Joe Pesci: Nicky Santoro

Nicky Santoro : You know, I think you got the wrong impression about me. I think in all fairness, I should explain to you exactly what it is that I do. For instance tomorrow morning I'll get up nice and early, take a walk down over to the bank and. walk in and see and, uh. if you don't have my money for me, I'll. crack your fucking head wide open in front of everybody in the bank. And just about the time that I'm coming out of jail, hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma. And guess what? I'll split your fucking head open again. 'Cause I'm fucking stupid. I don't give a fuck about jail. That's my business. That's what I do. And we know what you do, don't we, Charlie? You fuck people out of money and get away with it. Charlie Clark : You can't talk to me like that. Nicky Santoro : Hey, you fat Irish prick. You put my fucking money to sleep. You go get my money, or I'll put your fucking brain to sleep. Charlie Clark : Sam. Nicky Santoro : Never mind fucking Sam. This is personal. I'll be there in the morning. You can fucking try me, fatso. You fucking try me.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] A lot of holes in the desert, and a lot of problems are buried in those holes. But 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 talking about a half-hour to 45 minutes worth of digging. And who knows who's gonna come along in that time? Pretty soon, you gotta dig a few more holes. You could be there all fucking night.

Nicky Santoro : Where the fuck do you get off talking to people about me behind my back, going over my head? Ace Rothstein : What people? Nicky Santoro : What people? What you'd think? I wasn't gonna find out? Ace Rothstein : I don't even know what you're talking about Nick. Nicky Santoro : No? You said I'm bringing heat on you? I gotta listen to people because of your fucking shit? You're ordering me out? You better get your own fucking army pal! Ace Rothstein : I didn't do anything. I mean, I didn't order you or anybody. I only told Andy Stone that you had a lot of heat on you and that was a problem. Nicky Santoro : You want me to get out of my own fucking town? Ace Rothstein : Yeah I said let the bullshit blow over for a while, so I can run the casino. Anything goes wrong with the casino it's my ass, it's not yours, it's my ass! Nicky Santoro : Well, I don't know whether you know this or not, but you only have your fucking casino because I made that possible. I'm what counts out here, not your fucking country clubs or your fucking TV shows! And what the fuck are you doing on TV anyhow? You know I get calls from back home every fucking day, they think you went batshit! Ace Rothstein : I'm only on TV because I got to be able to hang around the casino. You understand that, you know that, come on. Nicky Santoro : You fucking ass! You could've had the food and beverage job without going on television. You wanted to go on TV. Ace Rothstein : Yeah, I did want to go on TV. That way I have a forum, I can fight back. I'm known. People see me. They know they can't fuck around with me like they could if I was an unknown, that's right, yeah! Nicky Santoro : You're making a big fucking spectacle of yourself! Ace Rothstein : Me? I wouldn't even be in this situation if it wasn't for you. You brought down so much fucking heat on me, I mean, every time I meet somebody, the big question is "do I know you?" Nicky Santoro : Oh, sure. Now you wanna blame your fucking license on me. Is that it? Ace Rothstein : No, no. Nicky, when you asked me if you could come out here, what did I tell you? I mean you asked me and I knew you were gonna come out no matter what I said, but what did I tell you? Do you remember what I told you? Do you remember what I told you? Nicky Santoro : Back- Back up, back up one fucking minute here. One minute. I asked you? When the fuck did I ever ask you if I could come out here? Get this through your head, you. Ace Rothstein : You never. Nicky Santoro : Get this through your head, you Jew motherfucker, you. You only exist out here because of ME. That's the only reason. Without me, you, personally, every fucking wise guy still around will take a piece of your fucking Jew ass. Then where you gonna go? You're fucking warned. Don't ever go over my fucking head again. You motherfucker, you.

[Describing Kansas City family underboss Piscano] Nicky Santoro : This guy could fuck up a cup of coffee.

Nicky Santoro : [to Ace] I lost control? Look at you, you're fucking walking around like John Barrymore! A fucking pink robe and a fucking cigarette holder? I lost control?

Ace Rothstein : [narrating] Well, it wasn't long before what I was afraid what was going to happen happened. Nicky managed to get himself banned from every casino in Las Vegas, from then on I couldn't be seen talking to him anywhere in Vegas or anywhere near it. Nicky Santoro : [meeting at Idle Spurs bar after reading a letter from the government informing him of his banishment] In other words, I'm fucked? Ace Rothstein : In so many words, yes. Ace Rothstein : [narrating] It just didn't sink into his head what the Black Book is and what it meant, not being banned from every casino is just one thing but being this book gets you into the brains of every cop and FBI agent in the state, I mean you're listed in there with Al Capone, but Nicky didn't care.

