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.
Before I ever ran a casino, or got blown up...
Ace Rothstein was a hell of a handicapper.
I can tell you that.
I was so good that whenever I bet, I'd change the odds...
for every bookmaker in the country.
I'm serious, I had it down so cold...
that I was given paradise on Earth.
I was given one of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas to run, the Tangiers...
by the only kind of guys that can actually get you that kind of money.
$62, 700,000.
I don't know all the details.
NICKY: In fact, nobody knew all the details...
but it should've been perfect.
He had me, Nicky Santoro, his best friend, watching his ass...
and he had Ginger, the woman he loved, on his arm.
But in the end, we fucked it all up.
It should've been so sweet, too.
It turned out to be the last time that street guys like us...
were ever given anything that fucking valuable again.
Vegas was a place where suckers...
flew in every year on their own nickel...
and left behind about a billion dollars.
But at night, you couldn't see the desert that surrounds Las Vegas.
But it's in the desert where lots of the town's problems are solved.
NICKY: Got a lot of holes in the desert...
and a lot of problems are buried in those holes.
Except you gotta do it right.
You gotta have the hole already dug...
before you show up with a package in the trunk.
Otherwise, you're talking about 30 or 45 minutes of digging.
Who knows who's gonna be coming along in that time?
Before you know it, you gotta dig a few more holes.
You could be there all fucking night.
THE STRIP - LAS VEGAS TEN YEARS EARLIER
Who could resist?
Anywhere else, I was a bookie, a gambler...
always looking over my shoulder, hassled by cops, day and night.
But here, I'm Mr. Rothstein.
I'm not only legitimate, but running a casino.
And that's like selling people dreams for cash.
I hired an old casino pal, Billy Sherbert, as my manager, and went to work.
And this is Ronnie, who takes care of the card room.
For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins.
It's like a morality car wash.
It does for us what Lourdes does for humpbacks and cripples.
And along with making us legit...
comes cash, tons of it.
What do you think we're doing here in the middle of the desert?
It's all this money.
This is the end result of all the bright lights...
and the comped trips, of all the champagne...
and free hotel suites, and all the broads and all the booze.
It's all been arranged just for us to get your money.
That's the truth about Las Vegas.
We're the only winners.
The players don't stand a chance.
And their cash flows from the tables...
to our boxes through the cage...
and into the most sacred room in the casino.
The place where they add up all the money...
the Holy of holies, the count room.
Now, this place was off-limits.
Even I couldn't get inside.
But it was my job to keep it filled with cash. That's for sure.
NICKY: They had so much money in there...
you could build a house out of stacks of $100 bills.
And the best part was that upstairs...
the Board of Directors didn't know what the fuck was going on.
To them everything looked on the up-and-up.
Right? Wrong.
Verify $5,000.
NICKY: The guys in the counting room...
were all slipped in there to skim the joint dry.
They'd do short counts, they'd lose fill slips.
They'd even take cash right out of the drop-boxes.
And it was up to this guy right here...
standing in front of $2 million...
to skim the cash off the top without anybody getting wise...
the IRS or anybody.
Notice how in the count room nobody ever seems to see anything.
Somehow, somebody's always looking the other way.
Look at these guys. They look busy, right?
They're counting money. Who wants to bother them?
I mean, God forbid they should make a mistake and forget to steal.
Meanwhile, you're in and you're out.
Past the jag-off guard who gets an extra $100 a week...
just to watch the door.
It's routine. Business as usual...
in, out, hello, goodbye.
That's all there is to it.
Just another fat fuck walking out of a casino with a suitcase.
Now, that suitcase was going straight to one place.:
right to Kansas City, which was as close...
to Las Vegas as the Midwest bosses could go...
without getting themselves arrested.
That suitcase was all the bosses ever wanted.
And they wanted it every month.
Now this old Mormon fuck here...
he had to fly in with suitcases once a month, nice and easy.
- Something smells good. - They made us something to eat.
NICKY: The bosses would come from all over.:
Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee...
all over the Midwest...
and they would meet in this produce market in Kansas City.
Nobody even knew it.
One of the guys made his mother do the cooking.
Do you ever see that guy Jerry Steriano?
NICKY: These old greaseballs might not look it...
but believe me...
these are the guys who secretly controlled Las Vegas.
Mama, that man's here again.
NICKY: Because they controlled the Teamsters Union.
And that's where you had to go to borrow money to buy a casino.
Would you put in shrimp? I would.
NICKY: Nobody got a Teamsters' loan unless the guys in this room...
knew they were gonna get their little suitcases.
Guys like this antique over here, out of Detroit.
Or especially guys like Remo Gaggi, the outfit's top boss.
You got a round figure on it?
NICKY: Definitely the most important guy in this room.
About 20 pounds. Around $700,000.
Good.
It's a little early for Las Vegas...
but I want to welcome the ladies and gentlemen of the gaming industry...
As far as the world was concerned...
Andy Stone, head of the Teamsters' Pension Fund...
was a legitimate guy.
A powerful man.
He played golf with the President.
On behalf of the Teamsters' Pension Fund...
I'm glad to present...
But he also took orders.
When he was told to give a pension-fund loan to Philip Green...
...this cheque for $62,700,000...
for the new Tangiers.
...he did what he was told.
NICKY: Here was the perfect front man.
What the fuck else could he be? He didn't know too much.
He didn't want to know too much...
especially that the bosses made the Teamsters lend him money.
He wanted to believe they gave him the money because he was smart.
I say that knowing just how much competition we have in this city.
NICKY: And where they got Green from?
Who the fuck knows?
All I know is that he was an Arizona real-estate hustler...
who barely had enough gas money to come and pick up his fucking cheque.
And it was the bosses' man...
Andy Stone, who gave all the orders.
Not the Chairman of the Board, Philip Green.
I understand.
NICKY: Now all they needed was...
someone they could trust to run the casino.
And who better than Ace? He was already in Vegas a couple years...
and he had the fucking place clocked.
But typical Ace, give him a shot to run a casino...
and he tries to talk you out of it.
I don't know if I could do this.
The Gaming Commission would never give me a licence.
I have at least 24 gambling and bookmaking pinches on me.
You don't have to have a licence to work in a casino.
All you gotta do is apply for one.
The State law says that you can work in a casino...
while they process your application.
They got a 10-year backlog.
What happens when they do find out?
Why would they want to find out?
We're putting $100 million here. Why would they lock us out?
They'll never find out. All you gotta do is keep changing your job title.
Like, from Casino Executive to Food and Beverage Chairman.
Then they put your application at the bottom of the pile.
I know guys who've worked there for 30 years don't have a licence.
It's a tough proposition, Andy.
If I did it, I'd have to run it my way.
You got it.
I'm serious. No interference.
Nobody's gonna interfere with your running the casino.
I guarantee it.
NICKY: And that's how they got Ace to take over.
They wanted him because Ace ate, slept and breathed gambling.
They worked out a real cute job title, too...
Tangiers Public Relations Director.
But the only thing he ever directed was the casino.
He made his first bet when he was 15, and he always made money.
He didn't bet like you or me.
Having some fun with it, shit like that.
Where did you learn how to deal?
NICKY: He bet like a fucking brain surgeon.
Place the checks properly.
- That's the way you do it. - Yes, sir.
NICKY: He had to know everything.
He'd find out the inside stuff nobody else knew...
and that's what he'd put his money on.
Even back home, years ago...
when we first hung out, he'd know if the quarterback was on coke...
I'll take Columbia for $20,000.
...if his girlfriend was knocked up.
He'd get the wind velocity so he could judge the field goals.
He even figured out the bounce you got off different kinds of wood...
on college basketball courts.
He'd be working on this day and night.
He knew everything about a game he would bet on.
Ace got down at $6,000. Get me down at $6,000.
NICKY: Season after season...
the prick was the only guaranteed winner I ever knew.
But he was so serious about it all...
that I don't think he ever enjoyed himself.
But that's just the way he was.
Back then, the bosses didn't give a fuck whether he enjoyed himself or not.
To them, he was a cash register.
All they had to do was ring the bell and take money.
Especially Remo...
who was a fucking degenerate gambler who always lost.
All those fucking sweeps.
NICKY: Unless Ace made his bets.
Enough now!
NICKY: Ace made more money for them on a weekend...
than I could do heisting joints for a month.
Whatever Ace picked up on the street, he told Remo.
Fixed fights, doped horses...
crooked fucking zebras, locked-in point spreads.
He told fucking Remo everything.
And, to tell you the truth, I don't blame him.
Keeping Remo happy with money...
was the greatest insurance policy in the world.
Son of a bitch!
How did you get Oklahoma-Michigan?
Nobody ever had Oklahoma... How'd you do it?
That's why they paid so well.
You see? Never tells me nothing.
What do we got on for next week?
It's a little too early. I'll know by Thursday. Is that all right?
You'll come by the house? I'll come by.
At 7:00.
Good job, my boy. Keep it up.
Hey, Nick.
I'll be right out.
See that guy? Keep a good eye on him.
He's making a lot of money for us.
And he'll continue making money for us, so keep a good eye on him.
Not like the fucking Feds out there, without brains.
Okay? NICKY: All right.
Want me to take this?
NICKY: Now, on top of everything else...
I gotta make sure nobody fucks with the Golden Jew.
Couple of shooters for the ladies.
Yeah, we made a great pair.
I made book and Nicky made sure we always collected.
The old men loved us, and why not?
They all made money with us.
How did Nicky collect?
Don't ask.
Then where the fuck is the money? I don't see it.
- Hi, Melissa, Heidi. - Hi, Sam.
Who's this guy?
Get the fuck out. I laid nine. NICKY: It was eight.
NICKY: Ace, tell him the line on the Bears game.
- Eight. - If he don't know, nobody knows.
NICKY: It was eight. How come I laid nine?
'Cause you're a jag-off.
- Excuse me. - What?
- Is this your pen? - Yeah, that's my pen. Why?
It's nice. I didn't know whose it was.
I didn't want it to get lost.
Thank you. Why don't you take that fucking pen...
and shove it up your ass, you fucking jag-off?
- Well, I was just offering- - Asshole.
Look out, Joe.
What's that? You hear a little girl?
Is that a little fucking girl?
What happened to the tough guy...
who told my friend to stick it up his fucking ass?
Nicky, take it easy.
While I tried to figure out why the guy said what he said...
Nicky just hit him.
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.
If you beat him with a gun, you'd better kill him...
because he'll keep coming back and back...
until one of you is dead.
NICKY: With me protecting Ace...
he made a fortune for the bosses.
That's what got him to Vegas.
He was a money machine.
A tremendous earner for these guys.
As soon as he took over, he doubled the fucking drop.
With Ace, the casino never saw so much money.
And the bosses, they couldn't be happier.
In Vegas, I had to keep a few juiced-in local cowboys working.
They were close to the good old boys.
Without us, these guys would still be shovelling mule shit.
You've got to keep a cleaner station.
If you need Mr. Clean, page him.
Won't happen again, Sam.
Mr. Rothstein. It won't happen again, Mr. Rothstein.
Is this guy just another dumb fucking white man, or what?
- You need this guy. - Can't get rid of him?
He's juiced in. He's the County Commissioner's cousin.
I wouldn't give the bum a mop job.
I had no choice. I had to take care of them.
These yokels ran the state.
Thanks, Senator.
They passed the laws, owned the courts.
I need a room.
I had dozens of politicians and state officials coming through weekly.
Get him what he wants. BILLY: Certainly.
Why not make them happy?
For politicians, like our State Senator up there...
everything was on the house.
These guys won their comped life when they got elected.
Why not take advantage of it?
Still, the politicians came cheap. We could handle them.
It's a whale, like K.K. Ichikawa...
who plays $30,000 a hand in baccarat.
That's the one you really gotta watch.
He plays fast and big. He has the cash and the credit...
to turn out your lights.
A year ago he cleaned out a couple of casinos in the Cayman Islands.
Downstairs he takes us for $2 million...
and upstairs he takes free soap, shampoo and towels.
Another billionaire cheapskate who loved his free rooms...
free private jets and $2 million of our money.
But we got him back.
I had our pilot tell him the plane was on the fritz.
ICHIKAWA: What went wrong? BILLY: I'm awfully sorry.
These mechanical things happen.
Better here than up there.
Then he missed the flights connecting with Japan.
I can't believe there's no room.
We got him back with a whole floor of rooms to himself.
- Sorry you missed your plane. - You'd like some of my money back.
Oh, no. No gambling.
And once he was back, he played small.
He bet $1,000 a hand, instead of his usual $30,000 a hand.
But I knew the trick with whales like Ichikawa...
was that they can't bet small for long.
He didn't think of it as winning $10,000...
he thought of it as losing $90,000.
So, he upped his bets.
Until he dropped his winnings back and gave up $1 million of his own cash.
In a casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing...
and keep them coming back.
The longer they play, the more they lose.
In the end, we get it all.
In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else.
Since the players are looking to beat the casino...
the dealers are watching the players...
the boxmen are watching the dealers...
the floormen are watching the boxmen...
the pit bosses are watching the floormen...
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.
Plus, we had a dozen guys...
most of them ex-cheats, who knew every trick in the house.
Yes!
- Very nice. - I told you I was hot tonight.
Looking good.
Let's go. This is for Ginger.
Let me have $100 on your hard 10.
Thank you.
Here we go now.
- Oh, I'm sorry. - The dice.
Thank you very much.
I appreciate that.
Take care, Steve. Take chances, drive fast.
This $100 is for you, love. Thanks for your time.
- Come on. - What's the matter?
I made a lot of money for you, I want my cut.
What money? I've seen you stealing.
"What money?" Look at the stack of chips.
GINGER: I want my half. I've watched you.
- I want my money. - Your bag is full of chips.
GINGER: I didn't steal anything from you. Get lost!
GINGER: Get lost? Yes!
- Well, how about that? - Come on!
