CASINO By Nicholas Pileggi EXT. RESTAURANT PARKING LOT, LAS VEGAS, 1983 - DAY SAM 'ACE' ROTHSTEIN, a tall, lean, immaculately dressed man approaches his car, opens the door, and gets inside to turn on the ignition. ACE (V.O.) 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. Suddenly, the car explodes. Flames, smoke and metal rise into the sky covering the view of the Las Vegas casinos and their signs. Music in: J.S. Bach - 'St Matthew Passion'. Ace's body comes flying in - extreme slow motion. His body twists and turns through the frame like a soul about to tumble into the flames of damnation. MAIN TITLE SEQUENCE. INT. TANGIERS CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT Vignette of ACE through rippling flames, we move in on ACE ROTHSTEIN overseeing the casino. He lights a cigarette. ACE (V.O.) Before I ever ran a casino or got myself blown up, Ace Rothstein was a hell of a handicapper, I can tell you that. I was so good, that whenever I bet, I could 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... INT. SAN MARINO ITALIAN GROCERY/BACK ROOM, KANSAS CITY - NIGHT Vignette of MOB BOSSES sitting at a table surrounded by food and wine like the gods of Olympus. ACE (V.O.) ...by the only kind of guys that can actually get you that kind of money: sixty-two million, seven-hundred thousand dollars. I don't know all the details. NICKY (V.O.) Matter of fact... INT. BAR, LAS VEGAS - NIGHT Vignette of NICKY SANTORO standing at a bar with DOMINICK SANTORO, his brother, and FRANK MARINO, his right-hand man. NICKY (V.O.) ...nobody knew all the details, but it should'a been perfect. I mean, he had me, Nicky Santoro, his best friend, watching his ass... INT. NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT Vignette of GINGER MCKENNA a dazzling thirty-one-year-old blonde seated by a small fiery pool. NICKY (V.O.) ...and he had Ginger, the woman he loved, on his arm. But in the end... INT. TANGIERS SPORTSBOOK/ACE'S OFFICE - NIGHT ACE looks over the casino he rules. NICKY (V.O.) ...we fucked it all up. It should'a been so sweet, too. But it turned out to be the last time that street guys like us were ever given anything that fuckin' valuable again. EXT. LAS VEGAS - NIGHT Aerial shot coming down out of the clouds over the brightly lit Vegas Strip and off into the blackness of the desert night. ACE (V.O.) At that time, Vegas was a place where millions of 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... EXT. DESERT - DAWN Aerial shot swooping along the desert floor, then rising above the mist to reveal mountains in the distance. ACE (V.O.) But it's in the desert where lots of the town's problems are solved. NICKY (V.O.) Got a lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. Except you gotta do it right. I mean, you gotta have the hole already dug before you show up with a package in the trunk. Otherwise you're talkin' about a half-hour or forty-five minutes of diggin'. And who knows who's gonna be comin' along in that time? Before you know it, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all fuckin' night. EXT. LAS VEGAS STRIP, 1973 - NIGHT TITLE IN: 'THE STRIP', 'LAS VEGAS', 'TEN YEARS EARLIER' ACE is greeted by a casino exec and walked through the brightly lit entrance to the Tangiers Casino. ACE (V.O.) Who could resist? Anywhere else in the country, I was a bookie, a gambler, always lookin' over my shoulder, hassled by cops, day and night. But here, I'm 'Mr Sam Rothstein'. I'm not only legitimate, but running a casino. And that's like selling dreams for cash. INT. TANGIERS CASINO - NIGHT We see ACE enter alone. He is greeted by BILLY SHERBERT. They are joined by top executives RICHIE and RONNIE in suits and ties. They walk through the casino, past crowded and noisy craps tables, spinning roulette wheels, blackjack tables, poker-faced players at poker tables, and elegant, cordoned-off, black-tie, baccarat tables. ACE (V.O.) I hired an old casino pal, Billy Sherbert, as my manager and I went to work. SHERBERT (Introducing the EXECS to ACE) ...And this is Ronnie, who takes care of the card room... ACE (V.O.) For guys like me, Las Vegas washes away your sins. It's a morality car wash. It does for us what Lourdes does for humpbacks and cripples. And, along with making us legit... INT. TANGIERS/HARD COUNT ROOM - NIGHT Dolly back from a wall of money. An employee pours a bucket full of coins into a trough. Camera follows progress as numerous coins move on a conveyor system, through a sorting machine. Camera reveals several rolls of coins on a lower conveyor as they move up a ladder towards an employee's hands, who then places the rolls on a rack. ACE (V.O.) ...comes cash. Tons of it. I mean, what do you think we're doing out 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. INT. TANGIERS/FLOOR/SOFT COUNT ROOM - DAY Camera follows JOHN NANCE carrying a small suitcase and walking through the casino to a door leading to the cashier's cage. The sign on the door reads 'Authorized Personnel Only'. He walks through the cage, to another door: 'Notice - Keep Out'. ACE (V.O.) 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. He opens the door. We see inside the count room from NANCE'S point of view. It looks like the area behind a teller's cage in a bank. A large room, windowless, decor-free. One side is a mesh cage, opened to reveal stacks of cash boxes. Several COUNTERS in white shirts are gathered around a glass table counting and sorting paper money.) ACE (V.O.) Now this place was off limits. COUNTER #1 Verify two thousand. ACE (V.O.) Even I couldn't get inside, but it was my job to keep it filled with cash. That's for sure. NICKY (V.O.) They had so much fuckin' 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. At one end of the room the clerks empty the metal boxes and rapidly count the cash at a counting table. The camera follows a cash 'drop box' being lifted from the stack by a clerk. He pours the cash on to the table and shows the empty box to a video camera. COUNTER #2 rapidly counts the cash and announces: COUNTER #2 Five thousand. NICKY (V.O.) I mean, to them everything looked on the up and up. Right? Wrong. The first counter recounts the cash. COUNTER #1 Verify five thousand. NICKY (V.O.) The guys inside the counting room... Stacks of bills lie nearby. The camera pans across the room to another table manned by a COUNT ROOM EXECUTIVE who repeats the figure and writes it down on a master list. COUNT ROOM EXEC Five thousand. We move back to NANCE opening a cabinet full of stacks of $100 bills. He opens his suitcase and begins to fill it with cash. As he does this, the workers studiously look in other directions. NICKY (V.O.) ...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 [NANCE], standin' in front of about two million dollars, to skim the cash off the top without anybody gettin' wise ...the IRS or anybody. COUNTER #1 Verify two hundred. NANCE closes the case and walks out. One of the counters dumps another container of money on the table. NICKY (V.O.) Now, notice how in the count room nobody ever seems to see anything. Somehow, somebody's always lookin' the other way. Now, look at these guys [COUNTERS]. They look busy, right? They're countin' 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. NANCE exits the count room and proceeds through the lobby of the casino, passing ACE and SHERBERT, to a side exit door. NICKY Past the jag-off guard who gets an extra c-note a week just to watch the door. I mean, it's routine. Business as usual: in, out, hello, goodbye. And that's all there is to it. Just another fat fuck walkin' out of the casino with a suitcase. Now, that suitcase was goin' straight to one place: right to Kansas City ...which was as close to Las Vegas as the Midwest bosses could go without gettin' themselves arrested. NANCE leaves the casino and gets into a cab parked at the curb. EXT. KANSAS CITY