It had a similar narrative to Scorsese’s other Mafia movies like Mean Streets (1973) and Goodfellas (1990), but wasn’t quite as revered as those two were upon release. Its performances were, though, particularly from Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone — the latter of whom was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards, and won in the same category at the Golden Globes. Everyone in Casino performed to a career-defining degree, and it will forever go down as one of Scorsese’s bests.
The Color of Money (
So go back and rewatch Croupier, where all that promise was laid out fairly magnificently. He’s Jack, an aspiring novelist desperate for money — soon, he’s a croupier getting to know the world of casino gambling. Pitched like a hard-boiler noir — Jack has the blasé seen-it-all vibe of a private dick — Croupier explores the sweaty anxiety and crippling sadness of those who have thrown their lives (and money) away at the tables. If the plot complications aren’t always satisfying, the film’s vivid recreation of dingy casino life is utterly intoxicating. “Casino Royale” is an action James Bond spy movie inspired by the old version released many years earlier.
Even Money (
This forces Eddie to find a way to gamble his way into getting all his friend’s duffle bag money back in full. The Gambler (1974) follows Axel as his life spirals out of control due to his out of control gambling habits. Things reach a fever pitch once he recklessly gambles away a huge sum of his casino earnings, which proceeds to put his life in danger. Bay of Angels comes from the visually sumptuous director Jacques Demy who was lauded for his artistic visuals and unique approaches to drama. A compulsive gambler falls in love with a bank clerk while on vacation in Nice in this romantic drama.
Johnny O’Clock
The drama story revolves around a talented poker player and law student pulled into the underground poker world. The movie smartly explores the themes of friendship and the blurred lines between game and law and offers an authentic picture of the poker subculture. “Rounders” has had a significant impact on popularizing poker and inspiring a new generation of players, and it remains one of the key movies for fans of the genre who enjoy its thrilling poker sequences. French auteur Jean Pierre Melville was one of cinema’s finest filmmakers whose favorite arena was the crime thriller genre.
Poolhall Junkies
Eventually, she begins running her own game, which attracts movie stars, mobsters, and politicians alike and became “the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world,” as the book cover proudly proclaims. One of Gondorff’s defining characteristics is his penchant for gambling, and moreover, his knack for cheating. Beyond that, a high-stakes poker game plays a pivotal role in Hooker and Gondorff’s scheme and is one of the highlights of the film. The Hustler should be seen first as it is the predecessor to that other highly recommended gambling film. The Hustler charts the early origins of “Fast Eddie” Felson and his days as a notorious poolroom hustler.
The Cincinnati Kid (
The main character of Axel’s weakness for gambling ranges from betting on basketball to hot shot casino games, showing that the protagonist is entrenched too deep in his addiction to think logically. Caan manages to make his character, who steals from his own mother to pay his gambling debts, one that the audience can still root for. Oscar Isaac delivers a compelling performance in “The Card Counter,” portraying a gambler with a troubled past seeking redemption through a series of high-stakes poker games.
‘House of Games’
- Thus, he recruits Curtis on a cross-country road trip to New Orleans to partake in a high-stakes poker game.
- The Mafia then hires him to run a casino in Las Vegas, where he meets Ginger McKenna, portrayed by Sharon Stone, and falls for her.
- As far as true gambling addiction goes, James Caan’s titular character in The Gambler (1974) portrays the mental illness better than perhaps anyone in the history of the silver screen.
- Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck take us all across the South, from Memphis to Mississippi, as they piece together bits, blues, and bumbling characters.
- Here on CasinosHunter, I write reviews, guides, all cornerstone content, and also make sure that every text on the site or our social media is well-written and correct.
“Casino Royale” tells the story of Bond gaining his 007 status, earning his license to kill, and of his romance with Vesper Lynd. Also in the mix is one of the franchise’s finest villains in Le Chiffre, who is played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen. Not only does Louis Cropa run a successful restaurant alongside his star chef son, but he also handles part-time bookmaker duties on the side.
( Casino Royale (Martin Campbell,
Tense, entertaining, and carried by incredible performances, Molly’s Game has everything a good crime-drama needs. John Dahl’s crime-drama narrates the thrill and addiction of playing from Mike’s point of view, even if it just looks like a bunch of guys sitting around a table for hours on end. Here are my picks for the best movies about gambling that capture the thrills and falls that come with the territory. I’m Eva, the opinionated voice behind every online casino review we make here on CasinosHunter. I’ve been working as a copywriter for 10+ years, half of the time in the online gambling niche, among others. Here on CasinosHunter, I write reviews, guides, all cornerstone content, and also make sure that every text on the site or our social media is well-written and correct.
House of Games
- The push-and-pull between the couple continues until Lester (a friend of McDermott’s) comes out of the slammer and is required to pay off an old debt owed to the KGB.