What a move. I fell in love right there.
But in Vegas, for a girl like Ginger, love costs money.
I'm gonna go powder my nose.
Ginger's mission in life was money.
I'll be right back.
See you. GINGER: Thanks for asking.
She was a queen around the casino.
She brought in high rollers and helped them spend a lot of money.
- Hello. - Hey, Ginger. How you doing?
GINGER: Great. You might have something for me. Got me covered?
GINGER: Thank you. Take care of yourself.
I got some lucky pills for you, Andy.
Who didn't want her? She was one of the best known...
best liked and most respected hustlers in town.
Smart hustlers like her could keep a guy awake...
for two or three days before sending him home broke...
to the little woman and his bank examiners.
Any change?
Oh, I hit a few games on the way back.
But that was all bullshit. She just pocketed the cash.
GINGER: How you doing tonight? CASHIER: Good.
CASHIER: How are you? GINGER: Beat.
Ginger had the hustlers' code.
GINGER: Take one for you.
CASHIER: Thank you.
She knew how to take care of people.
That's what Vegas is all about.
CASHIER: $6,800. GINGER: Thanks.
It's kickback city. GINGER: Have a good night.
She took care of the dealers...
pit bosses, floor managers...
but, mostly, the valet parkers...
the guys who could get you anything and take care of anything.
Ginger took care of the parkers...
who took care of the security guards, who took care of the cops...
who let her operate.
I need that stuff tonight.
No problem. GINGER: You are a doll.
The valet parking job was such a money-maker...
they had to pay off the hotel manager just to get the concession.
But one thing I didn't understand...
was that she had everything under control...
except for her old pimp boyfriend, Lester Diamond.
I got other people in this. I got partners.
I'm looking out for you in this thing, okay?
You'll get yours back, and you'll get it back first. Okay?
- All right. - Where you going?
Where are you? You're in that place.
- I'm here. - No, you're not.
Where are you?
I'm always here for you.
- You are. - I am.
The Ginger I knew wouldn't even look at this creep.
- Good luck. - Yeah.
He was a moocher, a card cheat...
a country club golf hustler, a scumbag...
- chasing dentists for a few bucks. - Careful.
He was always broke. He always had a story.
Somehow, she could never turn him down.
The way Ginger saw it was that he was just an unlucky guy.
Somebody had to take care of him.
BACK HOME
But nobody had to take care of Nicky.
You find any cash in there, we'll whack it up with you.
He took care of himself only too well.
That's why every badge back home wanted to nail him.
I folded these things beautifully. I would appreciate a little respect.
Don't look at me, pal, I gotta live with her.
Even after a vacation, they hassled him at the airport.
Frank Marino was there to meet him. So were the cops.
They wanted to pinch him...
- for a diamond burglary in Antwerp. - Help me fold these.
They were ready to blame him for anything, no matter where.
They were usually right.
Because Nicky enjoyed being a gangster.
And he didn't give a damn who knew it.
GINGER: There we go. Look at that. Beautiful!
I mean that's what worried me...
'cause it turns out, Nicky was about to be sent to Vegas.
JENNIFER: All right, we're clear. NICKY: There's more.
NICKY: There's a couple stuck in there.
- I'm telling you, they're out! - Come on.
Don't get so defensive, it could be stuck in your hair.
What's that?
There's no more. Thanks.
NICKY: I couldn't wait to get my hands on Vegas.
But the bosses didn't send me out to have a good time.
They sent me out to make sure that nobody fucked with Ace.
And nobody interfered with the fucking skim.
- Hey. - Hey, how you doing?
Hey, Sammy.
- Boy, look at this place. - Incredible.
Welcome to Vegas.
NICKY: Okay, Sammy. Something, huh?
Ginger.
Holy shit. What've you been doing out here?
Honey, come here.
This is Jennifer and Nick. They're dear friends of mine.
- Hi, Jennifer. - A pleasure.
Okay, Sammy.
After we ate, we left Jennifer and Ginger...
and we took a ride to talk.
And then, he hit me with it.
What do you think about me moving out here?
You got a problem with that?
No, of course not.
You mean I have your permission?
Sure, you do. But I just gotta tell you...
it's no joke out here.
You gotta keep a low profile.
It's not like back home. They don't like guys like us.
This sheriff's a real cowboy.
Even coppers aren't afraid to bury people in the desert.
I don't care. I want to get away from back home for a while.
I'm tired of that shit back there.
Look at this place. It's made of money.
You know what the best part is?
Nobody's gonna know what we're doing.
There's nobody here to see us. Everybody's back home.
I got pinched twice for no reason.
I really gotta be careful.
I'm running a licensed place. Everything's legit.
Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna do anything.
I'm especially not gonna involve you in anything.
NICKY: Ace saw Vegas one way...
NICKY: Call and tell him I'm coming? Of course.
...but I saw it another.
I saw it as untouched.
They had bookies, pimps, and drug dealers I could shake down.
Who the fuck were they gonna run to?
So I started getting everybody in line.
Best of all, for the first time in my life...
I figured out a way not to lose.
He had a foolproof scheme.
It wasn't very scientific, but it worked.
When he won, he collected.
When he lost, he told the bookies to fuck off.
What were they gonna do? Muscle Nicky? Nicky was the muscle.
- Hey, how you doing? - How you doing?
- You got that thing for me? - What thing?
Nicky, I thought you was laying.
I was laying? No, I'm taking it.
- You sure? - I'm positive.
- I'm a little confused. - You're a little confused?
Maybe if I stick your fucking face through this window...
you'll get unconfused.
- Give me the fucking money. - I'm sorry.
I didn't mean anything by it.
That's why you had it ready. You thought I was laying it.
- My fucking head. - Smarten up.
And now Nicholas Santoro will come up and tell us about our first President.
George Washington was born-
But still, it was nice and quiet for a while.
We presented Nicky and Jennifer all over town...
like regular Ozzie and Harriets.
You got a beautiful swing.
NICKY: Ace got Little Nicky involved with Little League. It was great.
Turned out that one of the other coaches was a metro intelligence cop.
But it didn't matter. It was all about the kids.
He's gotta realise everything can't be a home run.
That's exactly what I tell him, but that's the kind of kid he is.
And Nicky being Nicky, he made his presence known.
Especially at the casino where he definitely did not work...
people got the message.
NICKY: Me, that's why the bosses sent me out here.
I was to make sure no other crews robbed the joint.
Like these two fucking balloon heads over here.
They were gonna try to bang us out of $200,000.
Yeah, right, I'm sure.
How are you? What are you doing here?
I'm over here now.
- You're over here? - Yeah, I'm over here with them.
We're waiting on Carmine.
Yeah, we're looking for Carmine.
He was here before. He had a suitcase, and then he left.
Carmine left?
He's gone?
He's not here?
Carmine's out?
I think he went across the street or somewhere else or something.
Well, listen, good luck with the joint.
- Thanks, Eddy. - Lots of luck.
Good luck to you, too.
CASHIER: They forgot to sign their papers.
They don't need those anymore.
Out of respect, guys from other crews got away with a warning.
Everybody else, watch out.
Like these yokels here...
who never heard of Nicky or the bosses back home.
They're the morons who give you the most trouble.
We'd catch them and they'd try to sneak back...
with beards and wigs and fake noses.
You can spot these assholes by watching the way they bet.
Like this guy. He's betting lavender chips...
at $500 each with only one little problem.
He's always guessed right.
If he wasn't so fucking greedy, he'd have been tougher to spot.
But in the end, they're all greedy.
I saw that the dealer was weak, but he wasn't in on it.
He just wasn't protecting his hand.
He was lifting his hole card way too high.
Here's this guy reading the dealer's hole card...
and signalling his buddy at this table.
And that's just what these hustlers look for.
They cruise from casino to casino looking for weak dealers...
the way lions look for weak antelope.
Operator, this is Mr. R.
Get me Armstrong and Friday over to Pit 2 right away.
BJ 19, second base, the beard.
Operator, I need Mr. Happy. Loud.
WAITRESSES: Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday to you
Happy birthday, dear Jeff
Happy birthday to you
Man down!
Go get medical. We got a cardiac arrest here.
He's fine, folks. Just give us some room, please.
They never know what hit them.
If and when they do find out they got zapped by a cattle prod...
they wish they really did have a heart attack.
Turns out this guy and his fucking pals were knocking this place dead for years.
He's wired. What are you doing?
There it is. That's it.
Cheater's justice. Oh, God!
No!
I wanted everybody to know that things were changed around here.
We had to make an example of these pricks that the party was over.
I'm just curious.
I saw you shuffling your checks with your right hand.
- Can you do that with both hands? - No.
You can't do it with both hands? No, sir.
- Can you do it with your left hand? - I never tried.
- So, you're a righty. - Yeah.
Now you're gonna have to learn with your left hand.
- It's $100,000, $110,000 I think. - Yes, it is.
Okay.
Hi.
That's a lot of money to be counting out in public.
Why don't I take him over to the office and verify it?
A little privacy.
By the way, send over a nice bottle of champagne on ice.
CASHIER: Sure will. BILLY: Real special.
By the way, I'm Billy Sherbert, casino manager.
BILLY: Having a good time? Yes.
You want to count the money in privacy.
I have a plane to catch. Can I get my winnings?
Look what they did to my hand, man.
I'm gonna give you a choice:
You can have the money and the hammer, or you can walk out of here.
- What do you want? - I wanna get out of here.
Tell your friends what happens if they fuck around here.
- I'm sorry, I made a bad mistake. - You're fucking right.
If you come back, either one of you, we'll break your fucking heads.
You see that fucking saw? We're gonna use it. We don't fuck around here.
Got it? Yes.
- Get out of here. - Thank you.
Throw him out in the alley. Tell the cops he got hit by a car.
Within no time, everything was set in place.
We got rid of the freelance scamsters, the pro was way up...
the gods were happy, or as happy as the gods can ever be.
And I decided to complicate my life.
For a guy who likes sure things...
I was about to bet the rest of my life on a real long shot.
We're not getting any younger.
Don't you think it's time?
Aren't you getting tired of all this shit? Banging around, hustling around?
- Are you trying to handicap me? - I'm gonna do you one better.
I'm trying to marry you.
You wanna marry me?
I'm serious.
I wanna settle down. I want a family.
You got the wrong girl, Sam.
I'd be a good father, you'd be a good mother.
You don't know me.
You've known me two, three months. What do you know?
I'm 43 years old. I don't want to wait.
I know you well enough to know that I really love you very much.
I can't think of anybody better to be with.
I don't feel like waiting anymore.
You know a lot of happily married people? 'Cause I don't.
I know all that.
I care about you.
But I just don't have those kind of feelings for you.
I'm sorry. I'm not in love with you.
All right. GINGER: Understand?
GINGER: I'm sorry.
No...
That can grow.
As long as there's a mutual respect, that kind of thing can grow.
I'm realistic. I can accept that.
What is love anyway?
It's a mutual respect. It's a devotion.
It's a caring from one person to another.
And if we could set up some kind of foundation...
based on that mutual respect...
I feel that eventually you would care enough about me...
that I could live with that.
If it doesn't work out...
if it doesn't play out, then what happens to me?
I'm doing well now. I'm gonna do even better.
So whatever happens...
if it doesn't work out between us...
I'll make sure you're okay for the rest of your life.
If there are kids, especially...
I'll take care of you better than you'd imagine.
GINGER: What are you pitching me? Just what I said.
You'll be set up for the rest of your life.
That I can promise you.
Want to take a chance?
When I married Ginger, I knew all the stories...
but I didn't give a fuck. I'm Sam Rothstein, I said.
I can change her.
NICKY: It was typical Ace.
He invited the biggest people in town. He knew they'd show.
He knew they all wanted something from him.
With Ace, nobody ever got a free ride. Even Ginger.
With her, he still covered his bets.
They had to have the baby first, before they could get married.
He even made us watch Amy for a few days...
when they went on their honeymoon.
I didn't mind, we loved the kid.
Can you feel my eyes on you?
Can you feel me look into your heart?
Can you feel me in the pit of your stomach?
Can you feel me in you?
In your heart?
Don't make me come there.
Answer me.
GINGER: I love you.
Baby, do you know that I love you, too?
GINGER: No, Lester. Do you know that?
GINGER: Yes.
This is the best thing I can do for my life right now.
That's right.
So it's going to be okay.
Promise?
I wish you all the luck in the world.
GINGER: You do? Yeah, I do.
It's the best thing you can do right now.
I mean this.
You have real security.
Sweetheart, you're gonna be situated just right in Vegas.
Come on. This is great for us.
I'm always gonna be here for you. I ain't going no place.
I'm looking at you right now.
I'm seeing you for the very first time, right this minute.
I'm saying I can feel my heart click.
I see you 14 years old.
I see you the first second I ever saw you.
I see you, long-legged little colt...
stupid braces on your teeth.
Okay, then.
Every time I see you, that's what I see.
Talk to you later. Bye.
- You all right? - Yeah.
Why are you crying?
I'm not crying.
- Maybe you shouldn't drink so much. - I'm okay.
You just have to understand.
I've been with Lester since I was a kid.
I just wanted to say goodbye.
I just...
I think I have a right to do that.
GINGER: Okay?
It's all right.
That part of your life is over with.
Right? GINGER: Yeah.
You're with me now.
- Yeah. - Right?
You're sure? GINGER: Yeah.
Want to go? Let's go back in. GINGER: Okay.
GINGER: It's great.
GINGER: It's all my stuff. Oh, my God.
You brought all my stuff!
I can't...
Try it on. It's yours.
You're kidding.
My God.
- What is it? - It's chinchilla.
It's so soft.
Nice, isn't it?
No one's ever been so nice to me.
GINGER: Oh, my God!
Do you think it's too much if I wear these all on the same day?
You can do whatever you want.
Do I keep my promises or do I keep my promises?
