!! Ginger already told you she wasn't in love with you AND she never said she loved you! She said she cared about you. You literally thought throwing money at her, which she didn't have much control of, was going to cure her of whatever trauma she was going through?! That status and "respect" in town would be the end all, be all?! NO!!! She was already making money on her own and had more freedom but not by a large margin (being with Lester). Hell, you brought over HER CLOTHES to the house YOU bought for y'all (so controlling you didn't find a home WITH HER). She had her own and somehow her being with you seemed like she was in jail.
Then you and your homie Nicky said to her that she was "a tiger" and “a toughy" when, again, you both didn't know her. You can't bullshit a bullshit-er and Ginger was the queen of knowing how to make other people feel good. She saw manipulation and fraud around her. She was a part of it.
What was telling was that Ginger never agreed with what they said. Yes, Ginger was street smart, but she wasn't tough. She seemed to be in pain and did her best to self-protect herself but wasn't very good at it by continuing to attract the same type of men. Even when she threatened to go to the FBI, she didn't bother to snitch. All that yelling, threats, hitting cars and such and… nothing. She even came back to Ace after the attempted kidnapping because she's been tricked in her mind that Ace was "safe" but also unpredictable and she couldn't read him. She also came back after wishing Ace was deleted.
The reason she left for good in the end was because she knew she fucked up so bad, messing with a mobster and all the irreparable damage she caused with Ace. She had no choice.
Sam - excuse me - Mr. Rothstein, sir, you said to Ginger at the restaurant, who was sitting there either drugged up and/or drunk out of her mind after she tied up Amy, "…and let you disgrace me!" He made it very clear their marriage was more for him and, as I said before, to make him look good in the Las Vegas community. He truly didn't think his shit stank. But it did. You have a past - as you said before - and Ginger had a past and… let's be forreal. Do you think the movers, shakers and elites didn’t already know who the hell you and Ginger were? OF COURSE THEY DID!!!!!!!!!!!! You both were like animals in a zoo; on display for people to observe, learn and look at. Same with Nicky and those types of people going to his restaurant. It made them feel hip, important and marveling at the fact they were so close to "danger". Y'all were the bottom of the barrel of society, no matter how y'all tried to present yourselves.
Sadly, I'm not done here, Mr. Rothstein. Let's go back to when Ginger asked for the $25k and you questioned her about it. Then she gets annoyed, heads to the bank to get the money, then she goes to meet Lester. You show up, berate nasty as Lester, which is fine, but then you tell him, "If you ever come around to take her money again, bring a pistol…"
Wait - HER MONEY? Not too long ago you were damn near making her beg for the money - YOUR MONEY. Once again, it's all about the front; making it seem like the marriage was a joint, equal affair rather than one-sided. Ace, you held all the cards. Remember, she couldn't get her money and jewels when she simply requested it at the divorce lawyer's office. Ginger literally had to go to the extreme. Once you gifted these things, it was hers and she could do whatever she wanted with them, unfortunately.
In the end, you saw her for what she was by throwing her past in her face. Yet, you hated it when you were rejected for a gaming license knowing that the County Commissioner and others in the town didn't like you and who you were. Besides, the "books" you brought to the hearing were cooked to perfection. YOU WORKED AT A CASINO THAT WAS SKIMMING!! You thought you were the elite and you even threw demeaning insults at Ginger like she was beneath you, which was telling.
Btw, I think you were seeing Trudy, the host of the Tangiers show you had. Another woman… working for you. They were smart in how they did that, not making it obvious in the film.
Which reminds me… the Chicago mobsters wanted Ace to do things "nice and quiet" after the fallout of the gaming license. Well, because Ace felt like a big part of his power was taken from him, he decided to do that boring ass "Ace's High" show. Ace is not much of a talker, which was clear. Ace's ego, however, was horrible. The reason he really wanted to be on TV was because of control and needing that back. Also, he needed adoration and respect again. It was slipping at this point. So, Nicky was right about him at the desert.
And, yes, Ace wanted Nicky to be gone, and yes, Nicky was a nuisance. However, Ward was fired and that's when everything went downhill for Ace and the Tangiers. Ace’s real love was the casino. It was not Ginger.
Ace set himself up as a victim; made an "all-in" gamble and lost big with Ginger, already knowing who and what she was from the very beginning and expecting anyone to feel sorry for you on that end is hilarious.
Now we move on to some last thoughts and observations.
I found it very interesting that Ace set Little Nicky Boy up to little league with a coach who was a Metro Intelligence cop. Nicky shrugged it away, but I always thought it was Ace, in some ways, wanting Nicky to get caught up or be watched.
I can see it another way as well. The front. Make it look like Nicky was an upstanding member of the community and just wanted to show these cops that Nicky - well, they as a whole - were just good people that wanted normal and "square and quiet lives".
I do understand to a small point why Ace didn't want to give Ginger what he promised. After all the horrible fuck shit she did - I get it. However, that man didn't inform the sheriffs that Ginger's scazzy ass left their daughter by herself, tied up in the dark. He did nothing like that. We also didn't see him go back to the lawyers. The crazy thing is, if they did go to divorce court, Ace most likely would have had to provide Ginger what he promised. Nevada, at that time in the 1980s had a "No Blame" kind of clause, which spouses don't have to prove cruel acts or adultery, which Ginger was guilty of. Also, marital property and debts were equally split up. To make it worse for him, he already had money hidden, which forensic accountants - if hired by Ginger and no doubt she would've done it - would've found not only the money, who knows what legal/tax problems it would've created for him if she wanted to be even more despicable. He should've just gave her the jewels and the million dollars that he promised her and be done… and make sure there were witnesses to that so she couldn't come back for more.
Side note: Nas, the rapper if you don't already know who he is, seemed to be a fan of the movie Casino. He released a music video for the song, "Street Dreams" from his album "It Was Written" released in 1996. The music video had some usually suspects from the movie itself, such as Frank Vincent who played Frank. Frank is supposed to be "Nicky" in the video. Hype Williams, the director of the video really was going for that cinematic feel and look. He is considered one of the best music video directors in modern history. Recently, Nas has partnered with Resorts World New York City in his home borough of Queens and the commercial for it once again pays homage to the movie "Casino". Nas is one of my favorite lyricists.
I digress. I bring this up because, if I could have a word with Nas, I would tell him this:
Being inspired by Sam "Ace" Rothstein is not a flex as Ace was not cool or a "good" guy. I used to think he was cool when I was younger but then as I continued to watch the movie over and over again for years, yeah, the revelation came to me. Martin Scorcese and everyone behind the movie were genius' for the character development and the small details that can be easily missed.
I really hope Nas doesn't see himself as Ace but, hey, he's the only one that knows himself. I will just chuckle if I continue to see more Ace Rothstein inspirations from him.
Lastly, the overt racism by Nicky and Ace. Nicky's name calling of Ace plus middle easterners, etc was purely disgusting. Ace calling Ginger an "Irish B&%$#" when he was furious regarding the tying up of Amy and leaving her alone.
Listen, they were all terrible people and abusive in their own ways. Like I said in the beginning, they were greedy and selfish but, hey, that's what Vegas can do to you.
There were no goodfellas here.
Thank you so much for hanging in there with me!
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Thank you so much!
Really good read. These characters were exactly that, bad people.