AIRPORT - DAY NANCE arrives. He is greeted by ARTIE PISCANO, a gray-haired sixty-year-old underboss. TITLE IN: 'KANSAS CITY' NICKY (V.O.) That suitcase was all the bosses ever wanted ...and they wanted it every month. PISCANO Hey, John, how are you? How was your ride? EXT. SAN MARINO ITALIAN GROCERY, KANSAS CITY - DAY NANCE, with suitcase, and PISCANO leave the car and enter the produce market. NICKY (V.O.) Now this old Mormon fuck here... CUT TO: NANCE, AS HE GETS OUT OF PISCANO'S CAR INT. SAN MARINO ITALIAN GROCERY, KANSAS CITY - DAY NANCE and PISCANO walk through the grocery store, through the warehouse, past various employees to a doorway leading into the back room, where they are greeted by five older men around a large wooden table with bowls of macaroni and old jelly glasses filled with red wine. NICKY (V.O.) ...he had to fly in with suitcases once a month, nice and easy. NANCE Somethin' smells good. PISCANO Yeah, they made us somethin' to eat. NICKY (V.O.) The bosses would come from all over the place: Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee. All over the Midwest. And they would meet in the back of this produce market in Kansas City. I mean, nobody even knew. NANCE shakes hands with AMERICO CAPELLI, sixty-eight, a bald, affable Milwaukee entrepreneur and ARTHUR CAPP, his thirty- year-old yuppie lawyer son. Camera continues to pan around the room. NICKY (V.O.) One of the guys made his mother do all the cooking. On VINCENT BORELLI, seventy-year-old Kansas City boss. BORELLI Did you ever see that guy Jerry Steriano? On VINNIE FORLANO, mid-seventies, an old-timer who once drove for Capone and is now Remo Gaggi's right-hand man. FORLANO Jerry Steriano? BORELLI Yeah. NICKY (V.O.) Now, these old greaseballs might not look it, but believe me, these are the guys who secretly controlled Las Vegas. PISCANO joins his MOTHER and DAUGHTER by a stove. PISCANO'S MOTHER That man's here again. Piscano dips a piece of bread into a pot of tomato sauce. NICKY (V.O.) Because they controlled the Teamsters' Union, and that's where you had to go if you wanted to borrow money to buy a casino. BORELLI (O.S.) When you've finished with him, I want him. PISCANO'S MOTHER (Carrying a plate of food to the table where BORELLI and FORLANO are seated.) Here you are, gentlemen. NICKY (V.O.) And nobody got a Teamsters' loan, unless the guys in this room knew they were gonna get their little suitcases. FORLANO gets up from the table and walks toward NANCE. NICKY (V.O.) Guys like this antique here [FORLANO], out of Detroit. Or especially guys like Remo Gaggi, the outfit's top boss. NANCE embraces REMO GAGGI who's seated on a couch, and sits across from him. GAGGI You got a round figure on it? NICKY (V.O.) Definitely the most important guy in this room. NANCE (Picking up the suitcase) About twenty pounds. GAGGI So? NANCE That's around seven hundred thousand. GAGGI Uh-huh, good. NANCE opens the case to reveal the money. ANDY STONE (Off-screen, from following scene) I know it's a little early for Las Vegas... INT. TANGIERS EXECUTIVE OFFICE PRESS CONFERENCE/BANQUET ROOM - DAY Camera tilts down a model of the Tangiers Hotel and Casino, then reveals the cover of Business Week magazine with a drawing of PHILIP GREEN, a young corporate type, smiling out under the headline: 'Philip Green, Vegas Wunderkind'. STONE (O.S.) ...but I do want to welcome the ladies and gentlemen of the gaming industry. On ANDY STONE, a middle-aged man at a podium giving a speech while GREEN, seated at a table, looks on. PHOTOGRAPHERS flash their cameras. ACE and SHERBERT, sitting next to GREEN, also watch the photo op ceremony. ACE (V.O.) As far as the world was concerned Andy Stone, the head of the Teamsters' Pension Fund, was a legitimate guy. STONE This is a very auspicious occasion. ACE (V.O.) A powerful man. STONE Philip, if you would rise. Green stands up. ACE (V.O.) He even played golf with the President. STONE On behalf of the Teamsters' Pension Fund, it is my pleasure to present to you . . . ACE (V.O.) But Andy also took orders. And when he was told to give a pension fund loan to Philip Green... STONE (Handing GREEN a large cardboard facsimile 'check') ...this check for $62,700,000 for the new Tangiers. GREEN Thank you. ACE (V.O.) ...he did what he was told. PHILIP GREEN, who is now the head of the Tangiers Hotel and Casino Corporation, is standing at the podium giving a speech. NICKY (V.O.) Now here was the perfect front man. I mean, 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 the money. He wanted to believe the Teamsters gave him all that fuckin' money 'cause he was smart. An exploding flash bulb fills the screen. GREEN ...I say that, knowing full well just how much competition we have in this great city. EXT. CHEAP MOTEL OFF HIGHWAY - DAY We see a MAN and a WOMAN swimming underwater. Camera reveals that they are in a motel swimming pool with glass portholes. Expensive cars are parked outside one of the rooms. Hoods stand around outside the door. NICKY (V.O.) And where they got Green from - who the fuck knows? All I know is that Green was an Arizona real estate hustler, who barely had enough gas money to come and pick up his own fuckin' check... INT. TANGIERS EXECUTIVE OFFICE PRESS CONFERENCE/BANQUET ROOM - DAY We return to the press conference. Photographers snap away. In the background are six-foot blow-ups of the Business Week cover. The camera moves past GREEN, CAPP and several other men, past SHERBERT, to ACE. NICKY (V.O.) Now, all they needed was somebody they could trust to run the casino. And who better than Ace? I mean, he was already in Vegas a couple of years and he had the fuckin' place clocked. FREEZE FRAME ON ACE. INT. TANGIERS SWIMMING POOL - DAY Camera looks straight down from the top of a hotel to a large pool area. NICKY (V.O.) But typical Ace... INT. TANGIERS SWIMMING POOL/POOLSIDE - DAY STONE, in a bathing suit and robe, sits on a lounge chair with a telephone. ACE, in sports clothes, sits on another chair. NICKY (V.O.) ...give him a shot at runnin' a casino and he tries to talk you out of it. ACE You know, I don't know if I could do this even if I wanted to. The Gaming Commission would never give me a license. I have at least two dozen gambling and bookmaking pinches on me. STONE You don't have to have a license to work in a casino. All you gotta do is apply for one. The state law says you can work in a casino while they're processing your application. They got a ten-year backlog. ACE But what happens when they do find out? STONE Why would they want to find out? We're puttin' a hundred million into this desert here. Why would they want to lock us out? And besides, they'll never find out. All you gotta do is keep changing your job title. Like, uh, from Casino Executive to Food and Beverage Chairman. And what happens it, they take your application, they put it at the bottom of the pile. I know guys workin' there for thirty years, don't have a license. ACE (Exhales) It's a tough proposition, Andy. You, you know, if I did it, I'd have to run it my way. STONE You got it. ACE I'm serious. No interference. STONE Nobody's gonna interfere with your running the casino. I guarantee it. Stone lights a cigarette. INT. TANGIERS CRAPS PIT - NIGHT ACE blows on a die. NICKY (V.O.) And that's how that got Ace to take over. ACES's hands place the die into a micrometer. NICKY (V.O.) They wanted him because Ace ate, slept and breathed gambling. Camera swish tilts up to ACE, then swish pans to boxman, dealers and players watching him, trying to act calm. NICKY (V.O.) They worked out a real cute job title too. We see the die in the micrometer. NICKY (V.O.) Tangiers Public Relations Director. Satisfied the die is not loaded ACE sets it on the craps table, the camera cranes up to reveal the Tangiers Casino floor. NICKY (V.O.) But the only thing he ever directed was the casino. He made his first