Martin Scorsese’s 1995 smash hit, “Casino,” is by far one among the most popular American movies of all time. Starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, James Woods, and Sharon Stone in prominent roles, the film is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s book “Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas.” Thanks to that, the movie did include a few real events that enhanced the movie-watching experience and kept audiences engaged. Hence, can you guess which part of the film was real and fiction? Well, if you can’t, go ahead and read about the true events that inspired the movie “Casino.”
1. Rosenthal and Gaming License
Like the movie, real-life Rosenthal did not possess a gaming license since his links with organized crime made matters too risky. So to get him through, the mob used less-high profile titles at the casino he worked and managed to make the most out of the same. The many titles brought to the mix included entertainment director, bell boy, and food and beverage manager.
While many believed the scenes involving Rosenthal to be fiction and put out for dark comedy, the truth of the matter remains the same.
2. The Main Characters
Probably the biggest set of truth that comes from this movie refers to the fact that the main characters were indeed based on real-life counterparts. Yes, that’s right. Every single main character has a real-life counterpart, with their character traits being outlined in a proper manner. As a result, Sam “Ace” Rothstein was based on Frank Rosenthal. Nicky Santoro was based on Anthony Spilotro, Ginger McKenna, based on Geri McGee, and even Philip Green on Allen Glick.
Thanks to this set of aspects, the movie was able to capture a realistic understanding of the story and help people analyze the truth.
3. The Tragic Death of a Former Casino Executive and Geri’s Case of Overdose
The different kinds of murders that appeared in the movie did showcase the gruesome nature of a few characters, and one among these incidents is, in fact, real. The most infamous one from the lot was of a former casino executive who was hunted down and murdered at home in Costa Rica. While the manner in which the crime took place is not specific, the incident was inspired by the one that occurred in real-life.
On the other hand, Rosenthal’s ex-wife Geri did lose her life from a drug overdose, and the scenes portrayed in the movie are real. The scene with Stone’s McKenna succumbing to a similar fate is quite real and inspired by an incident that actually happened. Hence, those were a few of the real events that inspired the movie “Casino.”