The famous hit movie Casino was released in the year 1995. It was directed by the prestigious Martin Scorsese and it starred Joe Pesci, Robert De Niro and Sharon Stone. The plot was actually inspired by a real-life person, known as Frank Rosenthal. He managed the Fremont, Stardust and Hacienda casinos in Vegas. In reality, he actually worked for the Chicago mob in the 80’s and he became quite the hit with the locals. Of course, it really does go without saying that Casino have borrowed a lot of details from the real-life account of Rosenthal but to make things interesting, they have also added some parts too. If you want to know more about the movie Casino or if you want to find out which parts were true and which ones were fake, then take a look below.
The Main Characters were Based on People in Real Life
Every main character in the movie Casino is actually based on a real-life individual. Sam Rothstein, otherwise known as Ace is based on Frank himself. Ginger McKenna is based in Geri McGee and the famous Nicky Santoro is actually based on Anthony Spilotro. There really are similarities everywhere and they don’t end with the character traits alone. Of course, if you have never even seen the movie before then you should take note that the film is truly incredible and that there are so many moments that take you on an emotional roller coaster. If you are interested in using a real-life casino yourself then CoolCat- the real money online casino should be at the top of your list.
Rosenthal Didn’t have a Gaming License
Rosenthal did not have a gaming license originally. You would have thought that this scene would have been added for some dark comedy value, but this is not the case at all. He legitimately didn’t have one! When you look at the links he has to organised crime you will soon see that it would be far too risky for him to actually try and get a gaming license. He wanted to get around this issue and that is why the mob chose to give Rosenthal a low-profile title at every casino he worked at. He was the food and beverage manager and the entertainment director. The only role that he didn’t really play was the bell boy! When you look at the movie you will soon see that all of this deception comes to a head when he is in the heated courtroom. Rothstein gives a very big glimpse into how amazingly corrupt the legal process was at that moment. Rosenthal was involved in a very similar outburst in real life and it’s crazy to think that this actually happened.
He Did Survive a Car Bombing
Sometimes life is way more dramatic than art. This is almost certainly the case with Rosenthal. In the movie you will see a moment when he survives a car bombing. Believe it or not, this is based on a real-life event. So how did he come out of such an ordeal in real life? A metal plate that was located underneath the driver’s seat saved him. It’s hard to believe that this actually happened but you can easily see how they got the inspiration from the movie.
A Former Casino Executive Really Was Hunted Down
When you watch the movie, you will soon see that there are a number of murders that happen in the casino. Some of them did actually happen in real life. One of the most famous ones was when a casino executive met his grisly end. He was actually hunted down at his home and when this came to light, it’s safe to say that it did in fact shock a lot of people.
Geri and Spilotro had an Affair
When you watch the film, you’ll notice there is somewhat of a love triangle between Rothstein, Santoro and McKenna. This plays a huge role in the demise of the characters and a lot of people think that this was added for some degree of artistic license. This is not the case at all and it did really happen. Rosenthal’s, now ex-wife McGee and Spilotro did have an affair. That being said, it might not have had the same repercussions as what was shown in the movie. It was actually really frowned upon by the mob but it’s really unlikely that much came of all this.
Geri Died from a Drug Overdose
One of the most heart-breaking moments in Rosenthal’s life was actually the death of Geri, his ex-wife. She died from a drug overdose and this is portrayed very accurately in Casino. Stone’s character died from a very similar fate at the very end of the movie. Of course, her ex-spouse was devastated in real-life and that is why the movie creators chose to capitalise on this moment by putting it on the big screen.
Spilotro was Killed with his Brother
Santoro and Dominick are cruelly ambushed by Frankie right after the car bombing scene. The mob decided to retaliate and they thought that Santoro was actually behind the bombing. They took it upon themselves to deem him out of control and they wanted to do something about it while they could. That is why they chose to bury Santoro and his brother alive. They put them in a cornfield and left them to die, and this did happen. Of course, there are some reports that dispute this actually happened, but when you look at the track history for the mob and when you take into account the fact that they have done similar acts in the past you will soon see that it’s very believable. Of course, witness accounts have also suggested this too, which leads a lot of people to believe that it did in fact happen.
Of course, the Casino movie is truly one of a kind, and it’s certainly one that is going to go down in movie history as being one of the best there ever were.