You're so wonderful. The jewellery's not so bad either.
We shouldn't keep this in the house. We gotta put it in the bank.
Come on. Can I keep this one in the house?
Pay attention to me.
What I'm gonna tell you is very important.
All this stuff doesn't mean anything.
Money, this, doesn't mean anything without trust.
I have to be able to trust you with my life.
With over $1 million in cash and jewels tucked in a bank in Vegas...
only for Ginger, she was secure and happy.
She loved that shit.
But a guy in my line of work has to have a lot of payoff cash around.
Crooked cops and kidnappers, they don't take cheques.
Need any help with that, Mr. Collins?
So I put $2 million cash in a Los Angeles bank...
under the name of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Collins.
This was strictly my shakedown and kidnapping money.
Since I'd be in jail or locked in a closet when I needed the money most...
I gave Ginger the only key to the cash that could get me back alive.
This is just a signature card.
Once she signs, she'll be the only person...
to have total access to the box, no one else, including myself?
That's right. That's the way you wanted it.
Sam, let me ask you a question.
You must really trust your wife.
Sure I do. Why?
It's good. It's just unusual.
To tell you the truth, so many of my clients don't.
With Ginger and the money in place, I felt covered.
To play it safe, I switched job titles again...
and made myself Food and Beverage Director.
This way nobody would bother me about a licence.
Vegas was like a dream for me.
Trouble was Nicky was dreaming of his own kind of Vegas.
NICKY: I put money out on the street charging three points a week.
Juice to the dealers.
- Don't make us look for you. - You won't have to look for me.
I appreciate it. Thanks, Nicky.
NICKY: They were degenerate gamblers, coke freaks.
In no time, I had half the dealers in the Tangiers in my pocket.
Then, the next thing I did, I started busting out high-stakes poker players.
It was so obvious.
All of Nicky's half-assed mechanics, they were signal-happy.
I'm gonna open for $500.
Signalling back and forth.
Nicky thought nobody was watching him. But he was wrong.
I didn't want any of those agents near my place.
- Four aces. - I can't believe this.
If I didn't have bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck.
I wished Nicky and his whole crew would just get lost.
What am I gonna do? Go back home and start a war?
Nicky's a made guy and I'm not. I can't do that.
Gaming agents are all over the place.
I'm not allowed to get lucky in this place?
You've been lucky all week. They're looking to nail you.
NICKY: Ace was so worried about his casino...
he forgot what we were doing out here in the first place.
A million times, I wanted to yell in his fucking ear.:
"This is Las Vegas.
"We're supposed to be out here robbing, you dumb fucking hebe. "
I don't give a shit who he's connected to.
Tell him to take his feet off the table.
Does he think this is a goddamn sawdust joint?
Sir, would you mind taking your feet off the table...
and put your shoes on, please?
Yeah, I would mind. I'm having a bad night.
Fucking asshole won't budge.
Call security.
How are you?
Good. How are you?
Do me a favour. Want to take your feet off the table and put your shoes on?
Fuck you.
I want you to exit this guy off the premises, off his feet...
and use his head to open the fucking door.
Sir, you're gonna have to leave. You mind coming with us outside?
Bullshit. I ain't going anywhere with you.
Bullshit. You're out of here. Fuck you!
You know who you're fucking with? Do you?
You fucking faggot! Do you know who you're fucking with?
Leave me alone!
Come on! You gotta be kidding me!
Sure enough, an hour later, I get the call.
Ace, what happened over there? Did you know that guy was with me?
I didn't know that. You know what he did?
I walked over to him politely, and he tells me to fuck myself.
Then he called me a faggot. NICKY: What?
I threw that cocksucker out. NICKY: Come here.
You called my friend a faggot? Told him to go fuck himself?
Is that what you did? Tell him to go fuck himself?
NICKY: You fucking hick, you!
NICKY: You go over there. You apologise.
NICKY: You better hope he lets you back in.
If you get out of line again, I'll smash your head so hard...
you won't be able to get that cowboy hat on. Fucking hick.
Listen, this guy obviously doesn't know who he was talking to.
He doesn't know that we're dear friends.
He's already very sorry.
But if you could do me a favour and let him back in...
I swear he'll never get out of line again.
If he does it again, he's out for good.
I'll never let him in the place again.
NICKY: I'm sorry about this.
All right, Ace? Thanks, pal.
You took your boots off? You put your feet on the table?
You shit-kicking, stinky, horse-manure-smelling motherfucker, you!
You fuck me up over there, I'll stick you in a hole in the desert.
NICKY: Go over and apologise. Nicky, I'm sorry.
NICKY: Ace could be a very touchy guy.
Especially when he got bigger in town.
Like when he hired Jonathan and David away from the Palace...
by building them a new stage and giving them a silver Rolls-Royce.
But, I tell you, he knew how to bring in the crowds.
He knew all the fucking angles.
He brought the whole Femme Fatale show from Paris...
but he forgot how lazy them European dancing broads can get.
He had to weigh them once a week so they wouldn't blow up like balloons.
You're still eight pounds over.
- What's the reason for this? - Mr. Rothstein, sir-
Never mind the "sir. " Why is she eight pounds over?
I'm trying to use respect.
Mr. Rothstein is good enough for you.
Well, sometimes when you put that pressure point on them-
All you do is give me answers. Just give me the right answer.
I don't know why. She's frightened if she doesn't lose weight she'll get fired.
That's right, she will get fired. Send her back to Paris-
- It's been our policy- - Stop everything.
She's an institution. That's the problem. She's lazy.
NICKY: I gotta give the guy credit.
I mean, he does the most obvious thing.
This is the only town in the country where a bookie joint is legit.
So why not take advantage, right?
So he took bookie joints off the street...
and opened them up inside the casino.
Within a few years, he had...
every casino on The Strip trying to copy off of him.
Between my innovations...
and Nicky's dedication to his job...
I soon had the best operation on The Strip.
Watch yourself. There's a lot of heat on you.
Why, somebody is complaining?
I'm hearing things from security. They're all ex-cops.
The sheriff wants to put you in the Black Book.
That Black Book is a bunch of bullshit.
There's two names in it for the whole country...
and one of them is still Al Capone.
They put you in that book, you're gonna be in trouble.
You won't be able to walk into a casino.
I'm trying to make a living, that's all.
I'm just telling you. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Mrs. Rothstein, straight ahead. Very nice. Thank you.
PHILlP: For his hard work and dedication...
and the new life blood he has instilled in Las Vegas...
Sam has established himself as an indispensable member...
of the gaming community.
As the head of the Tangiers Gaming Corporation...
it's my pleasure to welcome Sam Rothstein...
to the Vegas Valley Country Club.
Back home, they'd put me in jail for what I'm doing.
But out here, they're giving me awards.
It is with great pleasure that I accept this certificate of appreciation...
from the Charitable Foundations of Greater Las Vegas.
Congratulations, sweetheart.
Sam raised more than we've ever raised before.
But my greatest pleasure was watching my wife work the room.
They all loved her. How could you not love her?
She could be the most charming woman you ever saw.
People loved to be around her.
You've got to bring Amy to Sasha's birthday party.
We'd love to have her there. 3:00, Saturday.
- Yes, okay. - Great.
She made everybody feel good.
- Congratulations, Sam. - Thanks.
Hello, Mrs. Rothstein. How are you?
You're one of the most gorgeous women I've seen. You're a lucky man, Mr. Rothstein.
Thanks for that compliment.
He was a young kid from the casino. Nice kid. Bright boy.
What balls on this fucking kid. The next day I fired him.
Ginger had that effect on people. I think she even encouraged them.
GINGER: Do you wanna see this one?
GINGER: Daddy gave me all this jewellery because he loves me so much.
But as much as they loved her...
GINGER: Fabulous.
...they didn't know what really moved her.
GINGER: Look at this.
GINGER: Daddy gave me...
With Ginger happy, I was able to concentrate on what I knew best.
Loose machines are right back over there.
What are they doing back there? You can't even see them.
Okay.
What about the progressives with the high jackpots?
These are our best machines. They bring all the action.
No wonder the drop is off. The action is in the front.
- Bring them up front. - All right, I will.
Listen carefully. There are three ways of doing things here.
The right way, the wrong way, and the way that I do it.
- Understand? - I do understand. I'll get right on it.
- Thank you. - Don't thank me. Just do it.
You're the slots manager. I shouldn't have to tell you this.
Dang, you are right. I'm so sorry.
So I ended up working 18-hour days.
Ginger was the one who wound up enjoying the best of Vegas.
Come with me, please. I have a better table for you.
What did you say to that fucking jerk, anyway?
I told him that I was Mrs. Sam Rothstein.
You might as well get something out of it.
It wasn't long before what I was afraid was gonna happen, happened.
Nicky managed to get himself banned from every casino in Vegas.
From then on, I couldn't be seen talking to him anywhere in or near Vegas.
NICKY: What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
"... detrimental to gaming and...
"he will be ejected from any casino in Las Vegas.
"And the casinos can be fined as much as $100,000...
"every time he shows up. "
- You believe this shit? - Yeah, you got banned.
"Because of notorious and unsavoury reputation. "
Motherfucker.
- Is there any way around this? - No, there's no way.
Let's say, for instance...
I want to go into the restaurant, which happens to be in the casino...
to get one of those sandwiches I like?
Forget it. You can't even set foot in the parking lot.
That's how serious it is.
- In other words, I'm fucked? - In so many words, yes.
It didn't sink into his head about the Black Book and what it meant.
Not being able to go into a casino is just one thing...
but being in this book etched your name into the brains of every cop and FBI agent.
You're listed in there with Al Capone. But Nicky didn't care.
I gotta do something. They ain't getting rid of me.
They're not getting rid of me. I'm staying here. Fuck them.
NICKY: So once they pulled that shit...
I started doing my own things in Vegas nobody had thought of doing.
To keep an eye on things, I brought in my kid brother and some desperados...
from back home and started knocking over high rollers, casino bosses...
bookmakers, anybody right here in town.
I had a good fucking crew going for me, I'll tell you that.
I had Sal Fusco, a great second-story guy.
Jack Hardy worked for a safe company before he did a six-year bit.
Then there was Bernie Blue. This guy could bypass any alarm for me.
It was like old times.
I opened up my own jewellery store, too. The Gold Rush.
Sometimes I used to go along on a heist, just for the fun of it.
I didn't like the people I was ripping off looking at me...
so I turned their fucking pictures around.
NICKY: What's taking so long? This is a motherfucker!
It's working.
NICKY: Learn to open these instead of taking them.
NICKY: These stones got a lot of niggers in them.
If that fucking Pepe's switching stones on us...
he better take a fucking camel back to Nigeria.
- They're in Penthouse "K." - Check in alone?
- They checked in alone. - Are they out now?
- Yes. Don't worry. - All right. Thanks.
He had tipsters all over town. Bellmen...
- You got to hurry. - Okay.
- ... valet parkers... - They're just checking in now.
- I'll tell him. - ... pit bosses...
Room 1230 at the Scirocco.
-1230. Right. - ... secretaries.
- Mint condition coins. - Mint condition? All right.
They all got a piece of the score.
Car's coming.
They were very careful.
They always bypassed the alarms, or else, if not...
they'd drill enough holes to knock through the walls with a sledgehammer.
Nicky was grabbing everything he could.
Nobody out there was expecting a guy like him.
For Nicky, Las Vegas was the fucking Wild West.
I just got a shipment of diamonds from Israel.
NICKY: What the fuck did they expect from me? I had to earn, didn't I?
- This diamond has flaws in it. - There's no flaws in it.
Don't tell me. I'm doing this for 25 years.
You better clean your loupe, because there's no flaws in this diamond.
NICKY: When we got local merch...
we'd usually send it to Palm Springs, or Arizona, L.A.
I had a couple of sand niggers out there. You know, Arabs.
Are you gonna have a meeting or buy some diamonds?
I know his language. I'm talking with him.
$40,000, you buy the whole package.
$20,000. That's my final offer.
He suddenly talks English. Let's talk turkey. $25,000.
NICKY: I actually turned my bedroom into a bank vault where I kept the choice stuff.
I couldn't leave it at the Gold Rush in case we got raided by the cops...
or if my crew got cute.
I had the only key. Jennifer didn't give a fuck.
She fell asleep on the couch watching TV every night.
This stuff was all mine. I didn't send any of this back home.
Actually, I couldn't, because I wasn't supposed to be doing it.
The bosses were making so much money with the casinos...
that they didn't want anybody making any waves.
You've all given your crew a piece of that?
I took care of everybody.
NICKY: That's why there was no real organised street stuff in Vegas before I came.
But how much cash could I bury in my closet, right?
You have to understand, and I'm sure you do...
that in a venture of this kind...
you must be prepared to take some kind of loss.
NICKY: I put some money in legitimate deals with Charlie Clark, Ace's banker.
- You will try to push it through, won't you? - Yes.
You got to understand, I'm giving you $50,000 cash.
NICKY: Then I put more money in some legitimate places, like my restaurant.
DOMINlCK: Is that the last one? Yeah.
NICKY: I had my kid brother, Dominick, run it.
Fuckers.
DOMINlCK: Here you go, guys.
- Thanks a lot. - Enjoy it. Have a good time.
- Choke on it, motherfucker. - Hi, Dom.
How you doing?
Yeah, Nicky loved restaurants. He was a real restaurant buff.
And over the years, he always made money with them.
In Vegas, he had the Leaning Tower. It was a very popular spot.
He had politicians, showgirls and movie stars hanging out all over.
That show at The Flamingo gets better and better.
By the way, Sammy said whenever you have a minute, give him a call.
- Made you a messenger, too? - I'll do anything for a buck.
- He does it to everybody. Enjoy your dinner. - Thanks.
I got to tell you, the thing Nicky liked most was the showgirls.
To them, Nicky was the movie star.
- You walk past me? - This is Shelly.
- Hi, Shelly. How are you? - Hi.
This is Stacy.
- This is Nick. Wanna have dinner? Come on. - All right.
Let's check the kitchen first. Excuse us one second.
NICKY: Come on, I'll show you. I fly stuff in fresh every day.
I get bread from back home. I get fish from California.
You can always tell a great kitchen like ours because of the milk-fed veal.
That's the secret. See, milk-fed veal is pure white.
Out here, they got that pink veal. Slide over, honey.
Now, pink veal you can pound for two days.
NICKY: It'll never ever get tender. You know what I mean?
I left here with the money. Got muscled on the street.
A couple guys, I owe them. So I gave them the money.
- That's what I did. - Yeah?
You call yourself a man?
You know you're a lying lowlife, motherfucking gambling degenerate prick?
You know that's what you are? Two small kids at home.
I gave you money to pay the fucking rent...
and buy groceries, put the heat on.
You know your wife called Frankie and told him the fucking heat's off?
You didn't gamble that money? Can you tell me that?
- No, you didn't? - I didn't.
Don't fuck with me, Al! Don't make a fuck out of me.
You wanna make a fool out of me? You didn't gamble?
Tell me you gambled the money and I'll give you the money to put the heat on!
Did you gamble?
Fucking degenerate, you.
Fucking kids at home.
Here. Get the fuck out of here.
Thanks, Nick. NICKY: Yeah, thanks.
If I find out you fucked up, I'll leave you where I find you.
NICKY: How many of these you gonna eat? NICKY JR.: Two.
At around 6.:30 a. m., when he finished his day...
no matter where he was or what he was doing...
he always went home to make breakfast for his son, Nicky boy.
NICKY: I know you like this.
NICKY: A little butter, right? Not a lot. You know why, right?
NICKY: Why? NICKY JR.: 'Cause it clogs up your heart.
What a smart kid you are.
NICKY: Okay, eat.
NICKY: Every couple of weeks, I sent Marino back to the bosses...
BACK HOME with a piece of what I made. Not a big piece, but what did they know?
They were 1,500 miles away, and I don't know anybody who can see that far.
Their drop was a truck stop garage...
where Remo and the guys used to hang out and count their millions.
The cops knew, but they didn't give a fuck. They worked it out.
Nicky sends his warmest regards.
NICKY: I knew how to keep the bosses happy.
Whenever they gave me little jobs to do, you know, to send a message...
I would carry things out to a "T. "
Like the time Tony Dogs, who was supposed to be the new maniac tough guy in town...
shot up one of Remo's bars.
Here's a fucking guy who kills two of Remo's guys...
and a poor fucking waitress who was just working on her night off.
This guy's just begging to be made an example of.
I want the names of all the other people he had with him.
I don't care what you have to do to them to get them. You understand?
I'll take care of it.
NICKY: To be truthful with you, I had to admire this fucking guy.
He was one of the toughest Irishmen I ever met.
This son of a bitch was tough.
For two days and two nights, we beat the shit out of him.
We even stuck ice picks in his balls.
NICKY: Hope he gives me a name, or I'll give him yours, Frank.
Thanks a lot.
NICKY: But he never talked.
NICKY: I know you would've ratted by now.
NICKY: In the end, I had to put his fucking head in a vice.
NICKY: Can you hear me?
Listen to me. I got your head in a vice.
I'll squash your head like a grapefruit if you don't give me a name.
NICKY: Don't make me do this. Please, come on.
Don't make me be a bad guy.
Fuck you.
Motherfucker. You believe this? Two fucking days and nights.
Fuck me? You motherfucker!
Fuck my mother? Is that what you're telling me?
You motherfucker!
Oh, God. Give me the fucking name!
Charlie M.
- Charlie M. - Charlie M?
You make me pop your eye out your head...
to protect that piece of shit?
You dumb motherfucker!
Kill me, you fuck!
You motherfucker!
Frankie, do him a fucking favour.
Word got around that finally...
there was a real gangster in town.
Nicky was the new boss of Las Vegas.
NICKY: Charlie M.
Four reels, sevens across. Three $15,000 jackpots.
You have any idea what the odds are?
It's gotta be in the millions. Maybe more.
Three jackpots in 20 minutes?
Why didn't you pull the machines? Why didn't you call me?
It happened quick. Three guys won. I didn't have a chance.
You didn't see the scam?
There's no way to determine that.
Yes, there is. An infallible way. They won!
It's a casino. People gotta win sometimes.
You're pissing me off. You're insulting my intelligence.
You think I'm an idiot?
Somebody had to get into those machines and set the reels.
The probability on one machine is a million and a half to one.
On three machines in a row, it's in the billions. It can't happen.
What's the matter with you?
Didn't you see you were being set up on the second win?
- You didn't see that? - I think you're overreacting.
Listen, you yokel, I've had it with you.
I've carried your ass ever since I got here.
Get your things and get out of here.
- You're firing me? - I'm firing you.
- You might regret this. - I'll regret it if I keep you.
- This is not the way to treat people. - If you didn't know about the scam...
you're too dumb to work here. If you did, you were in on it.
Either way, you're out. Go on.
The guy is history as far as I'm concerned.
You can't fire him. His brother-in-law is County Commissioner.
Everyone out here with cowboy boots is a commissioner or related to one.
I'm sick of this.
This is his state. His uncle's Chief Judge.
His brother-in-law runs the County Commission.
There's gotta be a way to work him back in.
You're in the finances, upstairs. You don't see what's going on.
I've got thousands of players. I got 500 dealers.
They're all looking to rob me blind 24 hours a day.
I have to let them know I'm watching all the details all the time.
That there is not one single thing I will not catch.
Look at yours. Look at that.
Look at this. There's nothing.
Look how many blueberries your muffin has.
- I have nothing. - What are you talking about?
If you don't do it yourself, it never gets done.
PHILlP: Where are you going?
From now on, I want you to put an equal amount of blueberries in each muffin.
An equal amount of blueberries in each muffin.
Do you know how long that will take?
I don't care how long it takes. Put an equal amount in each muffin.
Just a little. That a girl.
Wanna go to Mummy? GINGER: Wanna come to Mummy?
It's all right, sweetheart.
GINGER: I need to talk to you. I need some money.
- What do you need? - Got her?
I need a lot. I need more than usual.
Why don't you take it out of your account?
I would, it's just that...
I need more than that. I need $25,000.
$25,000?
- For yourself? - Yeah.
Why do you need that much?
What's the difference? I just need it.
I gotta ask you. That's a lot of money. It's not a box of popcorn.
We don't have to turn this into a big deal.
We don't have to have a fight.
GINGER: It was important to me. Forget it. Something I wanted to do.
Who's fighting? Tell me what it's for.
Why can't you tell me what it's for?
Now I want you to tell me.
My wife comes to me and asks me for $25,000. Do you want a coat?
GINGER: No. If you want a coat, you got it.
It's not the money. It's just, why do you want it?
Am I not entitled to ask that?
I've been independent all my life. I never had to ask anybody for anything.
Now you're making me beg you for this.
- What are you talking about? - Okay? And you're embarrassing me.
Why make me feel so bad?
You're asking me for $25,000.
I'm not out to make you feel bad. I want to just be able to trust you.
It's about trust.
I have to be able to trust you with my life.
Do you understand?
Can I trust you?
Can I trust you? Answer me.
You can trust me.
Good. So then you can tell me what the money is for.
She's leaving the bank now.
I'll follow her.
What is that?
I know that look. What does that look mean?
GINGER: It means I got the money.
How are you doing? It's Lester, right?
Sam.
From my recollection, aren't you the card shark...
the golf hustler, the pimp from Beverly Hills?
If I'm wrong, correct me.
I never knew you to be a heist man.
But if you are, you know what?
Here, take mine, too.
Take it. You already have hers.
She's my wife.
Look at me.
You did know that, didn't you? You knew she's my wife?
Look at me. I know that.
You do, yeah?
If you ever come back again...
to take her money, next time bring a pistol.
That way you got a chance.
Be a man, don't be a fucking pimp.
Now, you want to do me a favour? Get out of here.
I wanna be alone with my wife. Get the fuck up and get out of here.
Fucking piece of shit.
Remember when you called him that night and said goodbye to him?
He didn't say, "Don't get married. I'll be right down. "
- He didn't say that, did he? - No, he didn't.
What did he say?
"Fuck him. Take him for everything he's got. "
Come here. I want to show you something.
GINGER: Make them stop it!
It's not his fault! It's my fault!
Piece of shit.
Do it yourself, you chickenshit cocksucker!
He's such a prick.
He had some guy from the hotel beat him up.
He didn't want to do it himself.
He didn't want to get his own hands dirty.
Why did he have to do that?
Tell me.
NICKY: It wasn't a nice thing to do- GINGER: No shit.
You gotta understand it. He doesn't know if this guy is shaking you down.
I told him all about this guy before we got married.
- This is no fucking surprise. - You did? I didn't know that.
He's just a friend of mine I was trying to help. So what?
The first time I ever saw you guys together...
I never saw him so happy.
NICKY: I know he's a crazy Jew fuck and everything...
but I never seen him act like that with anybody else.
I think he's crazy about you. He really loves you.
NICKY: He does. GINGER: Come on.
I went into this with my eyes open.
GINGER: I knew the bottom could drop out any time.
I'm a working girl. You don't think I'm gonna go into a situation like this...
if I don't think I'm covered on the back end?
Sure, I can see that.
So he put aside some jewellery for me. A lot of jewellery.
A lot of expensive jewellery? About how much?
You want to steal it?
No. I'm just curious. I was wondering...
how much he would put into a thing like that.
I'm told it's worth about $1 million, maybe more.
NICKY: There you go. What does that tell you?
$1 million in jewellery.
Does that tell you he is crazy about you?
I should have never married him.
He's a Gemini. Triple Gemini. Duality.
Gemini is the snake, you know. You can't trust a snake.
I mean it.
I know what you mean. Listen, Ginger.
This is probably not... I don't have the answers anyway.
- This is probably not what you want to hear. - I do.
You're a little upset, and I understand that.
But try to make the best of it now. Go slow. See what happens.
He could've killed him!
He didn't have to hit him. I'm not sleeping with the guy.
He makes me sneak around to see my own friends.
What the fuck is that all about?
I guess it's 'cause he loves you so much, he's jealous and worries.
Who gives a fuck what I do?
I'll try to find out what the hell is going on.
- When I see him, I'll talk to him. - Okay.
- All right? - Yeah.
Thanks...
for putting up with me.
Take it easy with this shit. This can only make matters worse.
You're a beautiful girl. Don't ruin that.
I've seen a lot of girls get shot to hell from this stuff.
You're so nice.
Come on, now. I don't wanna see you unhappy.
Thanks.
It's all right.
County Commissioner Pat Webb is here to see you.
- Give me a minute. - Okay. Just a minute.
RECEPTIONIST: Can I get you anything?
No, thank you, little lady.
Send him in and call me four minutes after.
Mr. Rothstein, I'm Pat Webb.
How do you do?
- It is a pleasure. - I heard a lot about you.
Thank you, sir. House is doing well.
All that money is rolling in.
I appreciate you taking the time to see a poor old civil servant.
Why don't you have a seat? Thank you, sir.
I come here personally to smooth over...
any fracas about a certain matter.
Maybe you didn't know it...
but Don Ward is a very well-liked man in this town.
He's got lots of friends. His family and their money go back many years.
Friends vote, family and money votes.
That's important to me and you.
If you'll think about our little problem along them lines...
and you'll forgive me for saying it...
maybe he did not deserve to be fired.
He knew about our getting hit...
on three big machines in a row, and he did nothing about it.
Either he was in on it or, forgive me, he was too dumb to see it.
Either way, I cannot have a man like that working here.
Before we point the dirty end of the stick at old Don...
we better be sure we can prove them charges.
Believe me, if I could prove it, he'd be under arrest.
Are we certain that you want the Gaming Control Board...
eyeballing your record and your gangster pals like Nicky?
I think you're way out of line talking to me like that.
What you're saying is libellous. You're in no position to challenge my expertise.
I went way out of my way to be helpful and courteous to that kid.
He's weak. He's incompetent. He jeopardises the whole place.
There's not much more I can do for him.
You have got me there.
Old Don is as useless as tits on a boar.
But he is my brother-in-law...
and I would look on it as a personal favour...
if you'd think some more on hiring him back.
I can't do that.
I appreciate the fact that he's your brother-in-law.
I do want to help you and I like to do favours.
And I know who you are. But I cannot do that.
Could there be any position...
farther down the trough?
I'm sorry. I can't do anything.
He's too incompetent. The bottom line is he cannot be trusted.
Okay, thanks a lot.
That's it. I'm sorry.
Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand...
the way it works out here.
You're all just our guests.
But you act like you're at home.
Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home.
But that's where we'll send you if it harelips the Governor.
- Thank you for your time. - No problem.
- Sorry. - You bet.
What happened to my pills?
Isn't it bad enough you drink too much? You're taking my pills, too?
GINGER: I didn't take your pills.
For my ulcer, I take a half of one of these.
That's when I have extreme pain.
I had a three-month supply. What did you do with them?
GINGER: You didn't have to beat him up.
What?
GINGER: I was just trying to help him.
GINGER: Like I'm sleeping with the guy.
Yeah, how do I know?
GINGER: You can't make me stop caring about people.
What? GINGER: I said...
you can't make me stop caring about people.
Listen...
I'm trying to make the best of everything here.
I mean, you're my wife, for Christ's sakes.
People look up to you in this town.
You know what, Ace? I don't give a shit.
I'm getting out of here.
You gotta get a hold of yourself.
GINGER: Okay. If not for me, at least for Amy.
Understand? Your drinking's getting way out of hand.
I'm gonna get you into a program. They got plenty of good ones.
- I don't need one. - Yes, you do. It's very discreet.
There's no names in the papers.