bet when he was fifteen years old, and he always made money. But he didn't bet like you or me. A DEALER is sliding chips, tossing them on to a craps table. NICKY (V.O.) You know, havin' some fun with it, shit like that. ACE (Approaching the DEALER) Where the hell did you learn how to deal? (He reaches down, stacking and arranging the chips.) NICKY (V.O.) He bet like a fuckin' brain surgeon. ACE (To the chastised DEALER) Place the checks properly. That's the way you do it. DEALER Yes, sir. NICKY (V.O.) He had to know everything, this guy. Direct overhead tracking shot as ACE walks between two rows of gaming tables. NICKY (V.O.) He'd find out the kind of inside stuff nobody else knew, and that's what he'd put his money on. INT. GYM/BOOKIE JOINT, BACK HOME, PRE-SEVENTIES - DAY ACE walks past two boxers sparring in a ring, through a doorway into a room where several gamblers are seated around a table. NICKY (V.O.) Even back home, years ago, when we were first hangin' out together... TITLE IN: 'BACK HOME, YEARS AGO' NICKY (V.O.) ...he'd know if the quarterback was on coke. ACE is looking at the odds board for college football games. The bookie, LUCKY LARRY, is waiting for ACE to hand in his picks. ACE I'll take Columbia for twenty. NICKY (V.O.) If his girlfriend was knocked up. LUCKY LARRY Twenty dimes on Columbia . . . As soon as ACE bets, a man erases a number from the chalkboard and replaces it was a '6', changing the odds. Two GAMBLERS saunter from the room. NICKY (V.O.) He'd get the wind velocity so he could judge the field goals. He even figured out the different bounce you got off the different kinds of wood they used on college basketball courts, you know? EXT. GYM/BOOKIE JOINT PUBLIC PHONES - DAY The two GAMBLERS we saw sauntering out of the bookie joint are racing to the nearest public phones. Another GAMBLER has already beaten them to it. NICKY (V.O.) He'd be workin' on this shit day and night. There was nothin' about a game he was gonna bet that he didn't know. GAMBLER #1 (Into phone) Ace got down at six. GAMBLER #2 (Into phone) Charlie, hey. Rothstein got six. INT. GYM/BOOKIE JOINT, SEVERAL DAYS LATER - DAY A bookie hands a stack of money to another bookie, who hands the money to ACE. ACE removes several bills from the top of the stack of winnings and holds them out to the BOOKIES. NICKY (V.O.) 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... ACE exits. NICKY (V.O.) ...that's just the way he was. INT. MOB SOCIAL CLUB BACK ROOM - NIGHT The room has an espresso machine and a saint's day calendar. Assorted hoods are listening to NICKY at the bar. Camera dollies to REMO GAGGI, at the rear table playing gin rummy with OLD MAN CAPO and losing. Every time the CAPO picks up a card, he's able to knock or get gin, sending GAGGI into a fit bemoaning his bad luck. NICKY (V.O.) But back then the bosses didn't give a fuck about whether he enjoyed himself of not. To them, he was a cash register. All they had to do was ring the bell and take the money. Especially Remo, who was a fuckin' degenerate gambler who always lost. GAGGI (Slams down his cards and curses at his losing hands) Ma che cazzo! [Italian-American slang for 'What a prick.'] All those fuckin' sweeps. NICKY (V.O.) I mean, unless Ace made his bet. GAGGI That's enough now! OLD MAN CAPO I can't contest the cards. GAGGI Va fa 'n culo! [Italian-American slang for 'Fuck off'] (Summoning a young man.) Johnny! NICKY (V.O.) Ace made more money for them on a weekend than I could do heisting joints for a month. ACE enters and walks to GAGGI's table. NICKY (V.O.) Whatever Ace picked up on the street he told Remo. NICKY (Walks over to ACE and whispers) Hey, did you bring that thing? NICKY (V.O.) You know, I mean fixed fights, doped horses, crooked fuckin' zebras... locked-in point spreads. He told fuckin' Remo everything. And to tell you the truth. I don't blame him. GAGGI stands up and shakes ACE's hand. GAGGI Ace. NICKY (V.O.) Keepin' Remo happy with money was the greatest insurance policy in the world. GAGGI beams as ACE takes out an envelope filled with cash and hands it over to him. GAGGI sits back down and ACE, knowing his place, smiles and is about to leave. GAGGI Son-of-a-bitch. How the hell did you get Oklahoma-Michigan? Nobody ever had Oklahoma-Mi... How the hell'd you do it? ACE Well, that's why they paid so well. GAGGI You see? (Chuckles.) Never tells me nothin'. Ace, what do we got on for next week? ACE Well, it's a little too early. I'd say Thursday would be good. I'll know by then. Is that all right? GAGGI Okay. You come by the house? ACE I'll come by. GAGGI Seven o'clock? ACE Seven o'clock. GAGGI gets up and kisses ACE as NICKY and OLD MAN CAPO look on. GAGGI Good job, my boy. Keep it up. Okay, Ace? ACE nods in agreement and leaves the room. GAGGI (To NICKY) Hey, Nick. Vien acca. [Italian- American slang for 'Come here'] NICKY (To ACE) I'll be right out. GAGGI T'aggia parla. [Italian-American slang for 'I've got to talk to you'] Nicky... See that guy? (pointing to the off- screen ACE) NICKY Mm. GAGGI Keep a good eye on him. He's makin' a lot of money for us. And he's gonna continue makin' a lot of money for us, so keep a good eye on him. NICKY Mm. GAGGI Not like your fuckin' friends out there, that... without brains. Okay? NICKY All right. GAGGI Uh-huh. Mi raccomando. [Italian- American slang for 'I'm counting on you'] NICKY Yeah. GAGGI Fine. NICKY (Reaching down to touch GAGGI's money, joking with him.) Want me to take this for you? (He walks out.) NICKY (V.O.) So, now, on top of everything else, I gotta make sure that nobody fucks around with the Golden Jew. INT. BACK HOME BAR - NIGHT We move past JOE, a guy at the bar entertaining a BRUNETTE and a BLONDE, to NICKY and FRANK MARINO at the other end. There are other bar patrons in the background. JOE (To the BARTENDER) Chase, couple of shooters for the ladies. BARTENDER (O.S.) All right. ACE (V.O.) 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. NICKY (To MARINO) They payin'? ACE (V.O.) How did Nicky collect? MARINO They pay every week, like they're supposed to. ACE (V.O.) Don't ask. NICKY Then where the fuck is the money? I don't see the money. ACE enters, and greets the two girls. ACE Hi, Melissa. Heidi. BLONDE Hi, Sam. JOE (To the GIRLS) Who's this guy? MARINO (To NICKY) Get the fuck out of here. It was nine. I laid nine. ACE approaches NICKY and MARINO. NICKY It was eight. Ace... tell him the line on the Bear's game. ACE Eight. NICKY If he don't know, nobody knows. Told you it was eight. MARINO Well, how come I laid nine? NICKY 'Cause you're a jag-off. I would have fuckin' made you lay ten... ACE notices a pen lying on the bar. He taps JOE on the shoulder. ACE (To JOE) Excuse me. JOE What? ACE (He holds up the pen) Is this yours? Your pen? JOE Yeah, that's my pen. Why? ACE I ju- Well, it's a nice pen. I just didn't know whose it was. I thought it was yours. I didn't want it to get lost. JOE Well, thank you. Why don't you take that fuckin' pen and shove it up you ass, you fuckin' jag-off? NICKY looks over. ACE Well, I was just offering you the- NICKY moves towards JOE. JOE (Turning his back to talk to the girls, referring to ACE) This fuckin' asshole. NICKY grabs the pen out of ACE's hand. MAN #1 (To JOE) Look out! Before ACE can react, NICKY grabs JOE and starts stabbing him in the neck with the pen. MAN #1 Joe! Look out, Joe! Look out! NICKY grunts while JOE gasps and groans. The BLONDE screams while NICKY's hand continues to plunge the pen into JOE's throat. JOE tumbles to the floor. NICKY pounces on him, still stabbing and now kicking. JOE whimpers. NICKY What's that? You hear? You hear a little girl, Frankie? You hear a little girl, Ace? Is that a little fuckin' girl?! What happened to the fuckin' tough guy? Told my friend stick it up his fuckin' ass?! Huh?! Huh?! ACE (Over whimpers and pants) Wait a sec, Nicky, Nicky, Nicky. Ta- take