Nicky Santoro : Dogs. Dogs. Can you hear me, Dogs? Listen to me Anthony. I got your head in a fucking vise. I'm gonna squash your fucking head like a grapefruit if you don't give me a name. Don't make me have to do this, please. Don't make me be a bad guy, come on. Tony Dogs : Fuck you. Nicky Santoro : This motherfucker. You believe this? Two fucking days and nights. Fuck me? Fuck me? You motherfucker! [turning the crank] Nicky Santoro : Fuck my mother? That's what you fucking tell me? You motherfucker you! Huh? [disgusted] Nicky Santoro : Oh, God. Give me the fucking name! Tony Dogs : Ch- Charlie M. Nicky Santoro : Charlie M? Tony Dogs : Charlie M. Nicky Santoro : Charlie M? You made me pop your fucking eye out of your head to protect that piece of shit? Charlie M? You dumb motherfucker! Tony Dogs : Kill me, you fuck! Kill me! Nicky Santoro : Kill you? You motherfucker, you! Frankie, do him a fucking favor.

Nicky Santoro : That Black Book's a bunch of bullshit. It's only got two names in it for the whole country. And one of them's still Al Capone.

Nicky Santoro : Fucking Jews stick together, don't they? Frank Marino : They're having a good time. Nicky Santoro : Yeah? So are we.

Nicky Santoro : [after beating up a man until he cries] What's that? You hear a little girl, Frankie? You hear a little girl, Ace? Is that a little fucking girl? What happened to the fucking tough guy who told my friend to stick it up his fucking ass?

Nicky Santoro : Ace, don't. listen, don't. don't make a scene, all right? Ace Rothstein : I want to just talk. I want to talk to that Irish bitch. Nicky Santoro : She didn't know who to turn to. She. she didn't know where to turn. She was trying to save your marriage. Ace Rothstein : Yeah? Nicky, I want to talk to that fucking bitch. Nicky Santoro : Hey, be fucking nice. Calm. Be nice. Don't fuck up in here.

[Closeup of the Cowboy's white-socked feet with no shoes on a poker table] Ace Rothstein : [to Billy Sherbert, referring to Cowboy] I don't give a shit who he's connected to. Tell him to take his fucking feet off the table. What's he think this is, a goddamn sawdust joint? Billy Sherbert : [approaches Cowboy] Sir, would you mind taking your feet off the table and putting your shoes on, please? Cowboy : [sighs] Yeah, I would mind. I'm having a bad night. Billy Sherbert : [returning to Ace] Fucking asshole won't budge. Ace Rothstein : [smoking a cigarette] Call security. [approaching Cowboy and says firmly] Ace Rothstein : How are you? Cowboy : Good. How are you? Ace Rothstein : Good. You want to do me a favor? You want to take your feet off the table and put your shoes back on? Cowboy : Fuck you. [Ace walks nearby to Security Guards] Ace Rothstein : I want you vacate this guy off the premises, and I want you to exit him off his feet and use his head to open the fucking door. [Three security guards approach Cowboy] Security Guard : Sir, you're gonna have to leave. You mind accompanying us outside? Cowboy : Bullshit, I ain't going anywhere. Security Guard : Bullshit, you're out of here, cowboy! [Security Guard knocks his feet off the table, as the others lift him off his seat] Cowboy : Fuck you! FUCK YOU! Security Guard : Yeah? Cowboy : You know who you're fucking with? Huh? Do you? You fucking faggot! Do you know who you're fucking with? Huh? Do you? Security Guard : Now, move along. Cowboy : [screaming at Ace, who follows him] You fucking faggot! Do you know who you're fucking with? [the Security Guards carry him out and forcefully shove him towards a side exit] Cowboy : Leave me alone! Security Guard : Here we go. Cowboy : [grunting] You gotta be kidding me! [Security Guards lift him off his feet and, holding him like a battering ram, smash his head into the door] Ace Rothstein : [voiceover, after having cowboy thrown out] Sure enough, an hour later, I get the call. Nicky Santoro : [into telephone] Ace, what happened over there? I mean, did you know that guy you threw out was with me? [in background the cowboy stands there with some other guys] Ace Rothstein : [into telephone] No, I didn't know that. But you know what he did? Nicky Santoro : No. [He gives Cowboy a look] Ace Rothstein : He insulted Billy. And then I walked over to him politely and he tells me to go fuck myself. Nicky Santoro : What? Ace Rothstein : Then he called me a faggot. So what do you think I do? I threw that cocksucker out. Nicky Santoro : What? Hold on a second. [He puts down the phone, to Cowboy] Nicky Santoro : Hey, come here. [Cowboy walks up to him] Nicky Santoro : You called my friend a faggot? You tell him to go fuck himself? Cowboy : [stuttering] Nicky, I didn't - I did - I didn't. Nicky Santoro : [angry] Is that what you did? Tell him to go fuck himself? You fucking hick! Fucking. [Nicky hits Cowboy on the head with phone. He falls back, groaning. Ace listens to the noise of Nicky roughing up Cowboy] Nicky Santoro : You big fucking hick, you. Come here. Come here. [to Frank Marino] Nicky Santoro : Get him up. Come here. Frank Marino : Get up, get up. Nicky Santoro : [to Cowboy] You go over there right now and you apologize. You better hope he lets you back in. If you ever get out of line over there again, I'll smash your fucking head so hard you won't be able to get that cowboy hat on. You hear me? Fucking hick. [backs on the phone] Nicky Santoro : Sammy, listen. This guy obviously doesn't know who he was talking to, you understand? He doesn't know that, uh, we're dear friends. I mean, he's already very sorry. But, uh, if you could do me a favor to let him back in, I swear to you he'll never get out of line again. I promise you that. Ace Rothstein : If he does it again, he's out for good. I don't care what it is, Nick, I'm gonna ha- I'll - I'll never let him in the place again. Nicky Santoro : I'm sorry about this. Really. All right, Ace? Ace Rothstein : Okay. Nicky Santoro : Thanks, pal. [hangs up and turns to cowboy for round two of his scolding] Nicky Santoro : You took your boots off? You put your feet on the table. you shit-kicking, stinky, horse-manure-smelling motherfucker you! You fuck me up over there, I'll stick you in a hole in the fucking desert! You understand? [slapping Cowboy in the face] Nicky Santoro : Go over there and apologize. [kicking the chastined Cowboy away] Nicky Santoro : Go! Get the fuck out of here! Cowboy : Nicky, I'm sorry!