That's all you care about.
GINGER: You don't care about me.
Yes, I do. GINGER: No, you don't.
How could you say that?
You're a beautiful woman. You're destroying yourself.
You don't need that stuff, that fucking leech living off you.
I know you better than you know yourself.
You're a tiger. You're stronger than I am.
When you set your mind on doing something, you do it better than anybody.
You're gonna do it.
Oh, God.
I'll try.
GINGER: I will.
Don't be mad at me, okay?
NICKY: No matter what the problems were outside the count room...
it was all worth it.
The cash kept rolling in...
and the suitcases kept coming and going.
And let me tell you, the fucking bottom line here is cash.
The only problem was that after a while...
the bosses noticed that the suitcases were getting a little light.
Wait a minute. You mean to tell me...
that the money we're robbing is being robbed?
Somebody's robbing from us?
We go through all this fucking trouble and somebody's robbing us?
Like I said, it's part of the business. It's considered leakage.
Leakage, my balls. I want the guy who's robbing us.
NICKY: Even John Nance, that's the guy who ran the scam...
he knew there wasn't much he could do about it.
You gotta know that a guy who helps you steal...
even if you take care of him real well...
he's gonna steal a little extra for himself.
Makes sense, don't it? Right?
You go try and make these hard-headed old greaseballs understand that.
What's the point of skimming if we're being skimmed?
It defeats the whole purpose of what we're doing.
They take this money because they're my guys, so give them some leeway.
NICKY: But the bosses never believed in leeway...
so listen to what they do.
They put Artie Piscano, the underboss of K.C...
in charge of making sure nobody skimmed the skim.
What were you doing?
I was with my cumari.
What were you doing with your cumari?
I gave her a schiaffo.
NICKY: The only trouble was, Piscano was a disaster.
This guy could fuck up a cup of coffee.
What you been doing? ARTIE: I'm out there more than I'm here.
NICKY: Little did anybody know where this would lead.
If they did, they would've been better off making fucking novenas.
You gotta go back there and talk to that guy.
- My expenses weren't paid for the last trip. - What expenses?
I'm laying money out of my own pocket, and I never get anything back.
You gotta go back out there.
From now on, I'm gonna start keeping records.
What are you gonna do with records, pay taxes?
I can't keep laying out my own fucking dough for these trips.
What the hell are we doing over here?
You're going to Las Vegas and having a good time at my expense.
What the fuck? I mean, after all...
No matter how many novenas you could make...
nothing was gonna stop what came up next at the casino.
PHILlP: I can't believe you're doing this. We made a deal.
It turned out Phil Green, "Mr. Integrity"...
had a partner nobody knew about...
and when she showed up and demanded money from Tangiers...
- Why are you doing this to me? - Because you're wrong.
I'm not. PHILlP: You are.
No, I am not wrong.
...Green tried to stonewall her.
I will see that you don't get away with this.
So, she sued him in court.
The court will now hear the matter of Anna Scott...
against Tangiers Corporation and its President, Philip Green.
Oberon on behalf of Mr. Green. Logan on behalf of Anna Scott.
Mr. Oberon, you can proceed. Thank you.
I believe he was fair, and I'm delighted with the decision.
We got a problem.
It didn't go too well.
Green has to open up the books...
has to show how he got the financing.
That's not good.
NICKY: She was doing pretty good with her lawsuit.
But before she could start counting her money...
the boys back home decided to settle the case out of court.
So they sent me.
Any comment on the murder of Anna Scott?
What are you talking about?
She was found last night shot in the head.
Was this just a real estate partnership?
Her lawyer said you were partners.
We were involved in minor real estate deals many years ago.
It was never a partnership.
Did you ever hear of the. 22 calibre killer?
Now, Instead of the cops only looking at Nicky...
they started looking at Green, too.
And he was supposed to be our squeaky-clean front man.
I had to start giving interviews to make sure everybody knew...
the casino was on the up-and-up.
So how often do you really fill in for him?
Green's here about two or three times a month...
and he's busy with other real estate deals, and things.
So in Green's absence, then, you're the boss?
I serve at the pleasure of the Chairman of the Board.
My responsibilities are to run the day-to-day operations.
So day-to-day, then, you're the boss?
Well, in a sense, you could say that I am the boss...
when Mr. Green is away.
You could say that.
Have you read this?
About Mr. Rothstein.
It says, "The Midwest bookmaker with mob ties...
"says that he is the real boss of the $100 million Tangiers casino empire. "
Do you believe that? OFFIClAL: Did he really say that?
Why, of course he really said that. It's right here.
Has that man even filed for his licence yet?
I don't know. We have to check the files.
Without getting your shorts in a knot, would you do that?
And check closely, 'cause we may have to kick a kike's ass out of town.
Thank you.
A Gaming Control Board investigation of Tangiers executive...
Sam Rothstein's application for a gaming licence is underway.
Rothstein, who heads the Tangiers casino operation and is a boyhood friend...
of Las Vegas mob boss Nicky Santoro...
could lose his ability to work in the casino...
Hello?
I gotta meet Clean Face right away. What about the Chez Paris?
You gotta make a reservation. It's all booked up.
NICKY: No, it's okay.
It's booked up, and it's very difficult to get in.
It's okay, I'll use the service entrance. I'll see you at nine.
All right.
The battle between state gaming officials and Tangiers casino boss...
Sam "Ace" Rothstein is heating up.
Tonight, a look at Ace Rothstein's attempt to get state licensing...
despite law-enforcement allegations of Rothstein's organised crime connections.
Will Sam Rothstein's friendship with organised crime figure, Nicky Santoro...
keep Rothstein from running the Tangiers casino?
And can the integrity of state gaming laws be jeopardised by a boyhood friendship?
Why don't you take it easy on that stuff?
Come on. Let me help you down.
We're talking about some stuff.
At 6.:00, will a boyhood friendship...
unseat Rothstein as the Tangiers casino boss?
Exclusive on the KBBO special news report.
Go down. Just go downstairs.
You can't let this concern you, Ace. Don't worry about that stuff.
It's just a political witch hunt.
Do you want something to drink?
- Charlie, you want a refill? - Yeah, that would be great.
I don't want nothing. Hi, Mr. Clark. I've been trying to reach you.
- You're tougher to get than the President. - I've been busy.
Yeah? At least you could return my phone calls, though.
Listen, Nicky, we talked about this.
And I explained to you that you might have to take some kind of loss.
Yeah.
I think I want my money back.
What are you gonna do, strong-arm me?
I think you've gotten the wrong impression about me.
I think, in all fairness...
I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do.
Tomorrow morning I'll get up nice and early, take a walk to the bank...
and walk in and see, and if you don't have my money for me...
I'll crack your fucking head wide open in front of everybody.
And just about the time that I'm coming out of jail...
hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma.
And guess what? I'll split your fucking head open again.
'Cause I'm fucking stupid. I don't give a fuck about jail.
That's my business. That's what I do.
We know what you do.
You fuck people out of money and get away with it.
You can't talk to me like that.
NICKY: You fat Irish prick!
You put my money to sleep. Get it, or I'll put your brain to sleep.
Never mind Sam. This is personal.
I'll be there in the morning. You can try me, fatso.
- You think he got the point? - What are you doing?
He's a square guy, for Christ's sakes. He's gonna run to the FBl.
That prick's been dodging me for three weeks.
- You're trying to tell me what to do? - I'm not trying to tell you what to do.
You're way out of line. Where's your head?
Where's my head? Where's your fucking balls?
I'm trying to put something big together. You know what I'm talking about.
If you're acting like this now, how can I depend on you?
A lot of things gonna change. If you wanna be there with me...
you're gonna have to go my way.
You got to understand my situation. I'm responsible for thousands of people.
I got $100 million a year going through the place.
It's all over if I don't get that licence.
Believe me, if it goes bad for me, it's gonna go bad for a lot of people.
Forget about your fucking licence.
I plant my own flag out here, you ain't gonna need a licence.
I don't know what it is, but the more I talk to you...
the more I feel like you just don't want to go along with me.
- No, I don't want to come along with you. - All right.
I don't want to be involved in anything you're talking about, okay?
I want to run a square joint. I just want my licence.
I want everything quiet. That's it!
Quiet like this? "I'm the boss"? That's quiet?
It's taken out of context. I had no control.
Ronnie and Billy will tell you exactly what happened.
Back home that looks bad.
Looks bad? Every time you're on television, I get mentioned. That looks bad.
What the fuck happened to you?
- What happened to you? You lost control? - I lost control?
You're fucking walking around like John Barrymore.
A pink robe and a fucking cigarette holder? I lost control?
I don't wanna bring this up, but you treat people with disrespect. Even your own wife.
My wife? What does she have to do with this?
She was upset about a lot of things, especially that Lester Diamond incident.
You're the shoulder to cry on? Did you tell her about your role in that?
No, that's not the fucking point.
The point is, she's upset, and you've got a problem.
I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my personal life.
You wouldn't like it if I did it to you.
She came to talk to me. Was I supposed to throw her out?
Stay away from her. It's none of your business.
A week ago it was. Now it's not. When you need me, you need me.
Right, the way you need me to vouch for you as a citizen.
I'm gonna have to straighten out what you did with this guy.
This guy's gonna run to the FBl.
NICKY: Your head's bigger than your casino. That's your problem.
I knew what he wanted and I didn't want any part of it.
He wanted to take over.
He wanted to go after Gaggi, the skim, everything and everybody.
He also stopped asking permission from back home for every little thing.
A casino boss and his wife were killed. The bulls questioned Nicky.
A dealer from the Scirocco. They questioned Nicky.
Stool pigeons wound up in the trunks of their cars. They questioned Nicky.
A lawyer.
They questioned Nicky.
When some guys who didn't pay their shylocks began disappearing...
Nicky's name was in every newspaper.
Nicky was questioned in two dozen murders, but they always had to let him go.
There were never any witnesses.
NICKY: The coppers blamed me for everything that went wrong.
Watch yourself. You're gonna get runned over.
NICKY: If a guy tripped over a banana peel, they'd bring me in for it.
Be nice.
NICKY: The bosses were no better.
They complained because things don't run smooth.
In my line of work, things don't run so smooth. I'm sorry.
I'm dealing with degenerate animals out here.
The bosses, what do they give a fuck?
They're sitting on their asses drinking anisette.
Meanwhile, I'm the guy in the trenches.
Fucking bosses think it's a fucking free lunch out here.
Frankie, they found a guy's head in the desert.
You know about that?
I heard.
Everybody's talking about it and making a big deal out of it. It's in all the papers.
What are you gonna do?
That's no good.
Tell him to take care of things a little better.
I'll tell him, Remo.
NICKY: Fucking bosses smoking their Di Nobilis...
and eating trip' and fucking soffrit', fried pigs' guts...
while if I wanna talk private, I gotta go to a fucking bus stop.
- What do they care? Long as I send money. - They're complaining.
Let them complain. I'm the one who's here. I do all the work.
NICKY: Somebody don't like it, fuck them. It's up to you.
NICKY: They want a fucking war? I'm ready.
If I take care of five of those guys, the rest will fall into place.
NICKY: Peek-a-boo, you fucks, you.
I see you, you motherfuckers.
Nicky was not only bringing heat on himself, but on me, too.
The FBI watched every move he made, but he just didn't care.
NICKY: If they're gonna watch me, I'm gonna watch them back.
I spent a few bucks. Top dollar. Who gives a shit?
I got the latest anti-bugging equipment from the same places that sell to the CIA.
I had all the special police frequency radios, FBI de-scramblers, night-vision cameras...
So, the miserable sons of bitches never caught me doing anything I couldn't handle.
I got my job on the line, he's having the time of his life.
He has every cop in the state watching him, and he's out playing golf.
And at the worst possible time for me.
I had my licence hearing coming up and I didn't want to leave anything to chance.
If I can't work in Vegas, where am I gonna go?
You've been very open with us with the books and papers.
That'll mean a lot when you go before the commission.
- All I ask is a fair hearing. - This honesty will guarantee it.
We'll move on to...
I want to hear about Kansas City.
What the fuck is this?
Where's this fucking guy gonna land, in the fairway?
They're fucking agents, Frankie. Look at this.
The Feds were watching Nicky play golf for so long...
they ran out of gas.
Just what I needed, right in front of the control board.
$100, whoever hits the plane.
If things weren't bad enough...
in comes Piscano, the Kansas City underboss.
He ran the grocery store in Kansas City where they brought the suitcases.
Fighting over those suitcases again. You know what that means?
I gotta take another trip to Vegas. It's gonna cost me another couple grand.
He ran it with his brother-in-law...
but he mostly complained about his trips to Vegas to his brother-in-law and mother.
You gotta lay down the law, or they'll make a fool out of you.
I write it all down. Every fucking nickel goes down.
- What's the matter with you? - Everything's here.
- Since when do you talk like that? - I'm sorry.
Nance gives me trouble, I'll take the eyes out of his freaking head.
- Again. - I didn't curse, I said, "freaking head. "
- That's enough. - I'm sorry.
What happens next, you can't believe it.
Who'd believe the FBI had a wire in the place...
looking for information about some old homicide...
about some guy who was whacked out God knows when over God knows what?
What prevents him with the suitcases from taking what he wants?
Nance brings back two suitcases from the Tangiers. What about three or four?
We've got nobody in the room to watch. That's the law.
We can't even go into the count room to watch our money.
He's got his people in there. They could all be in on it together.
I'll find out. If it's Green himself, I'll bury that bastard.
I never trusted him. I got eyes behind my head.
They trust that scumbag. I don't.
I'll hit the two of them in the head with a shovel.
Take it easy.
Ma, I'm sorry. They're beating me left and right.
ARTIE: I'm sorry. I'm upset.
I know, but that's enough.
You know what they're doing to me. I can't take this no more.
Take it easy. You'll get a heart attack. ARTIE: I know. I'm too upset.