it easy. ACE looks stunned. NICKY's still holding the bloody pen. ACE (V.O.) While I was tryin' to figure out why the guy was sayin' what he was sayin', 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. And you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he'll keep comin' back and back until one of you is dead. NICKY (V.O.) Listen... INT. TANGIERS CASINO FLOOR, 1972 - NIGHT Camera swoops from a woman cheering as she wins at a slot- machine to a blackjack table, then to a roulette table and over to a craps table. Montage of very short cuts of chips being picked up, dice thrown, money being poured from a bucket, stacks of money. NICKY (V.O.) ...with me protecting Ace, he made a fortune for the bosses. I mean 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 fuckin' drop. With Ace the casino never saw so much money. And the bosses, they couldn't be happier. INT. TANGIERS CASINO FLOOR - NIGHT Camera moves in on ACE as he looks out over the casino. Dealers deftly stack chips, scoop up losses and pay off winners. Chips and money are everywhere. In extreme close-up slow motion a die falls on to a table. INT. TANGIERS CASINO SLOT-MACHINE AREA - NIGHT ACE and SHERBERT are walking down a casino aisle by the slot- machines. Dealers immediately snap to attention at their approach. ACE (V.O.) In Vegas, I had to keep a few juiced- in local cowboys working. They were close to the, you know, good old boys. ACE (To SHERBERT) Pay him six hundred a week, tell him to walk around and look smart. ACE (V.O.) I mean, without us, these guys, they'd still be shovellin' mule shit. ACE points at paper cups, empty glasses and the debris of silver dollar wrappings on the floor. DON WARD, the Slots Manager in Western garb, immediately starts picking up the debris. ACE looks at WARD sternly. ACE Ward, you gotta keep a cleaner station. If you need 'Mr Clean', page him, all right? WARD bends down and picks up some trash. WARD It won't happen again, Sam. ACE Mr Rothstein. ACE (To SHERBERT) Is this guy just another dumb fuckin' white man, or what? What's his story? SHERBERT We need this guy. ACE We can't get rid of him? SHERBERT He's juiced in. He's the County Commissioner's cousin. ACE I wouldn't give the bum a mop job. They exit. INT. TANGIERS BACCARAT TABLES - NIGHT A card shoe slides across the baccarat table. A state SENATOR, a little drunk, tips the dealer, kisses the blonder HOOKER with him, fills his pockets with his winnings and walks over to see ACE. ACE (V.O.) These yokels ran the state. DEALER #1 Thank you very much, Senator. ACE (V.O.) They passed the laws, they owned the courts. SENATOR Hi, Ace. ACE Hello, Senator. They shake hands. SENATOR (To ACE) Hey, I need a room. Need a room. ACE Good to see ya. (To SHERBERT) William would you... The SENATOR shakes hands with SHERBERT as the HOOKER joins them. ACE (V.O.) I had dozens of politicians and state officials comin' through that place every week. SHERBERT Nice to see you, Senator. ACE (To SHERBERT) Help the Senator, give him whatever he wants. SHERBERT Certainly. (Leads the way.) Senator. ACE (V.O.) Why not make them happy? SHERBERT We have some nice penthouses you'll enjoy. Maybe the Presidential Suite. INT. TANGIERS PRESIDENTIAL SUITE - DAY The SENATOR unzips the HOOKER's dress, kisses her and walks through the bedroom doorway, looking over his shoulder to her as she takes off her dress and walks out of his sight. ACE (V.O.) For politicians... INT. TANGIERS BACCARAT TABLES - DAY ACE smoking a cigarette by the baccarat tables. ACE (V.O.) ...like our state senator up there, everything was on the house. INT. TANGIERS PRESIDENTIAL SUITE - DAY The SENATOR opens a bureau drawer and takes out a small velvet pouch and pours black $100 into his palm. ACE (V.O.) These guys won their comped life when they got elected. So, hey, why not take advantage of it? Still, the politicians come cheap. We could handle them. INT. TANGIERS, ICHIKAWA LUXURY SUITE - DAY K. K. ICHIKAWA a Japanese businessman, and a male associate pick up towels and soap from about the bedroom of their suite. A blonde woman checks herself in the mirror. ACE (V.O.) It's a whale like K. K. Ichikawa, who plays thirty thousand dollars a hand in baccarat. That's the one you really gotta watch. ICHIKAWA and his associate walk into the the suite's living- room and join a Japanese woman seated on a couch. ACE (V.O.) He plays fast and big and he has the cash and the credit to turn out your lights. About a year ago, he cleaned out a couple of casinos in the Cayman Islands. They begin to stuff Tangiers soap and towels into their luggage. ACE (V.O.) Downstairs, he takes us for two million... and upstairs he takes free soap, shampoo and towels. Another billionaire cheapskate who loves his free rooms... EXT. TANGIERS JET, LAS VEGAS AIRPORT - DAY The Tangiers jet with the Tangiers logo on its side as ICHIKAWA shakes ACE's hands before boarding. SHERBERT follows him and his associates aboard. ACE (V.O.) ...free private jets, and two million of our money. ACE Nice to see you again. ACE (V.O.) But we got him back. I had our pilot tell him the plane was on the fritz. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. TANGIERS JET, STILL IN THE SAME SPOT - NIGHT SHERBERT apologizes to ICHIKAWA and his entourage as they all get off the jet. SHERBERT Ken, I don't know what the hell went wrong. I'm awfully sorry. ICHIKAWA This is a big problem. Big problem. SHERBERT I can't understand it. These mechanical things, you know, they happen. Hey, be-better here than (gesturing to the sky) up there, you know what I mean? INT. LAS VEGAS AIRPORT RESERVATION DESK - NIGHT SHERBERT arguing with TICKET AGENT as ICHIKAWA and entourage look glum. ACE (V.O.) Then he missed the commercial flights connecting with Japan. AGENT I'm so sorry. There's a convention in town, and all flights are booked. SHERBERT A convention? (Turning to ICHIKAWA) I can't believe that there's a convention. It's never... ? ICHIKAWA What can I do? EXT. TANGIERS CASINO - NIGHT A smiling ACE greets ICHIKAWA and his entourage as they drive up and get out of Tangiers limos. ACE (V.O.) We got him back ...with a whole floor of rooms for himself. ACE I'm sorry you missed the plane. ICHIKAWA You want to get my money back, right? (Chuckles) ACE No, no, no. No gambling. No. INT. TANGIERS BACCARAT TABLES - NIGHT ICHIKAWA, with the Japanese woman, picks up some chips and places them on the table. ACE and SHERBERT watch from behind a barrier. ACE (V.O.) He bet one thousand a hand instead of his usual thirty thousand a hand. A dealer's hands slide two cards on the table. DEALER The bank wins a natural eight over a five. Another dealer's hands place two chips on a table. ICHIKAWA looks on. ACE (V.O.) 