But it was also a lazy critique of a complex film that has grown in stature since its release. The joke at the time of its release was, 'I liked Casino (1995) better under its original title, Goodfellas (1990).' The joke was an easy one, the two Martin Scorsese films being so thematically and structurally similar. But as Nicky expands his interests and each man gains power, their lives become entangled in a story of hot tempers, obstinacy, money, love and deception. Together, they run the perfect operation, with Ace in charge and Nicky providing the muscle. The third member of this triangle of greed and obsession is Nicky Santoro, Ace's best friend and fellow graduate of the city streets. His infatuation with Ginger turns to obsession as she rises with him to the upper crust of society, then turns to the bottle and pills for consolation in her gilded cage. But he can't control the odds when it comes to Ginger McKenna, the chip-hustling vamp who charms Ace and becomes his wife. He eventually doubles the mob's take and changes the rules of how the casinos are run. And oh boy, what a welcome release that hilarious moment is.Sam 'Ace' Rothstein, the consummate bookie who can change the odds merely by placing a bet, has risen through the ranks of the Midwestern mob to be picked by the bosses to front their entree into Vegas. It's safe to say their stunned silence as the scene becomes unbearably tense was no doubt matched by viewers - right up until Tommy reveals it's just a ruse, of course. He apparently didn't tell the extras what they were in for, though.

As revealed in a 'Making of' documentary, Pesci actually brought the idea to Martin Scorsese during rehearsals, with Scorsese writing it into the script the way he and his actors wanted to do it on the day. While Pesci's real-life experience informed the infamous scene, the moment wasn't improvised in the strictest sense of the word. the guy said something who happened to be a connected guy and he said 'Well.

Per Liotta, a similarly unsettling event happened to Pesci himself in his youth, 'Joe was telling me a story about what happened to him in Queens or wherever it was and he said to some guy. As covered by Insider, during a 2015 post-screening Q&A session celebrating the 25th anniversary of 'Goodfellas,' Ray Liotta regaled audience members with the story of how the scene came together.

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