The damn thing is, they hear all this stuff...
about Las Vegas, casinos, and suitcases...
and that's it.
ARTIE: Everything's coming out of my pocket. I gotta pay.
Would you believe this could happen?
ARTIE: I'm in this to make money, not lose it.
Every FBI man across the country had their ears open now.
ARTIE: If you want something done right you gotta do it yourself.
Piscano, this guy, basically sunk the whole world.
There are some that are good and some that are bad.
Members of the Commission...
Mr. Rothstein is pleased to be here today.
When the day finally came, I was ready.
I felt so confident that all I had to do was present my case.
We have documents, one of which is a report by retired FBl agents...
which completely absolves Mr. Rothstein from any wrongdoing.
- Counsellor, before you continue... - I want to have this marked...
...this Commission acts on a motion denying the Rothstein application.
Denying? Do I hear a motion seconded?
Mr. Chairman, I second the motion.
Do I have a vote on the motion?
- Aye! - Aye!
Aye!
The ayes have it. This hearing is adjourned.
- You have to be kidding. - Adjourned? What do you mean?
Senator, you promised me a hearing. You didn't even look at the FBl reports.
When you were my guest at the Tangiers Hotel, didn't you promise me a fair hearing?
I was never your guest. Never my guest? I never comped you?
I don't comp you at least three times a month?
I'd like to answer that at this time.
Mr. Rothstein is being very typical to this point. He's lying.
The only time I was at the Tangiers was a dinner with Barney Greenstein.
Was I at the dinner?
You were wandering around.
Was I at that dinner? You were wandering.
You were in the building. I was in the building?
You know damn well I was there. You swore I would have a fair hearing.
Did you not?
Tell me I was at least at the dinner. Allow me that much.
Give me that much at least! Yes, you were.
Thanks for not calling me a liar, you son of a bitch.
A routine licensing hearing turned into bedlam yesterday...
when the flamboyant Tangiers Casino executive, Sam "Ace" Rothstein...
accused top gaming officials of corruption.
...promised me a fair hearing when you were comped at my hotel?
And you asked for copies of your bill to put on your expense account.
In a wild outburst that followed his gaming licence denial...
Bullshit!
...Rothstein followed several...
stunned commissioners into the hallway where he continued his harangue...
until his own lawyers and friends urged him to leave.
You have a past. I have a past. My past is no worse than yours.
You guys think you have the right to pass judgement!
Long suspected of running Tangiers without a licence...
yesterday's hearing was to determine if someone with Rothstein's history...
was qualified to officially hold a top gaming post.
Fucking hypocrites!
- What the hell's he gonna do now? - I don't know.
What's he doing?
He knows all those guys he yelled at are friends of ours.
What's the matter with him, making all this mess?
Maybe he could run things with another job title.
Won't be the best, but what are we gonna do?
However he runs things, it's gotta be quiet. Let him hide upstairs in the office.
Say he's a janitor. I don't give a shit.
But please, whatever job he takes, make sure it's something quiet.
Ladies and gentlemen...
the Tangiers Hotel proudly presents the all-new...
Sam Rothstein show, Aces High.
Tonight, taped live from the all-new sports book...
we present the premiere showing of Aces High...
with the Sasha Semenoff Orchestra...
and the Sam Rothstein dancers!
Mr. Rothstein is a professional gambler and the best U.S. football handicapper.
A man who will take you inside the real Las Vegas as no one has ever done before.
Now, the new entertainment director of the Tangiers Hotel Casino...
Mr. Sam Rothstein.
Welcome to the Sam Rothstein show. We're happy to have you here this evening.
The young lady to my left is Trudy...
who is a lead new dancer in our fabulous show from Paris.
Our first guest this evening...
is Frankie Avalon.
Keep an eye on him. FRANKIE: I've got a large family.
How many kids do you have?
I'm very proud to say, eight children.
- That's amazing. - There's nothing to it. It was my pleasure.
PHILlP: Ace, don't do it.
Jesus.
He's juggling!
Let's not take County Commissioner Pat Webb too seriously.
I recently challenged him to a debate on this program, and he declined.
What are you worried about, Pat? You don't have to send me any questions.
You can ask me anything you want.
What the hell is he doing on television?
He's on all night, screaming about taking his lawsuit to the Supreme Court.
He really must be crazy. He's gonna go to Washington with this?
He's out of his fucking mind.
It's a pity we have such hypocrisy. Some people do what they want.
Other people have to pay through the nose. Such is life.
Andy, go see him. Tell him maybe it's time he should quit.
First, what they did was totally unconstitutional.
We're on the list to be heard before the U.S. Supreme Court.
These guys don't care about the Supreme Court.
They want things to quiet down. They want you to walk away.
Walk away? Andy, you can't be serious. Don't you see what's at stake?
The old man said maybe your friend should give in.
When the old man says "maybe," that's like a papal bull.
Not only should you quit, you should run.
Every time they mention my name in the papers, they mention Nicky, too.
How the fuck does that help?
The heat he brought down is murder.
The police department was cooperative.
They're pissed off. Nobody can make a move anymore.
What do you do about that?
- What are you proposing? - I don't know. He doesn't listen to me.
Maybe he should get lost for a while. Would that be so bad?
- They ain't sending Nicky nowhere. - If he took a break...
it would give everybody time to manoeuvre.
I would forget about the manoeuvre. I would just get out.
I can't do that.
Of course, as soon as Andy got home, Nicky heard about our talk in the car.
Next morning, bright and early, I get the call.
I've got to do some shopping. Want to go?
Getting a call from Nicky wasn't easy anymore.
Even the codes didn't work. So we figured out another act.
If a phone's tapped, the Feds can only listen in on the stuff involving crimes.
On routine calls, they have to click off after a few minutes.
GINGER: I got a sprained fucking elbow.
Meet me at 3:00.
- At Caesar's? -100 yards further down the road.
- Why? - Don't ask questions. Just be there.
Suzy Cream Cheese has the same outfit.
GINGER: I saw something.
Something very cute.
Okay, he's out. It's the ant. Brown unit.
He's with the bogey. I think it's Frankie.
Nicky started out before me...
because it wasn't that easy for him to get around anymore.
Nicky couldn't even go for a ride without changing cars...
at least six times before he could shake all his tails.
Because of the planes, he had to use underground garages.
Meeting in the desert always made me nervous.
It's a scary place.
I knew about the holes in the desert, of course.
And everywhere I looked, there could have been a hole.
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.
Where the fuck you get off talking to people behind my back?
- What people? - Did you think I wouldn't find out?
I don't even know what you're talking about.
You said I'm bringing heat on you? I gotta listen to people because of you?
You're ordering me out? You better get your own fucking army!
I didn't order you or anybody.
I told Andy Stone that you had heat, and that was a problem.
You want me to get out of my own fucking town?
Yeah, let the bullshit blow over so I can run the casino.
Anything goes wrong with the casino, it's my ass, not yours.
You know that you only have your fucking casino because I made that possible!
I'm what counts out here.
Not your fucking country clubs or your fucking TV shows.
And what the fuck are you doing on TV anyhow?
I get calls from back home every day. They think you went batshit!
I'm only on TV because I gotta be able to hang around the casino.
You could've had the food-and-beverage job without going on TV!
- You wanted to go on TV. - Yeah, I wanted 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.
You're making a spectacle of yourself.
I wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you.
You brought down so much heat on me.
Every time I meet somebody, they ask me if I know you.
Sure, now you wanna blame your fucking licence on me.
When you asked me if you could come out here...
what did I tell you? I knew you'd come out no matter what I said. Do you remember?
Back up a fucking minute here. One minute.
I asked you? When the fuck did I ever ask you if I could come out here?
NICKY: Get this through your head, you Jew motherfucker!
You only exist out here because of me! That's the only reason!
Without me, you personally...
Every fucking wise guy still around will take a piece of your fucking Jew ass!
Then where you gonna go? You're fucking warned.
Don't go over my fucking head again, you motherfucker, you!
Well, we got company.
Did you see that?
Dumb Jew motherfucker. Grew up together, and he acts like he doesn't know me.
I know we're supposed to avoid each other, but there's ways to do things.
Fuck him.
To Abraham Lincoln.
Forget about it. Don't let it bother you.
Does it look like it's bothering me? Why do I give a fuck?
Oscar, too. All the money I gave him, that prick.
He didn't even look over. What's his fucking problem?
- Fucking Jews stick together, don't they? - They're having a good time.
So are we.
Yeah?
- Sam, we got a problem. - What is it?
BILLY: The little guy. Nobody told him he was eighty-sixed from the joint.
We turned our heads and made out like we didn't know who he was.
He's over at the 21 table with his nose wide open.
He took money out of his own kick. His nose is open for about $10,000.
Now he's really pissed.
- He wants a $50,000 marker. - Just give him $10,000.
That's it. I'll be right down.
He's gonna come up with $10,000 just the way you want.
No, I said fucking $50,000!
Go get it. I don't give a fuck where you get it.
Fuckers. They take it but don't wanna give it back.
How the fuck can you grin?
You know how much I'm stuck? Do you give a fuck?
Give yourself a hand, right across your fucking mouth.
Look at this beaut they put in now.
NICKY: Sherbert send you in here to rob me now?
Been fucking knocking everybody's dick in all night? Been beating the customers?
Jag-off. Hit me.
Take this stiff and pound it up your fucking ass.
Hit me again.
Take this one and stick it up your sister's ass. Hit me again.
Keep looking at him. If you had any heart at all, you'd be stealing for a living.
Hit me again! What the fuck you keep looking at him for?
You fucking... Look at this, 20 paints in a row. Hit me again.
NICKY: You should pay as fast as you collect, you know.
- You gotta get out of here. - Tell this motherfucker to pay that marker.
You're not listening. I'm here to help you. You're gonna bury us both.
- Just give me the money. - I'm gonna okay you $10,000, that's it.
Then you gotta get out before the cops are all over you.
$10,000 and that's it.
What are you staring at, you bald-headed Jew prick?
- Come on. Let's get out of here. - Sue me, you Jew fuck!
NICKY: Get out of here? I got a marker coming. Deal.
I know, but everything's changed now. You're talking about a divorce.
You're asking for alimony payments and child support, and now custody.
I just want what any divorced woman would get.
She's only sober about two hours a day.
It's usually from 11:00 a. m. to 1:00 p. m.
If I gave her her money and her jewels, she's gonna piss it all away in a year.
Where would you be then? Coming right back to me...
or finding some other excuse to come...
We had a deal. Remember that?
He said if it didn't work out between us, I could get my things and leave.
Look in my eyes.
You know me.
Do you see anything that makes you think I would ever let...
someone in your condition take my child away from me?
Do you?
You know that won't happen.
And after all this time...
and as hard as I tried, as much as I wanted...
I could never reach her.
I could never make her love me.
I always felt she should have gone for all that money...
being somebody for the first time in her life, a home, a kid.
That's not what happened. It didn't work out that way.
Everything all right?
What could we do?
After a while, we'd just take breathers from each other. Little separations.
At that time, I remember Ginger took Amy and went to Beverly Hills.
She was gonna spend a week shopping.
Yes, Mr. Rothstein.
The Beverly Hotel in Beverly Hills.
RECEPTIONIST: Hello, Beverly Hotel. Mrs. Sam Rothstein, please.
RECEPTIONIST: Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Rothstein have checked out already.
Mr. and Mrs. Rothstein?
RECEPTIONIST: Yes, they both checked out. Thank you.
Hello.
My wife is with an old friend of hers in L.A.
Some lowlife named Lester Diamond.
My daughter's with them. They're gonna try and kidnap her.
Is there anybody you can send? We'll take care of it.
We got a number and an address.
Hello. Is this Lester?
Who's calling?
This is Sam Rothstein. I want to talk to Ginger.
She's not here, Sam.
Listen to me very carefully. I want to talk to Ginger.
I want my kid back. I want her put on a plane immediately.
I know she's there. Don't fuck around. I wouldn't.
You shouldn't do this.
You understand? Put her on the fucking phone.
Sam, I don't know where she is.
So, listen, can I call you back in a few minutes?
702-472-1862.
I'll call back. Right away.
- Right back. - You got it.
Schmuck. All right, I just bought us a few minutes.
You want to get back at this prick?
You got what, $2 million in that box?
You got a minute? He's got $2 million in the box, right?
You let him keep your jewels. We take the cash...
and the only other thing he cares about. Her majesty.
We go to Europe. You dye your hair.
I don't want to go to Europe. I want to go to see The Elephant Man.
We're going to Europe. Let the adults talk. You dye your hair.
You get plastic surgery like we talked about.
How much you think he'll pay to get this kid back?
I don't want to go to Europe. Shut your mouth.
You shut up. Want me to come over?
I'll smack your face. Don't give me your shit!
This has always been a dream, but now we're going.
- Lester, he called you here. - Right. Ace was on the phone.
- I just talked to him. - So he knows where you are.
That means he's sending some guys over here now.
It means he's sitting by the phone, like a dumbbell...
GINGER: Yeah, he's sitting by the phone waiting for you to call him back!
What are we gonna do? He's probably got guys outside the fucking house!
- It's this fucking bullshit of yours! - Get your bag! Let's go!
- What bullshit? You want to talk it over? - Are you done yakking?
Go! Get in the car!
Just relax. Nobody's killing anybody.
GINGER: I think he's gonna kill me. NICKY: Relax.
Call me back here in exactly an hour on this phone. I'll see what I can do.
I'll call you back in an hour at this number...
- and you'll be there, right? - I'll be here.
Listen, don't do anything else crazy. You all right?
Okay, bye.
GINGER: Knock it off. She started it.
She started the whole thing.
- Don't even think you're gonna drive. - I'm gonna drive.
I'm not gonna drive with a crazy woman.
You're driving me nuts!
Get on the passenger side! I'm sending this kid to Bolivia in a box!
Can we...
