Casino
1995
Nicky Santoro: We're supposed to be robbin' this place, you dumb fuckin' hebe.
Ace Rothstein: (narrating) Nicky's methods of betting weren't scientific, but they worked. When he won, he collected. When he lost, he told the bookies to go fuck themselves. I mean, what were they going to do, muscle Nicky? Nicky was the muscle.
Ace Rothstein: (narrating) In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all.
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? And, for a while, I believed that's the kind of love I had.
Nicky Santoro: Listen to me Anthony. I got your head in a fuckin' vise. I'll squash your head like a fuckin' grapefruit if you don't give me a name.
Nicky Santoro: A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise, you're talking about a half-hour to forty-five minutes worth of digging. And who knows who's gonna come along in that time? Pretty soon, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all fuckin' night.
Nicky Santoro: The coppers blamed me for every little thing out here, and I mean every little fuckin' thing. If a guy fuckin' slipped on a fuckin' banana peel, they blamed me.
Ace Rothstein: He was a young kid from the casino. Nice kid, bright boy. What balls on this fuckin' kid. The next day I fired him.
Nicky Santoro: When it looked like they could get twenty-five years to life in prison just for skimming a casino, sick or no fuckin' sick you knew people were going to get clipped.
Nicky Santoro: (about beating Tony Dogs to get information out of him) You better hope he gives me a fuckin' name soon, or I'm gonna give him yours, Frank. Frank Marino: Yeah, thanks a lot.
Ace Rothstein: Running a casino is like robbing a bank with no cops around. For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins. It's like a morality car wash.
Ace Rothstein: In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing and to keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose, and in the end, we get it all.
Ace Rothstein: Back home, they put me in jail for what I'm doing. Here, they give me awards.
Nicky Santoro: I think in all fairness, I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do. For instance tomorrow morning ill get up nice and early, take a walk down over to the bank and... walk in and see and uh... if you don't have my money for me, I'll... crack your fuckin' head wide-open in front of everybody in the bank. And just about the time that I'm comin' out of jail, hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma. And guess what? I'll split your fuckin' head open again. 'Cause I'm fuckin' stupid. I don't give a fuck about jail. That's my business. That's what I do.
Billy Sherbert: (to the winner) That's a lot of money to be counting out in public.
Amy Rothstein: I don't want to go to Europe. I want to go see The Elephant Man. Lester Diamond: We're not gonna go see any fuckin' elephants, okay?
(Don is dismissed from the casino) Don Ward: You might regret this, Mr Rothstein. Ace Rothstein: I'll regret it even more if I keep you on. Don Ward: This is not the way to treat people. Ace Rothstein: Listen, if you didn't know you're bein' scammed, you're too fuckin' dumb to keep this job. If you did know, you were in on it. Either way, you're out. Get out! Go on.
(a cowboy has his feet on a table in the casino) Ace Rothstein: (to Sherbert) I don't give a shit who he's connected to. Tell him to take his fuckin' feet off the table. What's he think this is, a goddamn sawdust joint? Billy Sherbert: (to the cowboy) Sir, would you mind taking your feet off the table and put your shoes on, please? Cowboy: Yeah, I would mind. I'm havin' a bad night. Billy Sherbert: (to Ace) Fuckin' asshole won't budge.
Ace Rothstein: (talking about Don) The guy is history as far as I'm concerned. History. Phillip Green: You can't just fire him. Webb's his brother-in-law. He's County Commissioner. Ace Rothstein: So what? Everybody out here with cowboy boots is a fuckin' county commissioner or related to a county commissioner. I'm fuckin' sick of it.
Ginger: (about Ace) He called you right here. Lester Diamond: I just talked to him. Ginger: So he knows where you are. That means he's sending some guys over here probably right now. Lester Diamond: Ginger, it means he's sitting by the phone like a dumb-bell, waiting for me to call him back. Now, I... Ginger: That's... Yeah, he's sitting by the phone like a dumb-bell, just waiting for you to call him back. That's what he's... Lester Diamond: He's sittin' by the phone... Ginger: (yelling) What do you think we're gonna do? He's probably got guys outside the fuckin' house!
Vinny Forlano: He won't talk. Stone is a good kid. Stand-up guy, just like his old man. That's the way I see it. Vincent Borelli: I agree. He's solid. A fuckin' Marine. Americo Capelli: He's okay. He always was. Remo, what do you think? Remo Gaggi: Look... why take a chance? At least, that's the way I feel about it.
(last lines) Ace Rothstein: And that's that.
Ace Rothstein: 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.
