The inner-workings of a corrupt Las Vegas casino are exposed in
Martin Scorsese's story of crime and punishment. The film chronicles the lives and times of three characters: "Ace" Rothstein (
Robert De Niro), a bookmaking wizard; Nicky Santoro (
Joe Pesci), a Mafia underboss and longtime best friend to Ace; and Ginger McKenna (
Sharon Stone, in a role she was born to play), a leggy ex-prostitute with a fondness for jewelry and a penchant for playing the field. Ace plays by the rules (albeit Vegas rules, which, as he reminds the audience in voiceover, would make him a criminal in any other state), while Nicky and Ginger lie, cheat, and steal their respective ways to the top. The film's first hour and a half details their rise to power, while the second half follows their downfall as the FBI, corrupt government officials, and angry mob bosses pick apart their
Camelot piece by piece. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide