Casino takes a fast-paced and fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the mob's control of Las Vegas in the 1970s. Two street-smart buddies from the Midwest — "Ace" Rothstein (Robert de Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) — find good fortune and power in the towers of Babel built on the desert.

Using funds from the teamsters union pension fund, the mob bosses build a casino that under Ace's direction turns into a cash cow. They skim millions from the tables. Although Ace knows how to keep this gaming business humming, he doesn't have a clue as to how to handle Ginger (Sharon Stone), the hustler he marries who has a nasty streak of self-destruction. Ace, a control freak who even gets upset when some casino showgirls gain too much weight, also can't control Nicky, a power junky and mob enforcer.

In this searing morality play, pride and the feeling of invincibility lead to the downfall of Ace and Nicky. Scorsese is still the master of this genre.