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 ten thousand, he thought of it as losing ninety thousand. ICHIKAWA places a larger bet. ACE (V.O.) So, he upped his bets... A dealer picks up some chips from a rack and places them on the table. ICHIKAWA is now seated with stacks of chips in front of him. ACE (V.O.) ...until he dropped his winnings back and gave up a million of his own cash. DISSOLVE TO: ICHIKAWA, hours later, his chips depleted. ACE and SHERBERT still watch from behind the barrier as millions in chips are back in the dealer's racks. ACE (V.O.) In the casino, the cardinal rule is to keep them playing... Move in on ACE as he smokes a cigarette. ACE (V.O.) ...and keep them coming back. The longer they play, the more they lose. In the end, we get it all. INT. TANGIERS CASINO - NIGHT ACE, with pit bosses next to him, looks out over the huge casino where hundreds of thousands of dollars are being poured into machines. ACE (V.O.) In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Camera reveals the DEALER at a craps table. DEALER Six, an easy way. Six! All right, who's gonna give me... The DEALER places some chips on the table. ACE (V.O.) Since the players are looking to beat the casino... THE CAMERA IS ON THE DEALER. DEALER ...both dice must hit that back wall each and every roll. All right, make a six! CAMERA PANS TO A WOMAN AND A MAN AT THE TABLE. THE WOMAN TOSSES SOME DICE. ACE (V.O.) ...the dealers are watching the players. WOMAN Gimme a six! DEALER Come on, baby, make a six! A BOX MAN, seated mid-table is watching the DEALER. ACE (V.O.) The box men are watching the dealers. CAMERA PANS TO THE DEALER. DEALER (Humming, fielding, every roll.) CAMERA PANS TO A FLOOR MAN, STANDING DIRECTLY BEHIND THE BOX MAN. ACE (V.O.) The floor men are watching the box men. CAMERA SWISH PANS TO REVEAL A PIT BOSS STEPPING IN, SCANNING THE FLOOR. ACE (V.O.) The pit bosses are watching the floor men. SWISH PAN TO A SHIFT BOSS SURVEYING THE CASINO. ACE (V.O.) The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. SWISH PAN TO SHERBERT. ACE (V.O.) The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. SWISH PAN TO ACE. ACE (V.O.) I'm watching the casino manager. CAMERA SWISH PANS AND TILTS UP TO A VIDEO CAMERA MOUNTED INSIDE A GLASS DOME HANGING FROM THE CEILING. ACE (V.O.) And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all. SWISH PAN TO: INT. TANGIERS-EYE-IN-THE SKY MONITOR ROOM - NIGHT Video monitors show a dealer fanning a row of bills. Swish pan to ACE and SHERBERT watching the monitor. ACE lights a cigarette. ACE (V.O.) Plus... SWISH PAN TO SURVEILLANCE CATWALKERS ADJUSTING CAMERAS AND SPYING ON PLAYERS BELOW WITH BINOCULARS. ACE (V.O.) ...we had a dozen guys up there, most of them ex-cheats, who knew every trick in the house. INT. TANGIERS CRAPS TABLE - NIGHT Ginger squeals as she throws the dice across the table. HIGH ROLLER Come on, come on. She rolls a winner. GINGER Yes! HIGH ROLLER Thank you. Very nice. GINGER (Chuckles) I told you I was hot tonight. INT. TANGIERS EYE-IN-THE-SKY MONITOR ROOM - NIGHT Sound out: The monitor shows GINGER and the HIGH ROLLER cheering, she throws her arms around him. The crowd goes crazy. SWISH PAN TO ACE LOOKING ON INTENTLY. On screen, GINGER's hand sneaks a chip from the rack and subtly moves it towards her purse. INT. TANGIERS CRAPS TABLE - NIGHT Sound in: GINGER slips the chip quietly into her bag. HIGH ROLLER (Off-screen) Let's go. This is for Ginger. Come on. This is for Ginger. The HIGH ROLLER notices GINGER's hand on her purse. She pretends to have taken out her lipstick. GAMBLER #1 Let me have a hundred on the hard ten. Thank you. GAMBLER #2 Hard ten. One hundred. INT. TANGIERS EYE-IN-THE-SKY MONITOR ROOM - NIGHT ACE continues to look at the monitor. SHERBERT and a security man seated at a video console also look on. INT. TANGIERS CRAPS TABLE - NIGHT A craps stick pushes some dice towards GINGER. She rolls again, only this time she craps out. Gamblers groan, then applaud her. She's made so much money for the table that the winners toss chips in her direction. HIGH ROLLER I'm sorry. GINGER Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. (To the table) Thank you very much. Thank you very much. ACE and two casino execs are now on the floor watching her. GINGER Thank you, sir, I appreciate that. Everybody, thanks. Gives some chips as tips to the dealer and box man. Thanks. Take care, Steve. Take chances and drive fast. HIGH ROLLER Ginger, honey. DEALER Thank you very much, now. HIGH ROLLER Ginger, honey, this is for you love. Thanks for your time. She turns to the HIGH ROLLER, who is handing her a thin stack of chips worth about $2,000. GINGER (Chuckles) Come on. HIGH ROLLER What's the matter? GINGER What do you mean, 'What's the matter?' I made a lot of money for you. I want my cut. HIGH ROLLER What money? I've seen you stealing from me. GINGER What money? Look at this stack of chips. Don't give me that shit. I want my end. HIGH ROLLER Ginger, I've been watching you all night. You've been stealing from me. GINGER Don't give me that shit. I want my money. HIGH ROLLER That bag's full of fuckin' chips you GINGER (Interrupts) What do you mean 'stole'? I didn't steal anything from you. ACE watches the argument heat up. HIGH ROLLER Get lost, Ginger! Get lost! GINGER Get lost? HIGH ROLLER Yes. GINGER Get lost? HIGH ROLLER Yes. GINGER knocks the chip rack out of his hands. GINGER Well, how 'bout that? HIGH ROLLER Come on! (He bends down to pick them up.) Gamblers and dealers shout and yell. She picks up another rack of chips and tosses them into the air, then another, and another. Chips fly all over the casino. Everyone starts diving for chips. Dealers. Players. Security guards. Waitresses. Pit bosses. Bedlam. ACE and the two execs with him are the only ones not diving for chips. He looks at GINGER. She looks at him. FREEZE FRAME ON GINGER. Slow motion: GINGER smiles at ACE and walks off. ACE (V.O.) What a move. I fell in love right there. INT. COCKTAIL LOUNGE - NIGHT GINGER and ACE are seated on a banquette. Close up of his hand attaching a diamond and ruby pin to her dress. Tilt up to GINGER's smiling face beaming at ACE. ACE (V.O.) But in Vegas, for a girl like Ginger, love costs money. They kiss. GINGER I'm going to go powder my nose. (ACE hands GINGER a single $50 bill. She smiles coyly. He hands her another fifty.) ACE (V.O.) Ginger's mission in life was money. GINGER I'll be right back. ACE (O.S.) (from following scene) See you, Ginger. FLASHBACK - EXT. CASINO ENTRANCE - NIGHT GINGER waves goodbye to the DOORMAN and walks towards two VALET PARKERS who greet her warmly. She gets a bottle of pills from one of them and slips some cash into his hand in return. GINGER Okay, thank you for asking. ACE (V.O.) She was a queen around the casino. She brought in high rollers and helped them spread around a lot of money. GINGER (To VALET PARKERS) Hello. VALET PARKER Hey, Ginger, how you doin'? GINGER Great. (Handing the VALET some money.) And I have something for you. You got me covered? The VALET PARKER places a vial of pills in her hand. VALET PARKER Yes. Something for you, there. GINGER And you do. Thank you very much. VALET PARKER Take care of yourself. FLASHBACK - INT. HOTEL SUITE BATHROOM - NIGHT GINGER hands the pills to HIGH ROLLER #2 in his hotel bathroom, where he is washing his face and trying to energize himself. GINGER I got some lucky pills for you, honey. HIGH ROLLER #2 Oh, yeah? ACE (V.O.) Who didn't want Ginger? 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. INT. COCKTAIL LOUNGE - NIGHT GINGER comes back from the ladies room. She kisses ACE. ACE Any change? GINGER (Chuckles) I hit a few... uh, games on the way back. ACE (V.O.) That was all bullshit. She just pocketed the cash. FLASHBACK - INT. TANGIERS CASHIER'S CAGE - NIGHT GINGER converts her chips into a pile of $100 bills. GINGER (To CASHIER) How you doin' tonight? CASHIER Good. How are you? GINGER (Sighing) Oh, beat. ACE (V.O.) Ginger had the hustler's code. CASHIER Okay. GINGER Take one for you. CASHIER (While she counts out the cash) Thank you. ACE (V.O.) She knew how to take care of people. And that's what Vegas was all about. CASHIER (As she pushes a stack of $100 bills across the counter) Sixty-eight hundred. GINGER Thanks She picks up the cash. CASHIER You're welcome. ACE (V.O.) It's Kickback City. GINGER You have a good night. CASHIER Thank you. You too. Close-up of GINGER folding a $100 bill and placing it in her palm. She slips the folded bill deftly into the palm of a floor manager. ACE (V.O.) She took care of the dealers... GINGER Hey, Mitch. ACE (V.O.) ...pit bosses, floor managers. GINGER Thank you. ACE (V.O.) But mostly... EXT. TANGIERS ENTRANCE - NIGHT GINGER, on her way out of the casino, passes a folded $100 bill to a smiling older SHIFT BOSS. ACE (V.O.) ...she took care of the valet parkers, the guys who could get you anything and take care of anything. GINGER Thanks a lot. SHIFT BOSS Thank you, Ginger. EXT. TANGIERS ENTRANCE - NIGHT GINGER