In The Story featurette, Pileggi explains, 'Suddenly it became easier to get information. Of course, that all changed when Variety announced that Robert De Niro wanted to play Lefty in the movie version. Ten years later comes this two-disc Special Edition DVD.įrank ‘Lefty' Rosenthal (aka the real casino mobster Ace Rothstein) refused to cooperate with Pileggi when he announced plans to write a book on his life. Of course the gamble paid off and the film met with critical and commercial success. Together they set out to expose the machinations of the mob in Las Vegas during the 70s but the studios were wary of its three-hour running length. After redefining the gangster film with GoodFellas, director Martin Scorsese, writer Nicholas Pileggi and star Robert De Niro re-teamed for the luxurious crime epic Casino (1995).