Nicky Santoro : Fucking bosses. I mean, they're smoking their Di Nobilis and they're eating a trippa and fucking suffritt', you know, fried pigs guts? While, if I wanna talk private, I gotta go to a fucking bus stop.

[From trailer] Ace Rothstein : I tried to do everything I could for you, even though I knew, deep down inside, you would bury me. Nicky Santoro : I bury you? You buried yourself.

[a plane just landed on the golf course] Ace Rothstein : [narrating] The Feds were watching Nicky play golf for so long that they ran out of gas. Just what I needed, right in front of the control board. Nicky Santoro : $100 to whoever hits the plane.

Nicky Santoro : [to the blackjack dealer] Look at this fucking beaut they put in now. Sherbert send you in here to rob me now? Been fucking knocking everyone's dick in all night? Huh, you been beating all the customers tonight, motherfucker? Huh? Jag-off. Hit me.

Nicky Santoro : Think he got the point? Ace Rothstein : What are you doing? He's a square guy, for Christ's sakes. You can't treat him like that. He's gonna run to the FBI. Nicky Santoro : Fuck the FBI! That prick's been dodging me for three weeks. And what is it with you? All of a sudden, you're trying to tell me what to do all the time. Ace Rothstein : I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But you were way out of line, Nick. What are you doing? Where's your head? Nicky Santoro : Where's my head? Where's your fucking balls? Huh? You know I'm trying to put something really big together out here. You know what I'm talking about, huh? You know. If you're acting like this now, how can I depend on you? There's a lot of things going to change out here. And if you wanna be there with me, Sammy, you're going to have to go my fucking way. Ace Rothstein : Listen, Nick, you got to understand my situation. I'm responsible for thousands of people. I got a hundred million a year going through the place. It's all over, I'm going to tell you, it's all over, if I don't get that license. And believe me, if it goes bad for me, it's gonna go bad for a lot of people, you understand? Nicky Santoro : Yeah, forget about your fucking license. I plant my own flag out here, you ain't gonna need a fucking license. [pause] Nicky Santoro : You know, I don't know what it is, Sammy, but the more I talk to you, the more I feel like you just don't want to go along with me, is that it? You should say so. Ace Rothstein : No, I don't want to go along with you. I'll be honest with you. Nicky Santoro : Just say so- All right, fine. Ace Rothstein : I don't want to be involved in anything you're talking about, okay? I just want to run a square joint. That's it. I just want my license. I want everything nice and quiet. That's it. Nicky Santoro : You mean, quiet like this? [holds up a magazine] Nicky Santoro : "I'm the boss." That's quiet? Ace Rothstein : That's all taken out of context. I have no control over that. Ronnie and Billy were right there. They'll tell you exactly what happened. Nicky Santoro : Well, back home they don't know about fucking control. That looks bad. Ace Rothstein : Looks bad? I'm going to tell you what looks bad. Every time you're on television, I get mentioned. That looks bad. That looks bad! Nicky Santoro : What the fuck happened to you? Will you tell me? Ace Rothstein : What happened to me? What happened to you? You lost your control. Nicky Santoro : I lost control? Look at you! You're fucking walking around like John Barrymore! A fucking pink robe and a fucking cigarette holder? I lost control? You know, I didn't want to bring this up, but you have treated a lot of people with a lot of disrespect. Even your own wife. Ace Rothstein : My wife? Nicky Santoro : Yeah. Ace Rothstein : Now, what does she have to do with all this? Nicky Santoro : Well, she came to see me. She was upset about a lot of things, especially that whole fucking Diamond - that Lester Diamond incident. Ace Rothstein : All of a sudden, you're the shoulder to cry on? Did you at least tell her about your little role in that whole situation? Nicky Santoro : No, I didn't. What good would that do? That's not the fucking point. The point is that she's upset. She's - and you got a fucking problem. Ace Rothstein : Listen, I would appreciate it if you'd stay out of my personal life, okay? You wouldn't like it if I did it to you.

