NUMBER THREE: "Meeting in the middle of the desert always made me nervous. It's a scary place."

NUMBER THREE: CASINO

From the moment that credit sequence at the beginning starts to roll, you know you're in for an epic tale of Shakespearean proportions. You're looking at three people who've pulled themselves up through a brutal world by their wits, talent and muscle...and then they're given the keys to the kingdom, a way out even. But they are who they are. And therein lies the rub.

Ginger is a hooker with more of a broken heart than one made of gold. She can never escape the pimp who first conned her and taught her how to be a great con herself. Nicky - a thug who is sent to watch over the skims from the Tangiers - can't tell when he should turn off the force and use his brain. And Ace - cool-headed Ace - actually finds himself magnetically drawn to the one woman who is the least sure thing going in Vegas.

For me, these are the performances of a lifetime for these three actors and the finest Scorsese has ever made. Despite being a hard core East Coast guy, there's something about the tension of having this story take place in the vast blasted moonscape of the Nevada desert that creates a unique vibe I've never seen this filmmaker duplicate since the release of Casino.

My favorite moment in the film comes during a meeting between Ace and Nicky in the middle of that desert. Something about the dust flying off Nicky's car as he speeds toward Ace and Ace himself growing nervous waiting for his old friend. And then there's that wickedly huge shot of the desert, backed by a thoughtful, somber score and the composited image of Nicky's car in the lenses of Ace's sunglasses.

It's all more than just a little magical.