exits and gets into her car, slipping a VALET PARKER a $100 bill. ACE (V.O.) Ginger took care of the parkers because they took care of the security guards, who took care of the metro cops, who let her operate. VALET PARKER #3 Thank you, Ginger. GINGER (Getting into her car) I need that stuff tonight. VALET PARKER #3 No problem. GINGER You're a doll. ACE (V.O.) The valet parking job was such a money-maker that they had to pay off the hotel manager just to get the concession. INT. GINGER'S APARTMENT - DAY GINGER enters the room with $25,000 in her hands. She taps LESTER DIAMOND's leg with it and he turns to her. ACE (V.O.) But one thing I could never understand, was that she could have everything under control, except for her old pimp boyfriend, Lester Diamond. LESTER Look, Gin, you know I got other people in this. I got partners. But I want you to understand that I am lookin' out for you in this thing. Okay? You're going to get yours back... and you're gonna get it back first. Okay? GINGER All right. LESTER Okay? GINGER Yeah. LESTER Where are you goin'? Where are you? You're in that place. Where are you? GINGER I'm here. LESTER No, you're not. Where are you? Where are you? GINGER I'm always here for you. LESTER You are. GINGER I am. He hastily kisses GINGER and slips out the door. ACE (V.O.) The Ginger I knew wouldn't even look at this creep. GINGER Good luck. LESTER Yeah. ACE (V.O.) He was a moocher, a card cheat, a country-club golf hustler. A scumbag... chasing dentists for a few bucks. GINGER Careful. GINGER looks out of the window and sees LESTER get into a convertible and drive off. ACE (V.O.) I mean, the guy was always broke, he always had a story. And somehow, she could never turn him down. The way Ginger saw it, I guess, was that Lester was just an unlucky guy. Somebody had to take care of him. INT. BACK HOME AIRPORT/CUSTOMS - DAY NICKY, his wife JENNIFER, with a beehive hairdo, and their eight-year-old son LITTLE NICKY, are detained while their luggage is searched by a customs agent. TITLE IN: 'BACK HOME' ACE (V.O.) But nobody had to take care of Nicky. NICKY (To customs agent) You find any cash in there, we'll whack it up with you. ACE (V.O.) I mean, he took care of himself only too well. And that's why every badge back home wanted to nail him. JENNIFER (To customs agent) Excuse me, but I folded these things beautifully and I would appreciate a little respect. Jesus Christ! NICKY Don't look at me, pal. I gotta live with her. We see MARINO waiting for NICKY outside the customs area. Two COPS push past him. ACE (V.O.) Even after a little vacation, they hassled him at the airport. COP #1 (To MARINO) Excuse me. ACE (V.O.) I mean, Frank Marino was there to meet him, but so were the cops. This time they wanted to pinch him for some diamond burglary in Antwerp. CAMERA DOLLIES IN ON JENNIFER'S BEEHIVE. JENNIFER Oh, yes. Will you help me fold these, please? ACE (V.O.) They were ready to blame him for anything, no matter where it happened. FLASH FORWARD - INT. NICKY'S HOUSE/BACK HOME - DAY NICKY, JENNIFER, LITTLE NICKY and MARINO walk in. JENNIFER (To LITTLE NICKY) You go and put your things away. ACE (V.O.) And they were usually right. NICKY, JENNIFER and MARINO are gathered around the kitchen table. JENNIFER leans over and starts to shake her hair. MARINO Whoa, whoa, whoa. NICKY Hold it, hold it. Here. NICKY places a red towel down on the table. JENNIFER leans over again, tugs and shakes her hair until diamonds begin to fall out of her beehive. ACE (V.O.) Because Nicky enjoyed being a gangster, and he didn't give a damn who knew it. JENNIFER Come on. There we go. Look at that. Beautiful. Diamonds fall on the red towel in slow motion. ACE (V.O.) 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! JENNIFER I think that's it. NICKY There's more! There's a couple stuck in there. I know there's more. JENNIFER God, I'm telling you, they're out! NICKY Come on, damn it. Don't get so defensive. It could be stuck in your hair, you know. NICKY grasps JENNIFER's hair. JENNIFER Look, there aren't... (A diamond falls out of her beehive.) There aren't but... NICKY Oh, there aren't? (Showing her the diamond.) What's that? (Slaps her.) Huh? What's that. (FRANK chuckles.) There's no more. Thanks, hon. INT. BACK HOME AIRPORT/CUSTOMS - DAY ON NICKY. NICKY (V.O.) I couldn't wait to get my hands on Vegas. But the bosses didn't send me out there to have a good time. INT. SAN MARINO ITALIAN GROCERY/BACK ROOM, KANSAS CITY - NIGHT Mob bosses FORLANO, CAPELLI, GAGGI, BORELLI and PISCANO seated around the back room table eating and talking as in the opening vignette. NICKY (V.O.) They sent me out there to make sure that nobody fucked with Ace and... INT. ACE'S TANGIERS PENTHOUSE, LAS VEGAS - DAY ACE opens the door to NICKY and JENNIFER. NICKY (V.O.) ...nobody interfered with the fuckin' skim. ACE (Opening door) Hey. JENNIFER Hey, how you doin'? (Kisses ACE.) NICKY Hey. Hey, Sammy, how are you? JENNIFER and NICKY take in ACE's spectacular Vegas-style penthouse. JENNIFER (Whispering) Wow. NICKY Boy, look at this place, huh? JENNIFER Incredible. NICKY All right. ACE Welcome to Vegas. CAMERA TILTS UP TO REVEAL A SWEEPING VIEW OF THE LAS VEGAS SKYLINE. NICKY Okay, Sammy. ACE Somethin', huh? NICKY Yeah. ACE (Calling her over) Ginger. GINGER emerges from the bedroom. NICKY and JENNIFER are both stunned by her beauty. NICKY (To ACE) Holy shit, what've you been doin' out here? ACE Honey, come here. She walks to them ACE This is Jennifer and Nick. They're dear friends of mine. JENNIFER (Shaking hands) Good to meet you. GINGER Hi, Jennifer. NICKY Pleasure. (Grasping GINGER's hand and kissing it.) Very nice to meet you. GINGER Hi, how are you? NICKY Okay, Sammy. INT. ACE'S CAR, LAS VEGAS STRIP - NIGHT ACE and NICKY are driving through town, the neon lights of Vegas reflected in the windshield. ACE (V.O.) After we ate, we left Jennifer and Ginger alone and we took a ride to talk. And then... he hit me with it. NICKY What do you think about me movin' out here? (ACE looks away.) What's the matter? You got a problem with that? ACE No, of course not. NICKY (Playfully) You mean, I have your permission? ACE Sure, you have my permission. But I - I just gotta tell you it's no joke out here. It's no joke, you know? You gotta keep a low profile. It's not like back home. Right off the bat, they don't like guys like us. And this sheriff's a real cowboy. Even the coppers aren't afraid to bury people out in the desert here. NICKY I don't care. I want to get away from back home for a while. I'm tired of that shit back there. (Referring to the Vegas lights.) Look at this place. It's made of money. You know what the best part is? Nobody's gonna know what we're doin'! There's nobody here to see us! Everybody's back home. ACE Nick, I gotta tell you, I got pinched twice for no reason. You really gotta be careful. I'm running a licensed place. Everything's legit. NICKY Don't worry about it. I'm not gonna do anything. What am I gonna do? I'm especially not gonna involve you in anything. ACE gives NICKY a look. EXT./INT. LAS VEGAS SPORTSBOOK - NIGHT NICKY and MARINO pull up in their car and get out. NICKY (V.O.) Ace saw Vegas one way. NICKY You call this guy and tell him I'm comin'? MARINO Of course. They walk into the sportsbook, past numerous bar patrons and gamblers to TONY, the bookie at a betting counter. NICKY (V.O.) But I saw it another. I saw it as untouched. I mean, 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. ACE (V.O.) Yeah, he had a fool-proof scheme, all right. It wasn't very scientific but it worked. When he won, he collected. When he lost, he told the bookies to go fuck themselves. What were they gonna do? Muscle Nicky? (Chuckles.) Nicky was the muscle. NICKY grabs TONY by the back of his neck. NICKY Tony. TONY Hey. NICKY How you doin'? TONY How you doin'? NICKY All right, yeah. You got that thing