Nicky Santoro: (narrating) The first one to skip was John Nance. He found a nice, warm, secluded place in Costa Rica. He thought nobody would find him there. (gunshots are heard, John Nance runs out through and breaks his way in through another door. He is followed by one of the gangsters. More gunshots are heard. John walks outside putting pressure on a bullet wound in his gut) But then his kid got nabbed by the Feds for drugs. So naturally, the bosses were afraid he'd come out of hiding to save his kid and give them all up. So... Beeper: (beeper comes out) Where you going jack-off! (shoots Nance)
Ginger: I should've never married Sam. He's a Gemini, TRIPLE Gemini. Gemini's a snake, you can't trust the snake.
Ginger: COME OUT AND TALK TO ME, FUCKER. Ace Rothstein: Would you stop, you're drunk and stoned. Ginger: I AM NOT. Ace Rothstein: You're going to be sorry. Ginger: Don't you threaten me. DON'T YOU THREATEN ME. I am fucking Nicky Santoro. HE'S MY NEW SPONSOR. How about that. I will go to police and to the FBI. I'M NOT PROTECTING YOU ANYMORE, YOU FUCK.
Ginger: We had a deal remember? He said if things didn't work out between us, I could get my stuff and I could leave. Ace Rothstein: Look at my eyes, do you see anything in the eyes that makes you think I'm going to let you take my child away from me with your condition?
(Describing Kansas City family underboss) : Nicky Santoro: This guy could fuck up a cup of coffee.
Nicky Santoro: Back- Back up, back up a fuckin' minute here. One minute. I asked you? When the fuck did I ever ask you if I could come out here? Get this through your head, you... Ace Rothstein: You never... Nicky Santoro: Get this through your head you Jew motherfucker, you. You only exist out here because of me. That's the only reason. Without me, you, personally, every fuckin' wise guy skell around'll 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.
Ginger: Take care Steve, take chances and drive fast.
Ace Rothstein: You fucking mo-mo, what's the matter with you?
Nicky Santoro: So in other words - I'm fucked. Ace Rothstein: In so many words, yes.
Nicky Santoro: If you ever get of line over there again, I'll smash your fuckin' head in so hard, you won't be able to put that cowboy hat on. You hear me? Fuckin' hick.
Nicky Santoro: I'm what counts out here. Not your fuckin' country clubs or your fuckin' TV shows. And what the fcuk are you doin' on TV anyhow? Ace Rothstein: What are you... Nicky Santoro: You know I get calls from back home every fuckin' day? They think that you went batshit. Ace Rothstein: I'm only TV because I gotta be able to hang around the casino. You understand that. You know that. Come on. Nicky Santoro: Your fuckin' ass. You could have done the food and beverage job without goin' on television. You wanted to go on TV. Ace Rothstein: Yeah, I did want to go on TV. That way I have a forum. I can fight back. I'm known. They know they can't fuck around with me like they could if I was an unknown. That's right. Nicky Santoro: You're makin' a big fuckin' spectacle of yourself.
Nicky Santoro: For two days and two fuckin' nights, we beat the shit out of this guy. I mean, we even stuck ice-picks in his balls.
Nicky Santoro: Ace don't... listen, don't... don't make a scene, all right? Ace Rothstein: I want to just talk. I want to talk to that Irish bitch. Nicky Santoro: She didn't know who to turn to. She... she didn't know where to turn. She was tryin' to save your marriage. Ace Rothstein: Yeah? Nicky, I want to talk to that fuckin' bitch. Nicky Santoro: Hey, be fuckin' nice. Calm. Be nice. Don't fuck up in here,
Nicky Santoro: You took your boots off? You put your feet on the table? You shit-kicking, stinky, horse-manure-smellin' motherfucker you. You fuck me up over there, I'll stick you in the fuckin' desert. You understand? (Slaps Cowboy) Go over there and apologize.
Nicky Santoro: You took your boots off? You put your feet on the table? You shit-kicking, stinky, horse-manure-smellin' motherfucker you. You fuck me up over there, I'll stick you in a hole in the fuckin' desert.
Ace Rothstein: (narrating over Ginger and Nicky in bed) And This... This is how she backed him off.
Nicky Santoro: What are you staring at you bald-headed Jew prick?
Nicky Santoro: FRANKIE.
Nicky Santoro: Give me the fuckin' name! Tony Dogs: Ch-Charlie M. Nicky Santoro: Charlie M? Tony Dogs: Charlie M. Nicky Santoro: Charlie M? You made me pop your fuckin' eye out of your head to protect that piece of shit? Charlie M? You dumb motherfucker! Tony Dogs: Kill me. Nicky Santoro: I'll kill you. You motherfucker you! Frankie, do him a fuckin' favor.
Nicky Santoro: How the fuck can you grin?
