Ace Rothstein (Casino, 1995)

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"You're a lucky man, Mr Rothstein!" (Casino, 1995) 

 If it's a contest between Goodfellas and Casino, I am going with Casino. 

 (*Warning! Spoilers ahead*) 

 Samuel "Ace" Rothstein is an admirable character. 

Is he perfect? Of course not! We're talking about a guy who had mob ties. 

 But this guy was sharp as a tack, he was meticulous, and he was ethical in all of his work. 

This is a guy who paid attention to detail, and he's someone who cared about other people. 

I loved all the scenes where he talked about how he runs the casino, and how he keeps out the cheaters and card sharks who take advantage of the house. Yes, some of his friends were in the mob, but he knew how to distance himself and not play along with their corruption. 

 This is a guy who was not afraid to stand up for what was right, and he was not afraid to hold people accountable when they were wrong. He acknowledges his faults, especially getting involved with a hooker like Ginger, even though he cared so much for her. You know that he cared, and he was somebody who didn't like gratuitous violence. 

 I really like the fact that he cared about his daughter, even when his wife and the mother of his daughter turned out to be an unrelenting junkie whom he couldn't deal with. I can't think of a movie where a character as complex and as flawed as Rothstein is also so admirable. When he was about to be bombed in his car, I cried. I even shouted, "Don't kill him!"

I've never had that kind of connection to a character before. 

Casino has some of the best editing, the best lighting, and the best acting and character development. Even the mean characters I enjoyed watching. 

Don't get me wrong. Goodfellas gets an A. But Casino gets an A+! This film is one of Martin Scorsese's best! 

Other notes: I liked all the other familiar faces that were featured in the movie. I like seeing all the back-and-forth video work between the mobsters and the FBI, who were spying on them. Some of the scenes were outright funny, and even the grisly scenes really brought earthly realism to the whole movie. I have watched this movie three times, and the third time, I think I cried more; it was so moving.