for me? TONY What thing? Oh, Nicky... I thought you was layin'. NICKY I was layin'? No, no, I'm taking it. I was takin' it. TONY You sure? NICKY I'm positive. TONY Well, I'm a little confused here. NICKY You're a little confused? TONY Yeah. NICKY (Pointing to a window, above a counter with a tiny opening to talk through) Maybe if I stick your fuckin' face through this window over here like, you know, you'll - you'll get unconfused. Give me the fuckin' money! TONY takes some money out of his coat pocket. TONY (Groaning) I'm sorry, Nicky. I didn't mean anything by it. NICKY Yeah, I know, that's why you had it ready. You thought I was fuckin' layin' it?! He smacks the bookie on the head with the wad of money. TONY (Gasps) My fuckin' head. NICKY Your fuckin' head, huh? Don't fuck around, Tony. MARINO (Pointing to TONY) Smarten up. NICKY (Walking out) You jag-off. CLASSROOM NUN (O.S.) (From following scene) And now... INT. CATHOLIC SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY NICKY and JENNIFER stand in the background with other parents listening to a NUN school teacher. LITTLE NICKY and other youngsters are seated at small children's desks. CLASSROOM NUN ...Nicholas Santoro will come up and tell us about our first president. LITTLE NICKY (Stepping up in front of the class to begin a speech) George Washington was born in a... ACE (V.O.) But still, it was nice and quiet for a while. Ginger and I presented Nicky and Jennifer all over town, like regular Ozzie and Harriets. LITTLE NICKY ...typical Virginia farmhouse. EXT. LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD - DAY NICKY and DETECTIVE BOB JOHNSON are coaching their sons. JOHNSON pats LITTLE NICKY on the back and with encouraging words sends him running on to the field. DETECTIVE JOHNSON (To LITTLE NICKY) Beautiful. You got a beautiful swing. NICKY (V.O.) Ace got my son, little Nicky, involved with Little League, and it was great. DETECTIVE JOHNSON Now, I want you to get out there and get me singles and doubles, okay? 'Cause that's what's gonna win this game. NICKY (V.O.) Turned out to be one of the other coaches was a fuckin'... DETECTIVE JOHNSON Now go out there and show your dad what you can do. NICKY (V.O.) ...metro intelligence cop. But it didn't matter. I mean, it was all about the kids, you know. DETECTIVE JOHNSON You know, he's gotta realize everything can't be a home run that he does. NICKY Yeah, well, that's exactly what I keep tellin' him, but that's the kind of kid he is ever since he's born. DETECTIVE JOHNSON It's instinctive, you know. NICKY He tries to do everything... LITTLE NICKY hits the ball, NICKY and DETECTIVE JOHNSON applaud. NICKY Ohh! ACE (V.O.) And, Nicky being Nicky, he made his presence known. INT. TANGIERS CASHIER'S CAGE CREDIT WINDOW - NIGHT NICKY saunters through the casino and up to EDDY and JERRY, two well-dressed hoods who are signing papers at the cashier's credit window near ACE and SHERBERT. ACE (V.O.) Especially at the casino, where he definitely did not work, people got the message. NICKY (V.O.) Me? That's why the bosses sent me out here. They wanted me to make sure none of the other crews robbed the joint. Like these two fuckin' balloon-heads over here [EDDY and JERRY]. They were gonna try and bang us out of two hundred fuckin' grand? (Chuckling.) Yeah, right, I'm sure. JERRY (Shakes NICKY's hand) Hey, Nicky. How are you? NICKY Hey, Eddy. EDDY Hey, Nicky, how are you? What are you doin' here? NICKY I'm over here now. JERRY/EDDY (In unison) You're over here? JERRY You're over here? NICKY Yeah, I'm over here with him. SWISH PAN TO ACE WITH SHERBERT OFF TO THE SIDE. EDDY Oh. JERRY Oh. EDDY We're waiting on Carmine. JERRY Yeah, we're lookin' for Carmine. NICKY Carmine? He was here before. I saw him. He had a suitcase and everything, and then he left. EDDY Carmine left? NICKY Uh-huh. JERRY Carmine left? EDDY He's gone? JERRY He's not here? EDDY Carmine's gone. NICKY I think, you know, maybe he went across the street or somewhere else or somethin'. I don't know. EDDY Well, listen, uh... Good luck with the joint, huh? (Shakes hands with NICKY.) NICKY Oh, thanks, Eddy. JERRY (Shakes NICKY's hand) Yeah, lots of luck. Lots of luck. NICKY Hey, great, Jerry. They walk away. NICKY Good luck to you too. CREDIT CLERK (To NICKY from behind the cage) Hey, they forgot to sign their papers. NICKY What? CREDIT CLERK They forgot to sign their papers. NICKY Yeah, they don't need those anymore. He looks over to ACE and SHERBERT. NICKY smiles. ACE (V.O.) Out of respect, guys from other crews got away with a warning. ACE taking a drag off his cigarette, nods an 'okay'. ACE (V.O.) Everybody else: watch out. INT. TANGIERS CASINO/BLACKJACK TABLES - DAY A blackjack WINNER, who looks like a school teacher, with over $100,000 in chips before him has gathered a crowd. ACE (V.O.) Like these yokels here who never heard of Nicky or the bosses back home, 'cause they're the morons who give you the most trouble. Even after we'd catch 'em, they'd try sneakin' back with beards and wigs and fake noses. ACE and SHERBERT walk up to watch the WINNER who is playing all six hands at the blackjack table. ACE (V.O.) You can spot these assholes by watching the way they bet. Like this guy. He's bettin' lavender chips at five hundred each with only one little problem. He's always guessed right. If he wasn't so fuckin' greedy, he'd have been tougher to spot. But in the end, they're all greedy. ACE walks around the WINNER's table, past the crowd, to the pit. Behind him are more blackjack tables, dealers and players. ACE bends down and ties his shoelace. ACE (V.O.) I saw that the dealer was weak, but he wasn't in on it. The DEALER's hands lift the corner of his hole card a half an inch to determine the casino's hand against the WINNER. The slightly exposed hole card is a six of clubs. ACE (V.O.) He just wasn't protecting his hand. He was lifting his hole card way to high. ON ACE'S FACE THEN TO HIS POV OF THE CARD, PAST A PIT BOSS, PANNING TO THE SIGNALER AT THE BLACKJACK TABLE TO THE RIGHT. THE SIGNALER IS SLUMPED DOWN IN HIS SEAT, TOSSING DOWN SOME CARDS AND SNEAKING LOOKS AT THE DEALER'S HAND AT THE WINNER'S TABLE. ACE (V.O.) Now, here's this guy... OVERHEAD PAN FROM THE SIGNALER SLUMPED IN HIS SEAT. ACE (V.O.) ...reading the dealer's hole card... PAN CONTINUES PAST ACE TO REVEAL THE WINNER'S TABLE. ACE (V.O.) ...and signaling his buddy [the WINNER] at this table. OVERHEAD DOLLY IN ON SIGNALER WHO APPEARS TO BE NERVOUSLY TAPPING HIS THIGH. We see through his trousers, that he is tapping a copper transmitter with a battery pack attached. Back at the WINNER's table we see inside his pant leg where a device strapped to his leg is receiving the impulse signal - buzz - buzz - buzz - from the SIGNALER. ACE (V.O.) And that's just what these hustlers look for. They cruise from casino to casino, lookin' for weak dealers the way lions look for weak antelope. ACE starts to get up. ACE (O.S.) (From following scene) Operator? INT. TANGIERS BLACKJACK TABLES/TELEPHONE - DAY ACE is on the house phone right near the SIGNALER's table. ACE This is Mr R. Get me Armstrong and Friday over at pit two right away. He hangs up, and fixes his tie in the mirrored panel above the phone. OVERHEAD VIEW OF THE SIGNALER'S TABLE. VARIOUS SECURITY GUARDS SLOWLY BEGIN TO GATHER AROUND IT. ACE, waiting, lights a cigarette. ARMSTRONG joins ACE. They look towards the SIGNALER's table. ACE (To ARMSTRONG) BJ nineteen, second base, the beard [Blackjack table number 19, second position, man with the beard] ACE (Picks up the phone again.) Operator... I need Mr Happy, loud. On ACE's signal, WAITRESSES, one carrying a cake with a sparkling candle, start singing 'Happy Birthday', attracting the crowd's attention. WAITRESSES (In unison) Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday, dear Jeff. Happy Birthday to you. Gamblers cheer and