[about to have sex in a car behind his restaurant] Nicky Santoro : I fly stuff in fresh every day. I get bread from back home, I get fish from California, and you can always tell a great kitchen like ours 'cause of the milk-fed veal. That's the secret. See milk-fed veal is pure white. Out here, they got that pink veal. Slide over, honey. Now pink veal, you can pound that shit for two days, and it'll never ever get tender, you know what I mean?

[Talking in code on a tapped phone] Nicky Santoro : Listen, I gotta meet Clean Face right away, what about the Chez Paris? Nicky Santoro : [subtitles] I gotta meet Charlie the Banker right away at your house, OK? Ace Rothstein : No, you can't, you gotta make a reservation, it's all booked up. Nicky Santoro : No, no, it's okay. Ace Rothstein : It's impossible, it's booked up, you gotta make a reservation, it's very difficult to get in. Ace Rothstein : [subtitles] I don't want a meeting at my house. Nicky Santoro : It's okay, I'll use the service entrance. I'll see you at 9:00. Nicky Santoro : [subtitles] I'll come in from the golf course side. See you at 6:00.

Nicky Santoro : Now, notice how in the count room nobody ever seems to see anything. Somehow, somebody's always looking the other way. Now, look at these guys. They look busy, right? They're counting money. Who wants to bother them? I mean, God forbid they should make a mistake and forget to steal.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] He knew how to bring in the crowds. He knew all the fucking angles. He brought over the whole 'Femme Fatale' show from Paris. But he forgot how lazy them European dancing broads can get. I mean, he had to weigh them in once a week to make sure they didn't blow up like fucking balloons.

Nicky Santoro : I've been trying to reach you. You're tougher to get than the president. Charlie Clark : Well, I've been busy. Nicky Santoro : Yeah, the least you could do is return my phone calls, though.

Nicky Santoro : Frankie, some of these stones got a lot of niggers in them. Tell that fucking Pepe if he's switching stones on us, he'd better take a fucking camel back to Nigeria.

[about halfway through the film; Nicky has just calmed Ginger down after Lester was beat up by her husband's thugs] Nicky Santoro : [about her drinking] And take it easy with this shit, will you? I mean, this can only make matters worse. You're a beautiful girl. You don't want to ruin your looks. I've seen a lot of girls get shot to hell from this stuff.

Nicky Santoro : Maybe if I stick your fucking face through that window over there you'll get unconfused. Give me the fucking money.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] For two days and two fucking nights, we beat the shit out of this guy. I mean, we even stuck ice picks in his balls.

Nicky Santoro : [about beating Tony Dogs to get information out of him] You better hope he gives me a fucking name soon, or I'm gonna give him yours, Frank. Frank Marino : Yeah, thanks a lot. Nicky Santoro : I know you would've ratted by now.

[Frankie and Jack struggle with a safe] Nicky Santoro : What's taking so long over there? Frank Marino : This peter's a motherfucker. Jack Hardy : It's working. Just keep working it. It's coming. Nicky Santoro : Gotta learn how to open these fucking things so you won't have to take them.

