So I just put in my Amazon order that I talked about last week. Picked up five families and Casino. Im sure it goes into in the book, but was Anthony Spilotro really as nutty and out of control as they portrayed him in the movie "Casino"? Seem's kinda risky to put someone in charge of a major illegal operation, that is that mentally unstable. I mean the threats, murder's and attacks that are shown in that movie seem excessive, especially over a perceived slight. . Like he could l itterally flip out one second and almost kill a guy with a pen? Was he really like that? Or was he more of a traditional gangster in that he did what he was ordered or what was better for the organization. As opposed to flying off the handle like he did in the movie? Does this book go into that at all?

Of course not. He was one of Lombardo's most trusted underlings. Joey Aiuppa & Joey Lombardo weren't stupid bosses, they wouldn't put a freewheeling maniac in charge of something so delicate & lucrative as the Vegas/West Coast rackets. Spilotro was a killer like most mobsters, but he was a level headed, respected gatherer of men, a great earner, and a loyal soldier.

He simply got too big for his britches out there, people tend to change with power.

Thanks, it is annoying that they feel the need to sensationalize everything in movies. The story itself was interesting, it was unnecessary to add that to the character, if its not true.

I just read Casino myself.i have also read the Enforcer by Roemer.Casino is based more Frank Rosenthal.Although as to him,as you ask,"couyld he really flip out one second and almost kill a guy with a pen".In Casino,an FBI agent (not Roemer) does say with Spilotro there was no "slow burn".He went from nice to killing mad in an instant.From what I have read in both books a brutal mobster but very smart at keeping a step ahead of the feds.

Alot of the Chicago guys were a bit demented and seemed to enjoy torture. One of his mentors was Sam DeStefano. Spilotro did allegedly develop a cocaine habit and was banging Lefty's wife.

No one's saying he was some type of stand up gentleman, you don't fall into favor with guys like Alderisio & Lombardo by being a nice easygoing fella, but he wasn't the guy they portrayed in Casino.

I was amazed at the number of times Spilotro said "Fuck" in the movie Casino. I have known some of these people who of course said "Fuck" but not every other word. Wondering if Spilotro really talked like that ??

It's called artistic liberty. Do you really think adding a story about sticking a pen in a man's neck is that far fetched for someone who once put a guy's head in a vice?

The question was whether or not he did that to random individuals on a whim on regular occasions, like what was shown in Casino.

The head in the vice ordeal was carried out by Nicoletti & DeStefano, who were actual psychopaths. I believe Spilotro is rumoured to have been terrified by the fact that Nicoletti was eating fettucini while destefano was squeezing the guys dome in the vice grip.

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Whatever, point being I don't think its anything to get your panties in a bunch over.

That's one tough mf'er there! I think after his eye popped out I would have chunked everywhere

He kept defying the bosses and getting into trouble until they murdered him. Arguably nearly all gangsters have a certain self destructive instinct but yes I would say he was out of control.

News to me that spilotro was terrified over anything to do with the m&m torture session, where you hear that huron?

Saw this ( head in vise - DeStefano & Nicoletti ) somewhere, but can't remember the source.

Also, I read that Giancana requested several times to kill DeStefano, but was always denied by Ricca. DeStefano earned big and apparently "kicked -up" a lot of moola.
But it was apparently Ricca who saved his hide. Six months after Ricca died, DeStefano was hit.

Only the second or third time I've read that Giancana didn't care for DeStefano. Seems that none of the "higher-ups" wanted anything to do with "Mad Sam." I believe that list could be extended to many of the Outfit members.

Frank culotta I believe was the one that said that, said that tone was deeply disturbed over What he saw from those guys that day.

Of course Chuckie Nick & Dyno Destefano are arguably the two most notorious Outfit killers of them all, so it's nothing to scoff at.

Wait so Spilotro is not the one that put the head in the vice? I thought he did it to get the name of the other dude who commited the robbery. I thought doing that was what got him made?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=337AwBoC_vw

Says he did it in this.. unless it was a different documentary

A magazine once asked his son if he did it. I remember he said that if he didn't, he knew who did.

I've read/heard multiple versions.

It was for retaliation for unauthorized murders, not a robbery.

And Cullotta did know a lot about it. If you youtube an interview with him, the real long one on the Vegas radio show, he goes into great detail about it.

But I forget what he said.

I mean they were doing it together. Who knows who actually did it. Kind of irrelevant. He was just shocked by the fact That Nicoletti was eating pasta & reading the paper while they were doing it.