applaud. ACE nods and ARMSTRONG lets a long metal object drop out from under his jacket sleeve and moves in close behind the SIGNALER, as though looking at the game. He presses the object - a cattle prod - under the SIGNALER's arm near his heart. The SIGNALER instantly goes into convulsions, falling to the floor gasping and groaning. Several SECURITY GUARDS grab the SIGNALER as he falls. ARMSTRONG walks away. SECURITY GUARD #1 Man down! The WINNER sees what happened to his partner. SECURITY GUARD #1 Notify medical! We got a cardiac arrest here! SECURITY GUARD #2 He's fine, folks. Just give us some room, please! ACE watches the scene. The guards lift the stunned SIGNALER to his feet and help him away from the table. Play is immediately resumed. ACE (V.O.) Watch it now. The WINNER hurriedly places his chips into racks. SECURITY GUARD #1 (O.S.) Stand back! ACE (V.O.) They never know what hit them. And if and when... SECURITY GUARDS drag the SIGNALER out. ACE (V.O.) ...they do find out they just got zapped by a cattle prod... SHERBERT follows the WINNER as he rushes away. ACE (V.O.) ...they wish they really did have a heart attack. ACE exits behind the GUARDS and the SIGNALER. INT. BASEMENT MAINTENANCE ROOM - NIGHT A grim, windowless utility room with tools on racks along the walls, some plain wooden chairs, and a workbench table. ACE (V.O.) Turns out this guy and his fuckin' pals, they were knockin' this place dead for years. SECURITY GUARD #1 He's got a wire on him. The SIGNALER is roughly shoved into the room. A SECURITY GUARD tears his trousers down revealing the signaling device strapped to his leg. SIGNALER Hey, hey, what are you doin', man? SECURITY GUARD #2 (Exposing the device) There it is! On the table! SECURITY GUARD #1 Cheater's justice! The SIGNALER is slammed down face first on the bench and the two GUARDS spread his arms out on the table. SIGNALER (In pain) Oh, God! Oh! Another GUARD starts up a power saw and approaches the SIGNALER who is now pinned to the table. He starts to scream. SIGNALER Hey, no! No! No! ACE walks toward the table, gesturing for the GUARD to turn off the saw. ACE (V.O.) We had to make an example of these pricks that the party was over. ACE (To relieved SIGNALER) I'm just curious. I saw you shuffling your checks with your right hand. Can you do that with both hands? SIGNALER No. ACE Can't do it with both hands? SIGNALER No, Sir. ACE Can you do it with your left hand? SIGNALER Well, I... I never tried. ACE So, you're a righty? SIGNALER Ye-yeah. ACE nods to one of the GUARDS. Instantly a large rubber mallet smashes onto the man's right hand four times to the sound of screams. ACE watches. ACE Now, you're gonna have to learn with your left hand. SIGNALER God! (He moans and sits back.) WINNER (O.S.) (From following scene) It's a hundred... INT. CASINO CASHIER'S CAGE AREA - NIGHT The WINNER has been standing outside the cashier's cage waiting for his $110,000 in chips to be cashed. SHERBERT walks up behind him. WINNER ...a hundred ten. CASHIER Yes, it is. WINNER I think. CASHIER Yes. WINNER Okay. SHERBERT Hiya. That's a lot of money to be counting out in public. WINNER Yeah. SHERBERT (To CASHIER) Why don't I take him over to the office and verify it, huh? CASHIER Yes. SHERBERT A little privacy. And, by the way, send over a... nice bottle of champagne on ice, huh? CASHIER Sure will. SHERBERT Real special. Somethin'... (To WINNER.) By the way... I'm Billy Sherbert, your casino manager. He shakes hands with the WINNER. WINNER Hi. SHERBERT Having a good time? SHERBERT leads him away from the cage. WINNER Yes, uh... SHERBERT You'll want to count the money in privacy. You know, you don't need... WINNER Uh, I have a plane to catch to Cleveland... Can I get my winnings? INT. BASEMENT MAINTENANCE ROOM - NIGHT The WINNER is pushed through the door by two GUARDS followed by SHERBERT and sees his pal moaning in pain and holding his broken hand. SIGNALER Look what they did to my hand, man! ACE (Walks over to the WINNER) All right, I'm gonna give you a choice. You can either have the money and the hammer or you can walk out of here. You can't have both. What do you want? SHERBERT stands next to the WINNER WINNER I just wanna get out of here. ACE And don't forget to tell your friends what happens if they fuck around in here. You understand? WINNER I'm sorry. I made a bad mistake. ACE You're fuckin' right, you made a bad mistake. 'Cause if you come back here - we catch either one of you - we're gonna break your fuckin' heads and you won't walk out of here. You see that fuckin' saw? We're gonna use it. You don't fuck around in this place. You got it? WINNER Yeah. ACE Get out of here. WINNER Thank you. The GUARDS usher the WINNER out of the room. ACE (To the GUARDS, referring to the SIGNALER) Throw him out in the alley. And just tell the cops he got hit by a car. INT. ACE'S TANGIERS PENTHOUSE ACE and GINGER are alone in the living room. The apartment looks out on the glittering neon signs of the Strip. ACE (V.O.) Within no time, everything was set in place. We got rid of the freelance scamsters. The per was way up. The gods were happy, or as happy as the gods can ever be. And I, 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 longshot. ACE We're not getting any younger. Don't you think it's time? Aren't you gettin' tired of all this shit? Bangin' around, hustlin' around? GINGER What, are you trying to handicap me? ACE I'm gonna do you one better. I'm trying to marry you. You want to marry me? (GINGER looks doubtful.) I'm serious. I mean, I - I want to settle down. I want a family. GINGER (Sighs, laughing) You got the wrong girl, Sam. ACE I know I'd be a good father. I know you'd be a good mother. GINGER You don't know me. What, you've known me, two, three months. What do you know? ACE I'm forty-three years old. I don't want to wait. I know you well enough to know that I really love you very much. And I can't think of anybody better to be with. And I don't feel like waiting anymore. GINGER You know a lot of happily married people, Sam? 'Cause I don't. ACE Yeah, I know all that. GINGER I care about you, a - But I just don't have those kind of feelings for you. I'm sorry. I'm not in love with you. ACE (Brushing cigarette ash off his dressing gown) I - I - I... GINGER Understand? (Pause) I'm sorry. ACE No, I - I... mean... that can grow as I - as long as there's a mutual respect... that kind of thing can grow. I'm realistic. I can accept that. But, you know, what is... What is love anyway? It's a... it's a mutual respect. It's - it's a devotion. It's a... 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. GINGER If it doesn't work out. You know, if it doesn't play out, then what happens to me? ACE You know I'm doin' well now. And I'm gonna do even better. And so, whatever happens, if it doesn't work out between us, I'm gonna make sure you're okay for the rest of your life. And if there are kids, especially, you know, I'll take care of you better than you'd ever imagine. GINGER (Interrupts) What're you... what're you pitching me, here? ACE Just what I said. You'll be set up for the rest of your life. That I can promise you. (Pause) Want to take a chance? She looks at him. ACE is holding her hand tightly. INT. RIVIERA BALLROOM MARRIAGE - NIGHT ACE and GINGER are seated at a banquet table with various guests, drinking champagne. AMY, their six-month-old child is in a cradle. NICKY and JENNIFER are hovering around the baby with LITTLE NICKY and are blissfully happy. It is an elegant affair. City Officials, politicians and gaming officials are there, plus, SHERBERT and Ace's boss, PHILIP GREEN. A photographer takes pictures of the guests. ACE (V.O.) 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 (V.O.) It was typical Ace. He invited the biggest people in town and he knew they'd show. Because he knew they all wanted somethin' from him. With Ace, no