Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas

Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas[1] (ISBN 0684808323) is a 1995 non-fiction book by crime reporter Nicholas Pileggi that depicts the story of the alliance of Mafia mobsters Lefty Rosenthal and Tony Spilotro and their exploits working in Mafia controlled casinos in Las Vegas.

Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas
Hardcover edition
AuthorNicholas Pileggi
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectTrue crime, biography, Mafia, criminals, case studies
GenreBiography, case studies
PublisherSimon & Schuster
Publication date
October 1995
Media typePrint (hardcover & paperback), eBook, audio cassette, audio CD, Audible Audio Edition, Amazon Kindle
Pages368 pp (hardcover)
ISBN0684808323

Summary

Casino covers the period through the seventies to early eighties when the Mafia controlled certain Las Vegas casinos. Today, it is believed that the major casinos are not influenced by the Mafia. Since the 1970s, the government has been very strict about keeping the mob out of the Vegas casinos.[2] Pileggi focuses on the story of Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, a Chicago bookmaker working for organized crime, and his friend, partner and also Mafia member, Anthony Spilotro. Rosenthal supervises the casino operations, while Spilotro provides protection, security and also masterminds jewelry raids that lead to his crew being nicknamed the Hole in the Wall Gang.[3]

Critical reception

Kirkus Reviews called the book "riveting," writing that "Pileggi offers a blow-by-blow account of how organized crime looted the casinos they controlled as silent but deadly partners during the 1970s."[4]

Film version

The book is the basis for the Academy Award-nominated 1995 film Casino directed by Martin Scorsese. The screenplay for Casino was by Pileggi and Scorsese. Although Pileggi had already written the book and wanted it published in advance of the film version, Scorsese tried to persuade him to forgo the usual chronology and to release the book after the film. However the book was released the month before the film came out.[5]

The two main protagonists/antagonists of Rosenthal and Spilotro were portrayed as Ace Rothstein and Nicky Santoro by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. Sharon Stone, playing Rothstein's wife, Ginger (based on Geri McGee), was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

References

  1. Pileggi, Nicholas (November 25, 1995). "Casino : love and honor in Las Vegas". New York : Simon & Schuster via Internet Archive.
  2. ED GRABIANOWSKI. "How the Mafia Works". people.howstuffworks.
  3. Lehmann-Haupt, Christopher (September 28, 1995). "BOOKS OF THE TIMES; The Mob's Tale of Sorrow About Las Vegas (Published 1995)" via NYTimes.com.
  4. "CASINO | Kirkus Reviews" via www.kirkusreviews.com.
  5. Baxter, John. De Niro: A Biography. p. 337. ISBN 0006532306.
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