Ace Rothstein : [narrating] 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 when I bet, I can 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, by the only kind of guys that can get you that kind of money. $62,000,000,700. I don't know all the details. Nicky Santoro : [narrating] Matter of fact, nobody knew all the details. But it should've been perfect. I mean, he had me, Nicky Santoro, his best friend watching his ass. And he had Ginger, the woman he loved on his arm. But in the end, we fucked it all up. It should have been so sweet, too. But it turned out to be the last time that street guys like us were ever given anything that fucking valuable again.

[Nicky has come to collect] Tony the bookie : I thought you was laying it. Nicky Santoro : I'm laying it? No, no. I'm taking it. Tony the bookie : Are you sure? Nicky Santoro : I'm positive.

Nicky Santoro : I told you this was fucking dangerous. Remember I said, "Ginger, this is a dangerous situation, be very careful," you fucking yessed me to death. Ginger : If it's so fucking dangerous, then why don't you kill him? Nicky Santoro : Kill him. Shut the fuck up. What do you know what you're talking about? Ginger : Well, then have him killed and get it over with. Nicky Santoro : Hey, don't be such a fucking smart ass, will you? I know the fucking guy 35 years! I'm gonna fucking whack him for you? Motherfucker. I knew this. I knew it. Ginger : What about my money? Nicky Santoro : How the fuck am I gonna get your money now? You think he's gonna give you fucking money? Are you out of your mind? Look what you did to this fucking guy. If you would've just kept your fucking mouth shut. Ah, what the fuck is the use?

Nicky Santoro : [voice over] Whenever we got local merch, we'd usually send it to Palm Spring or Arizona, LA. I had a couple of sand niggers out there. You know, Arabs.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] The first one to skip was John Nance. He found a nice, warm, secluded place in Costa Rica. He thought nobody would find him there. [Gunshots are heard. Nance runs onto the veranda of his mansion, breaks a door panel and runs inside. Beeper follows him and more gunshots are heard. Nance comes back onto the veranda, only this time he has been shot in the stomach. He limps around while clutching his stomach] Nicky Santoro : But then his kid got nabbed by the Feds for drugs. So naturally, the bosses were afraid he'd come out of hiding and give them all up just to save his kid. So. [Nance kneels down. Curly and Beeper approach him from behind] Curly : Where you going, jag-off? [Curly points his gun expertly at the top of Nance's head and fires. Blood splatters from Nance's mouth as he falls to the ground. The gunmen walk away]

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] When it looked like they could get 25 years to life in prison just for skimming a casino, sick or no fucking sick, you knew people were going to get clipped.

Nicky Santoro : I didn't like the people I was ripping off looking at me, so I used to turn their fucking pictures around.

Nicky Santoro : [voice-over] Now, on top of everything else, I gotta make sure no one fucks around with the Golden Jew.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] Ace was so fucking worried about his casino, he forgot what we were doin' out here in the first place. A million times I wanted to yell in his fucking ear: 'This is Las Vegas! We're supposed to be out here robbing, you dumb fucking Heeb.'

Nicky Santoro : [walking out to his car with a Showgirl] You can always tell a great kitchen like ours because of the milk-fed veal. That's the secret. [Opens the car door from the passenger's side, she gets in] Nicky Santoro : See, milk-fed veal is pure white. Out here, they got that pink veal. Slide over, honey. [She slides over, he gets into the passenger's seat and closes the door] Nicky Santoro : Now, pink veal, you can pound that shit for two days and it'll never get tender, you know what I mean? [Showgirl's head disappears into Nicky's lap]

Nicky Santoro : [voice over] You gotta know that a guy who helps you steal, even if you take care of him real well, I mean, he's gonna steal a little bit extra for himself. Makes sense, don't it? Right?

Nicky Santoro : [voice over] As much as they liked him, I mean, he wasn't one of us. He wasn't Italian. As far as they knew, he could have talked. Otherwise, Stony might still be alive.

Nicky Santoro : The cops balmes me for everything that wrong around out here and I mean every fucking thing a guy trips over a fucking banana peal and I would get the blame.

Nicky Santoro : [narrating] 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 fucking balloonheads over here. They were gonna try to bang us out of 200 fucking grand? Yeah, right, I'm sure.

Nicky Santoro : She was doing pretty good with her lawsuit. But before she could start counting her money, the boys back home decided to settle the case out of court instead. So they sent me. [Nicky runs into Anna Scott's house and shoots her in the head three times]