Ginger called me.
Yeah?
NICKY: I just told you she called me. What'd she want?
She was afraid to call you.
She's with that cocksucker again. They got Amy.
She wants to come back, but she's afraid you're gonna whack her out.
They're gonna kidnap my kid. What do you want?
I know. Why didn't you come to me? This is family. It ain't business.
Meanwhile, you made calls back home. It makes us look bad out here.
Back and forth, this one and that one.
In the meantime, she's gone anyway. Am I right?
What am I going to do with this woman?
Driving me fucking crazy. NICKY: I think if you...
assure her that she's gonna be all right, she'll come back.
Driving me fucking crazy.
NICKY: Once you get her here, think about it.
Wait till you get the kid back. She wants to come back.
That's the main thing here.
You want your kid, don't you?
Hello.
Hi, it's me. Just who you wanted to talk to, right?
Listen, I'm not gonna ask you where you are.
Just, please, put Amy on a plane to get her here right away.
That's all I'm asking. GINGER: Do you...
I mean, I don't think she should go by herself.
What do you mean?
What I mean is-
Do you think if I came back...
Do you think you could forgive me?
I gotta tell you, I don't know.
I understand that.
I know I fucked up.
- What about the money? Where's the box? - I gotta tell you...
I made some mistakes, and I spent some money.
What's it under? GINGER: Pretty serious.
How serious? GINGER: It's under $25,000.
It's under $25,000? GINGER: Yeah.
The $2 million is still there? GINGER: Yeah, I got the rest.
Okay, no big deal. That's okay.
He got his $25,000.
That I'll live with. Any more, I couldn't.
Okay.
All right, all right. Where are you? I'll send a plane for you right away.
Hi, Sam.
So what'd you do with it?
With what?
With the money.
He needed some clothes.
$25,000 for clothes?
He wanted a watch, too.
$25,000 for clothes and a watch?
GINO: Good evening, signora. This way.
The good part was I had Amy back.
So we went home, had the housekeeper stay over, put the kid to bed.
I calmed myself down, and we went to dinner.
I tried to keep things nice and civil...
but $25,000 for three suits?
That doesn't make much sense.
First of all, he's not gonna wear $1,000 suits.
Let's say he did, which he won't.
How you gonna get fitted for 25 suits in three days?
I mean, how could you get fitted that fast?
I can't get fitted that fast, and I pay twice as much.
I bought him a watch, too.
But even if you bought him a really nice watch, one that he thought was nice...
he doesn't know what the fuck a good watch is.
Say you go $5,000 to $12,000 at the most, which is impossible for him.
Plus, at the most, three suits, $1,000 apiece. That still leaves what?
- Around $10,000? - Would you knock it off, Sam?
I'm just trying to figure it out. GINGER: There's nothing to figure out.
I'm home. We're working it out.
But I've been told before, "We're working it out. "
You think that you're home...
after what you just put me through with Amy, is a favour to me?
Counting the watch, let's say another $4,000 for expenses this weekend...
of which you must have had a good time.
I know he did. That's for sure.
I know that fucking piece of shit had a good fucking time.
On my money.
You might as well have fucked him, which you probably did anyway.
You're looking at me a certain way.
You're teary-eyed.
You're upset. You're a good actress, you know that?
Good fucking actress.
You can fucking get pity out of people.
I'm not a john. You understand?
You always thought I was, but I'm not. And I'm not a sucker.
That fucking pimp cocksucker.
He's lucky I didn't kill him last time.
Lucky he's fucking living. If you would have stayed with Amy...
and you had run away, he would have been dead.
Both of you. Dead.
Dead.
GINGER: No, it isn't fair.
He doesn't come home at night. What is the big fucking deal?
I go... Listen, I just can't fucking take it.
Why should I fucking take it? That wasn't the deal.
He acts like I'm the only one around here with a fucking past.
He'll never let me live it down.
Well, yes, I have tried. Of course I've tried.
What the fuck do you think I came back here for?
No, I'm not. I want to have him killed.
GINGER: I want him killed. I've had it.
So are you with me on this?
You want to get rid of me? Here I am.
Go ahead. Get rid of me.
Hello. GINGER: Yes, I do!
GINGER: I fucking hate you! I can't take it anymore!
Yes, I want to kill you! I hate your fucking guts!
You hate my guts? I want you to come with me now!
I want you out of here!
Take your fucking bag and get out of here!
I'll go, but I want my money right now!
- You'll get your money! Don't worry. - The arrangement is over.
No kidding! GINGER: And I still get my money.
I need some cash now! You can't just put me in the street!
You've never been straight with me ever since I met you!
You never even loved me in the first place!
I need eyes in the back of my head with you, you bitch!
How could I love you? You treat me like I'm your fucking dog!
You're lower than a dog! GINGER: Fuck you!
Here! Is this enough money?
Will it last you two fucking days? Take it!
Greedy bitch. Take the fucking money. I'm going to the bank...
- and I'm getting my jewellery, too! - It opens at 9:00 a. m. Be there.
Don't send your guys down there to stop me! I mean it!
I guarantee you, I will not stop you.
You're not getting rid of me with one fucking suitcase!
Come back tomorrow and get the rest. Just get out of here.
GINGER: I'm taking Amy. You're not.
I am. I'm waking her up right now.
You're stoned. You're a junkie. Get out of here.
I am not! She's my daughter, too!
Send my lawyers a letter, god-fucking-damn you!
GINGER: You're not getting away with this! You're not gonna cut me out of my end!
GINGER: Fucker!
The funny thing was, after all that, I didn't want her to go.
She was the mother of my kid. I loved her.
Later, I realised I didn't want to give her the money because if I did...
I knew I'd never see her again.
Have a good day at school, okay?
Okay, angel.
From now on, I have to know where you and Amy are at all times.
Here's a beeper.
I want you to keep it on you.
It's very light.
So I can call you whenever I have to.
Okay?
NICKY: What are you supposed to do? What do you wanna do?
You want to stay the way you are? You can't do that.
Two people don't get along, at some point you gotta call it...
It's not my business, but I think that's what you gotta do.
You're right. I know.
- I was just- - What?
- Nothing. - What were you gonna say?
- I don't- - Tell me what you were gonna say.
Yeah?
I was thinking maybe you know somebody at the bank...
who could help me get my jewellery out?
There's a lot of money in there.
I'd be willing to take care of anybody who helped me out.
Let me think about that.
Let me see who I got. Gotta get somebody I can trust.
You know he's never gonna give me my jewellery.
He holds that key so tight, he's probably got it stuck up his ass.
You're right. That's Sammy.
And he's probably got it there, too.
He's so fucking lucky. I could have buried him.
I could have gone to Europe and taken the baby.
Then he'd have tracked me down, and he'd have killed me.
No, he wouldn't. I would have.
- He'd have been right, too. Seriously. - Come on.
You don't take a guy's kid and then take off.
I didn't. I did, but then I did exactly what you told me to do, and I came back.
You did. You're right. I like that.
- That's what I like, you did the right thing. - I did what you told me to.
- Yes, you did. - You always tell me the right thing to do.
He really fucked himself up out here, didn't he?
- He sure did. - Everything went to his head.
Changed.
- He did. He ain't the same person. - No, he's not.
- He really thinks who the fuck he is. - Exactly.
He hates me.
He hates my fucking guts.
Come on, you're a toughie. You can take this.
NICKY: Don't cry. GINGER: I'm not as tough as you think I am.
Yes, you are.
I'm not, and he scares the shit out of me.
- I never know what he's gonna do. - Come on.
- Don't be scared. - I need some help.
I need some help.
You gotta help me.
I need a new sponsor, Nicky.
I do. I need a new sponsor.
- Is that what you want? - Yeah.
- A sponsor? - Yeah.
Okay. Don't worry about it. Nobody will fuck with you anymore.
I'll take care of you.
GINGER: Thank you. NICKY: It's what you want, isn't it?
That's Ace's wife.
This is great for the boss.
GINGER: Hi. Hi.
You didn't answer your beeper. GINGER: I threw it away.
You threw it away?
I tried to do it. I know that you want me to, but...
I'm driving down the freeway and the fucking thing beeps.
GINGER: I'm in a restaurant, it's embarrassing.
I don't want to do it anymore. Where's Amy?
I put her to bed. GINGER: I got your cigarettes.
GINGER: Oscar wants you to call him.
So who'd you go to lunch with? GINGER: Jennifer.
Where'd you go? GINGER: To the Riviera.
What'd you have?
GINGER: I had a salad. What did Jennifer have?
She had the same.
Okay.
I want you to call Jennifer...
and I want you to tell her to tell you what you had for lunch.
I'm gonna listen in on the other line.
- Why do you want to do that? - You know why I want to do it.
- Just do it. - Fine.
I just need to get the bowl for my thing.
The line's busy.
There's nobody there.
JENNIFER: Hello? Hello, Jennifer. It's Sam.
All right. I didn't have lunch with Jennifer.
Who were you with?
I was with somebody.
I know you were with somebody. Who was it?
I just hope it's not someone who I think it might be.
I just hope it's not that.
I knew she fucked around.
Yeah, she did what she did, and I did what I had to do, but...
Jesus, Nicky was the worst thing she could have done.
What if he won't stop?
It could get us both killed.
I can back him off.
She was very convincing when she wanted to be.
And this is how she backed him off.
Hey, Ginger.
Don't forget, if you're challenged...
if he asks anything, deny everything.
You understand? I don't want him bringing beefs back home.
That could really cause a serious problem.
Got to be careful. He's not dumb, you know?
You hear what I'm saying, right?
I know. You don't have to tell me that.
Do you think I'm stupid?
Do I think you're stupid? No.
I think you're beautiful. But I gotta go.
By this time, Nicky had things so fucked up on the streets...
that every time Marino went back home, the packages got smaller and smaller.
It got to the point, when he walked into the place...
he didn't know whether he was going to be kissed or killed.
Frankie, I want to ask you something.
It's private.
But I want you to tell me the truth.
Of course, Remo.
I want you to tell me the truth, mind you.
I always tell you the truth, Remo.
Frankie, the little guy...
he wouldn't be fucking the Jew's wife, would he?
Because if he is, it's a problem.
What could I say?
I knew if I gave the wrong answer...
Nicky, Ginger, Ace, all of them could have wound up getting killed.
Because there's one thing about these old-timers.
They don't like any fucking around with the other guys' wives.
It's bad for business.
So I lied, even though I knew that by lying to Gaggi...
I could wind up getting killed, too.
- No, I ain't seen anything like that. - Are you sure?
I'm positive.
Remo, things are very fucked up down there.
I know. That's why I'm asking.
You see, my main concern is Nicky.
I want to know if he's doing all right, if he's okay.
- He's good, he's fine. - I'm asking you to keep an eye on Nicky.
- Do it for me. - No problem.
You see, I wouldn't want to be jeopardising anything for our friends.
You understand?
- I understand. - Okay.
Frankie, you're a good boy.
Thanks, Remo.
By now, Nicky and his crew had already hit rock bottom.
Vegas really got to him.
The booze, the coke, the broads.
I mean, he got sloppy.
He just wasn't the same Nicky anymore.
You must've drank too much. NICKY: Fuck yourself.
One night, he had to belt a guy three times...
before the guy finally went down.
In the old days, Nicky would've decked him with one shot.
You add this into the mix...
Maybe Vegas got to all of us.
His crew followed him right over the edge.
They were all tuned up half the time on coke.
They started doing stupid things. The worst was Blue.
- What do you guys want? - Police! Stay in the car!
He never knew when to keep his mouth shut.
Drop the gun! Fuck you!
The cops shot Blue...
because they thought his hero sandwich was a gun.
They could have been right, but who knows?
Jesus Christ! What gun? He's got a fucking hero sandwich here.
What do you want? It's pitch black.
It's tinfoil. It looked like a gun! You moron!
I'll be doing paperwork for two months! What'll we do?
Sorry! You jerk-off!
To make matters worse...
to get even, Nicky's crew got stoned one night...
and started shooting up the cops' houses.
It got to the point where they couldn't talk in the Gold Rush anymore...
because the Feds put a wire in the wall.
Even when they talked outside, they had to cover their mouths...
because the Feds brought in lip readers.
Nicky found out about it from a teller who owed him money.
He asked me again about you and the Jew's wife.
NICKY: Walk, walk, walk. What'd you say?
He asked me again about you and the Jew's wife.
NICKY: What'd you tell him?
I told him I didn't know nothing.
Jiggs and Tony Gorilla said if you did anything, you're fucked up.
NICKY: You think he's going home making a beef behind my back?
No, you would have heard something.
NICKY: What's to stop him? I know.
NICKY: I don't trust him anymore, but they'd never okay anything.
But they keep asking about it.
NICKY: Sure they're asking. They earn with the prick.
NICKY: I got a funny feeling he's gonna start a war or something.
NICKY: I'm not sure yet. But you know what I want you to do?
NICKY: Who's this guy?
That ain't nobody.
NICKY: You know what I want you to do?
NICKY: Get some guys to dig a hole in the desert and show you where it's at.
Angelo and Buster. NICKY: I'm not sure yet.
They'll do it. NICKY: When I'm ready, I'll say the words:
"Go see the Jew. " And you make it disappear. Know what I mean?
Let me know. But you gotta be ready.
You know what I'm talking about?
NICKY: Did I say to do anything yet?
NICKY: I said I'm not sure. I'll let you know. I want to think about it.
NICKY: Where are these pricks at? They're in the motel?
There or in the fucking bank. I don't know. All over the joint.
I'll be right back.
Any calls for me, give them to Mr. Sherbert.
- Sure, Mr. Rothstein. - I'm going home for a few seconds.
He's on his way home.
Okay.
Hello? Ginger?
Help, Daddy! Amy!
Amy, open the door! I can't! I'm tied!
Dad! What happened?
Who did this to you? Mummy.