(a plane just crash-landed on the golf course) Ace Rothstein: The feds were watching Nicky play golf for so long that they ran out of gas.
Ace Rothstein: Whoever it was, they put the dynamite under the passenger's side. But what they didn't know, what nobody outside the factory knew, was that that model car was made with a metal plate under the driver's seat. It's the only thing that saved my life.
Nicky Santoro: (narrating) They had so much fucking money in there, you can build yourself stacks of houses on hundred dollar bills.
Ace Rothstein: (narrating) Well, it wasn't long before what I was afraid was gonna happened, happen. Nicky managed to get himself banned from every casino in Las Vegas, and from then on i couldn't be seen anywhere near him.
(Last lines) Ace Rothstein: (narrating) The town will never be the same. After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over. Today it looks like Disneyland. And while the kids play cardboard pirates, Mommy and Daddy drop the house payments and Junior's college money on the poker slots. In the old days, dealers knew your name, what you drank, what you played. Today, it's like checkin' into an airport. And if you order room service, you're lucky if you get it by Thursday. Today, it's all gone. You get a whale show up with four million in a suitcase, and some twenty-five-year-old hotel school kid is gonna want his Social Security Number. After the Teamsters got knocked out of the box, the corporations tore down practically every one of the old casinos. And where did the money come from to rebuild the pyramids? Junk bonds. But in the end, I wound up right back where I started. I could still pick winners, and I could still make money for all kinds of people back home. And why mess up a good thing?
Nicky Santoro: Peek-a-boo, you fucks, you!
Ace Rothstein: Listen to me very carefully. There are three ways of doing things around here: the right way, the wrong way, or the way that I do it. You understand? Don Ward: I do understand that. I'll get right on it. And thank you. Ace Rothstein: Don't thank me. Just do it. You're the slots manager. I shouldn't have to tell you this. Don Ward: Dang, you are right Mr Rothstein. I am so sorry.
Nicky Santoro: I've been trying to reach you. You're tougher to get than the president. Charlie Clark: Well, I've been busy. Nicky Santoro: Yeah, the least you could do is return my phone calls, though.
Ace Rothstein: I'm just curious. I saw you shuffling your checks with your right hand. Can you do that with both hands? Signaller: No. Ace Rothstein: Can't do it with both hands? Signaller: No, sir. Ace Rothstein: Can you do it with your left hand? Signaller: Well, I... I never tried. Ace Rothstein: So you're a righty? Signaller: Yeah. (one of the guards repeatedly bangs the signaller's right hand with a hammer) Ace Rothstein: Now you're gonna have to learn with your left hand.
Pat Webb: Are we certain that you want the gamin' control board eyeballing your record and your gangster pals like Nicky Santoro? Ace Rothstein: I think you're way out of line talking to me like that. What your saying is libelous, and you're in no position to challenge my expertise.
(the winner is sent into the casino office, and sees his friend, the signaler, displaying a broken hand) Signaller: Look what they did to my hand man! Ace Rothstein: (to the winner) All right, I'm gonna give you a choice. You can either have the money and the hammer or you can walk out of here. You can't have both. What do you want? Winner: I just wanna get outta here. Ace Rothstein: And don't forget to tell your friends what happens if they fuck around in here. You understand? Winner: I'm sorry. I made a bad mistake. Ace Rothstein: You're fuckin' right, you made a bad mistake. 'Cause if you come back here - we catch either one of you - we're gonna break your fuckin' heads and you won't walk out of here. You see that fuckin' saw? We're gonna use it. You don't fuck around in this place. You got it? Winner: Yeah. Ace Rothstein: Get out of here. Winner: Thank you.
(Frank and Jack struggle with a safe) Nicky Santoro: What's takin' so long over there? Frank Marino: This peter's a motherfucker. Jack Hardy: It's workin'. Just keep workin' it. It's comin'. Nicky Santoro: Gotta learn how to open these fuckin' things so you won't have to take 'em.
Ace Rothstein: Normally, my prospects of coming back alive from a meeting with Nicky were 99 out of 100. But this time, when I heard him say a couple of hundred yards down the road I gave myself 50-50.
Nicky Santoro: That black book's a joke. It's only got two names in it. And one of them's still Al Capone.
Nicky Santoro: (narrarating) Me? Thats why The Bosses sent me out here- they wanted me to make sure none of the other crews robbed the joint. Like these two fuckin' ballonheads over here. They were gonna try to bang us outta two hundred fuckin' grand? Yeah, right, I'm sure.
Nicky Santoro: (narrarating) Ace got my son Little Nicky involved with Little League and it was great. Turns out to be one of the other coaches was a fuckin' metro intelligence cop. But it didn't matter, I mean it was all about the kids, you know.