I'm gonna get a knife and cut you loose.
No, please! Okay, I'm gonna be right back.
When did this happen, honey? I don't know.
What time did your mother do this? When did she leave?
I don't know.
Hello? NICKY: Sammy.
Yeah. Who's this? NICKY: Me.
NICKY: You okay? No, I'm not okay.
- How'd you know I was here? - I just wanted to talk to you.
Ginger's missing. She tied Amy up and locked her in her room.
I don't know where she is.
Well, listen, Ginger's here at the Leaning Tower with me.
She's there with you?
NICKY: Yeah, she's here. I'll be right over.
All right.
- Coming over. - Great.
Don't make a scene, all right?
I want to talk to that Irish bitch.
She's trying to save your marriage.
Nicky, I want to talk to that fucking bitch.
Be fucking nice. Calm.
Be nice. Don't fuck up in here.
GINGER: Hi. Are you out of your mind?
You tie up our kid and lock the door? Are you out of your mind?
That's our child. Are you out of your mind?
It was just for a little while. The baby-sitter wasn't there.
I ought to have you committed. You do that again and I'll-
I was just gonna be out for a little while.
She was asleep. I was gonna be back...
Listen.
- ... before she even woke up. - Listen, you fucking cunt...
let me tell you something.
Listen to me. Listen carefully.
You ever touch her again or do anything like that again...
I'll fucking kill you, pure and simple.
You hear me? Pure and simple.
GINGER: Why don't you let me go? I'll kill you.
You fucking whore.
I'll sign anything you want me to sign.
I just want the key to my jewellery, and you to let me go.
Want your jewellery? GINGER: Let me go.
And let you disgrace me, you pig?
Get up and be a mother.
Get in the car and go home right now.
Get up and get in...
- Get up. - I wouldn't do that if I were you.
- I wouldn't do that- - Get up!
Are you threatening me?
I'll fucking kill you in this place. Get up and go home.
I'm going!
Now you need approval from him to go home?
So what? Who blew you in the parking lot before you came in?
You make me sick, you fuck.
- Once a hooker, always a hooker. - Oh, fuck you!
Fuck you, Sam Rothstein!
Fuck you!
Billy Sherbert, please. Put him on.
BILLY: Who's this? Listen, I'll explain later.
You got a gun at home? Bring it over right away.
- Take it easy. I'll do it. - Okay.
Leave it where it is!
Where is he? I want that Jew bastard killed!
Hide her car in the back.
GINGER: There's no reason to hide my car! He already knows!
Supposing he goes back home and makes a fucking beef?
- I gotta know exactly what you said. Tell me. - Me? Nothing. I said...
I said, no. Everything he said, I just kept saying no.
I told you this was fucking dangerous.
I said, "Ginger, this is a dangerous situation. Be very careful. "
If it's so fucking dangerous, why don't you kill him?
I'm not gonna kill him. Shut the fuck up.
- Have him killed, and get it over with! - Don't be such a fucking smart-ass!
I know the guy 35 years, I'm gonna whack him for you?
NICKY: Motherfucker.
- I knew it. - What about my money?
How the fuck am I gonna get your money now?
You think he'll give you money? Are you out of your mind?
- Look what you did to this guy. - What?
If you'd just kept your fucking mouth shut.
What's the use! I should have never got involved-
Hey! You motherfucker, you!
GINGER: You fucker! NICKY: Get the fuck out!
GINGER: No! NICKY: Get down there! Take it easy!
NICKY: I shouldn't have gotten involved with this nut!
You'll kill her. Take it easy.
NICKY: Get her out of here.
Let's go.
I don't need you! I'll get my own fucking money!
I'm going to the FBl! I'm not scared anymore!
NICKY: All right. Be careful.
GINGER: You've fucked with me for the last time!
Okay. Yeah.
NICKY: Careful.
Come on. Get inside.
Look at this. Motherfucker.
I fucked up, Frankie. I fucked up good this time.
I should never have started with this fucking broad.
Take it easy. What could you do?
I mean, she threw herself at you, right?
I'm in a bad fucking spot here. You know that?
A bad fucking spot.
I left the kid with neighbours.
I had $1 million in cash and jewels...
that I gave to Sherbert to lock up in the hotel.
Put this in the hotel safe and I want you to come back.
She's alone. Take the gun and go into Amy's...
Just wait there for me. GINGER: Get down here and talk to me!
You can't fucking ignore me, you motherfucker!
GINGER: I mean it! Come down here right now!
GINGER: Get down here and talk to me, God damn it!
GINGER: Fuck you! Goddamn you, come out here!
GINGER: I'm going to drive this fucking car through the living room!
GINGER: You fucking coward! You motherfucker!
GINGER: Come out here and talk to me. Will you stop it?
You're drunk. You're on drugs. GINGER: I am not!
- You'll be sorry if you don't stop. - Don't you threaten me!
GINGER: You're not threatening me anymore!
You fuck! I'm sick of you!
I am fucking Nicky Santoro! He's my new sponsor!
How about that, you fuckhead!
What are you looking at? Fuck off!
Go back inside! This is none of your business!
GINGER: I don't have to take your shit anymore!
I'm going to the FBl! I'll go to the police!
- I am not protecting you anymore! - Mrs. Rothstein-
GINGER: He won't let me inside!
Mr. Rothstein, we've been getting some complaints about the noise.
I'm trying to get in my house. He won't let me in.
I won't let her in. I'm sorry, Randy.
I won't, the way she's behaving.
GINGER: Won't let me in?
Who knows what you'll do there.
I've been in the same clothes for two days!
- I want to get my things! Big deal! - Okay.
Let her in to get a few things. That way she'll leave.
This is half her house. I'm afraid.
GINGER: You aren't afraid! She'll destroy stuff.
- Let me in the house! - Hey!
- Fucker! - Hold on! Please!
GINGER: You should be afraid, the way you treat me!
It'll make it easier on everybody.
If we let her get her things, we'll be out of your hair.
If she calms down, I'll let her in.
GINGER: I am calm! If she calms down...
I will let her in for five minutes...
if you gentlemen will escort her out if she won't leave.
- Can I go in? - That's not a problem.
- Jeff, would you go in with her? - Yes. Fine! Fuck you!
GINGER: You wouldn't believe how mean he is. He's locked up my papers.
I have to get them. Don't let him come up here...
because I know they're in here in the desk. Fuck.
GINGER: Pay attention. He could come up here at anytime.
Are you watching for him?
GINGER: Got them.
I don't want her in there more than a few more minutes.
It'll just be a couple minutes. We got other things to do, too.
He'll hurry her up.
- How's everything else? - Fine.
- How's your family? - Not bad. In fact, my wife's pregnant again.
- Congratulations. - Thanks.
We're happy about that.
I just have to get this one more thing, then we can go.
GINGER: Shit! Fuck!
GINGER: Shit! God!
GINGER: That pisses me off! Don't worry.
It would be great...
if you could follow me out of here...
because he's been threatening me!
Take care. Thank you.
I can't believe this.
GINGER: I just need to pick up a little cash. Could you come with me?
You've got to stop her. CHARLIE: I'm sorry, Sam.
CHARLIE: What can I do? She's a junkie. She's out of her mind!
She has the keys. It's still in both your names.
There's nothing I can do. I'd like to help...
- but I can't. - Legally, she can't take it.
She can't. Half of it is mine. CHARLIE: Listen to me.
CHARLIE: There's nothing I can do. I'm coming down.
Shit! God damn it!
I'll need a bag. Could you ask the guy for the big bag?
Go get a bag, man. GINGER: Here.
- Lady, I can't take it. - You can. You've been so nice to me.
GINGER: Yes, just hold the top open. All right? And I can...
Oh, God! It's him. You have to stop him.
'Cause he said he was gonna kill me.
Mr. Rothstein, wait a minute.
Hold on a second.
She's driving away. There's nothing we can do.
- There's nothing we can do. - Look, look.
You can't stop her for speeding? Look what she's doing.
Nothing we can do. She had the key.
She's on the account.
- Let's pull her over at that Citgo Station. - Okay. Let's do it.
- We're placing you under arrest. - For what?
- For aiding and abetting- - For what?
- For aiding and abetting- - I'm just trying to leave.
After all the threats and bullshit...
it turned out Ginger didn't tell them anything.
But, by then, the Feds didn't need her anyway.
They had all the pieces they needed.
But I didn't do anything.
Everyone began to tumble, like dominoes.
FBl! We have a warrant!
Between Piscano complaining on the wire...
between Nicky, Ginger, me and my licence...
paradise. We managed to really fuck it up.
NICKY JR.: Mum. JENNIFER: Someone's at the door now.
FBl. We have a federal search warrant.
NICKY: I got wind of the pinches coming down, so I took off.
Who needs to hang around for that bullshit?
- I'm Mark Casper, FBl. - Yeah?
Can I make a fucking phone call?
Yes, but you don't have to talk to us like that.
FBl AGENT: Everybody, out of the room. Over to the alarm.
NICKY: They got almost everybody else. FBl AGENT: This area is seized!
- Get the master account list. - I want all those papers seized.
FBl AGENT: Put every box on the table.
Yes. Here we are. Little craps figures.
Green? Don't even ask.
- ... $30,000 of yours. - No. That's why it wasn't valid.
I was being extorted. I'll tell you what you want to know.
PHILlP: I've got nothing to hide. NICKY: Now for the best.
I couldn't believe this shit. Piscano's expense reports took the cake.
Oh, this is good.
NICKY: He might as well give them a blueprint.
Everybody's names, addresses, dates, everything.
Thank you so much, Mr. Piscano. How considerate of you.
- Those are my mother's books. - You're under arrest.
NICKY: What a fucking balloon head. ARTIE: What are you doing?
Take it easy. WIFE: Wait!
WIFE: Wait! He's sick! Move back.
WIFE: It's his heart! Is he breathing? CPR now!
Artie got so upset he had a heart attack...
and dropped dead right in front of his wife.
- Calm down! - No, I won't calm down!
- He's my husband! Artie! - We can't help him if-
At the end of the day...
they finally came to see me with the pictures.
FBl AGENT: Why protect a friend who betrayed you?
But I didn't want to look at them...
or the guys who brought them.
Your Honour, as you can see, my clients are elderly and infirm.
Any incarceration could pose a serious health risk.
NICKY: When they were arrested, some were so old...
they needed doctors at their arraignment.
Pre-trial services recommends that bail remain as set.
Take recess. NICKY: When it looked like they'd get...
25 years to life in prison just for skimming a casino...
sick or no fucking sick, you knew people were going to get clipped.
So the day of the arraignment, they had this meeting in the back of the courthouse.
When something like this happens, you know how things are gonna work out.
It's always better with no witnesses. So what about Andy?
He won't talk. Stone is a good kid.
Stand-up guy just like his old man.
That's the way I see it.
I agree. He's solid. He's a fucking Marine.
He's okay. He always was. What do you think?
Look, why take a chance?
At least that's the way I feel about it.
Call Artie. Tell him I don't care what...
he's gotta be in my office Thursday morning.
It's done.
It's terribly important. I gotta have a conversation with him.
NICKY: As much as they liked him, he wasn't one of us.
He wasn't Italian. As far as they knew, he could have talked.
Otherwise, he'd still be alive.
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.
NICKY: But then his kid got nabbed by the Feds for drugs.
So naturally, the bosses were afraid he'd come out of hiding...
just to save his kid and give them all up.
So...
Where you going, jag-off?
NICKY: But, anyway, they all had to follow.
Everybody went down.
Fuck you.
NICKY: Before you knew it...
anybody who knew anything wound up getting whacked.
GINGER: Oh, no! No!
After Ginger took off, she wasn't much help to anybody.
She found some pimps, lowlifes, druggies, and bikers in L.A.
In a few months, they went through all the money and jewels.
After they found her body...
I had a private doctor do another autopsy.
He said they gave her a hot dose.
In the end, all she had left was $3,600 in mint condition coins.
No matter what the Feds or the papers said about my car bombing...
it was amateur night, you could tell.
Whoever it was, they put the dynamite under the passenger 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.
The bombing was never authorised, but I suspect I know who lit the fuse.
So did the powers that be.
NICKY: How are you? How you doing?
NICKY: It took months for everything to calm down.
But finally, my guys got out on bail.
The bosses wanted me to send my brother Dominick out to Vegas.
Always the fucking dollars.
I mean, it was still too hot for me to even go near Vegas.
So I set up a meeting with the guys way out in the sticks.
I didn't want my brother to get fucked around. What's right is right.
They don't give a fuck about-
Holy fucking...
NICKY: What the fuck...
Come on, motherfucker!
Tough guys! You and your fucking brother!
You fucking scumbags! No more!
- Frankie! - No more! You see? Watch!
NICKY: Frankie! You piece of shit! Fuck you!
NICKY: Fucking punk! Piece of shit!
No!
Take this motherfucker out!
Leave the kid alone. He's still breathing.
He's still breathing. Leave him alone. Frankie.
All right. Strip him.
NICKY: No balls. You got no fucking balls.
Oh, Dominick!
NICKY: Dominick.
Come on.
Bury them? Bury them.
The word was out.
The bosses had enough of Nicky. They had enough.
How much were they gonna take? So they made an example of him and his brother.
They buried them while they were still breathing.
You all right? Watch out!
Mister, you all right? Yeah.
They had other ideas for me.
MEDIC: We need some help over here!
MEDIC 2: You sure are lucky, mister.
The town will never be the same.
After the Tangiers, the big corporations took it all over.
Today it looks like Disneyland.
While the kids play cardboard pirates...
Mummy 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 checking into an airport.
If you order room service, you're lucky if you get it by Thursday.
Today it's all gone. A whale shows up with $4 million in a suitcase...
and some 25-year-old hotel school kid will 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.
Still not sure?
Probable. Maybe questionable.
All right, let me know as soon as you can find out.
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?
And that's that!