- “California Split” explores the highs and lows of their gambling adventures as they travel from one casino to another in California.
- Hard Eight is a polished, expertly paced crime flick that began life as a 1993 short film called Cigarettes & Coffee.
- Matt Damon plays Mike McDermott, a reformed gambler who finds himself drawn back into the game to help a friend pay off dangerous debts.
- In Croupier, Mike Hodges gives us a neo-noir take on gambling from the other side of the casino—one in which Jack Manfred (played by Clive Owen) is a dealer rather than a gambler.
- Robert Altman exposes the grim underbelly of the Vegas scene, where cocaine, violence, and prostitution tangle with roulette tables and betting booths to destroy lives.
Because she was confident in betting on her preparation and smarts because it was a dream of hers. The charm of the 1950 crime noir film Dark City is how quickly a movie about gambling can turn into a murder mystery revenge flick. Somehow director William Dieterle fits a romantic ending into a gambling film where lives are lost just as easily as money is. Trying to keep up with all of the twists in Lucky Number Slevin is almost as difficult as picking a winner in a horse race but just as entertaining.
- The film delves into the psychological depths of addiction, focusing on the protagonist’s struggle for control as his life spirals out of hand.
- But the game comes calling once more when Mike finds out his friend Lester “Worm” Murphy needs to pay off a huge debt to the same Russian mobster that Mike took a major loss to.
- Director Steven Soderbergh takes us through all the intricate planning and execution, then wraps up with a satisfying ending.
- The viewers can enjoy the cat-and-mouse play between the characters who try to outsmart each other and deal with their own vulnerabilities.
- The two leads develop a legitimate friendship, too, one which mirrors the chemistry of the actors themselves.
- It’s dark at times, it’s touching every once in a while, and the whole way through Mississippi Grind (2015) will make you laugh at the absurdity of its characters and their many questionable decisions.
The 20 Best Gambling Movies to Watch if You’re Feeling Lucky
It tells the story of a professor who recruits 5 exceptionally smart students and exploits their abilities to win millions via gambling. The melodramatic style works against its ambitions and the film comes off as a mere exercise in sentimentality. Nevertheless, it’s a movie that must be seen for the intriguing true story it is based on. How the movie unfolds can make you forget that it’s based on a true story of 6 MIT students who were taught by their unorthodox math professor Micky Rosa (played by Kevin Spacey) how to count cards. After several weekend trips to Las Vegas, they eventually took The Strip casinos for millions of dollars in blackjack winnings. “Croupier” is an understated film that simmers with quiet observations and a subtle neo-noir edge.
‘Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians’
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, this is The Social Network (2010) of gambling films — which makes sense, as the biographical drama about the founder of Facebook was also written by Sorkin. Here with Molly’s Game (2017), though, the screenwriter https://crazystar-casino.com/ took his directorial debut and chronicled the life of Molly Bloom, a former Olympic skier. And those accolades are more indicative of the film’s actual quality than its acclaim from critics or number of tickets sold in theaters.
Walsh was a dedicated gambler in real life and pulled a great deal from his own experiences when writing the script. In an interview with the poker website PlayCA, Walsh described his goal to make a gambling movie that would be realistic, timeless, and devoid of the romanticized portrayal of gambling often seen in other films. The interviewer notes that “he avoided the temptation to embellish or make gambling seem more romantic than it really is.” Whether you enjoy gambling yourself or prefer to let fictional characters make the bets, the best gambling movies are always good for a rush of adrenaline. The conflux of luck, skill, danger, and, in some cases, cheating is what makes these top gambling films so memorable.
Molly’s Game (
The script for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie is nearly done, according to creator Steven Knight, and fans couldn’t be more excited to see the Shelby boys back on screen. Although Peaky Blinders would not be the first TV show or movie to show gambling in all its complicated glory, it has been lauded as one of the best. These movies are near perfection, though one annoying character has left a negative impression on some fans. Eric Stoner (played by Steve McQueen), also known as The Cincinnati Kid, is the young, cocky, and eager-to-card-duel newbie on the block who’s dying to try his luck against the master. Robert Altman exposes the grim underbelly of the Vegas scene, where cocaine, violence, and prostitution tangle with roulette tables and betting booths to destroy lives. The “color of money” just to happens to match the hue of a pool table, devouring the duo into a blinding world of green.
All In: The Poker Movie
Louis’ fine dining establishment attracts a number of shady characters, including two gangsters whom one of Louis’ chefs is indebted to. Dinner Rush delves into one particularly busy evening at Louis’ restaurant when those two gangsters and a host of other eccentric personalities converge there all at once. Bugsy is not only a cinematic peek into the glitz and glamour seen within the world of gambling, but it’s also a fascinating biopic that’s all about legendary New York mobster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel.
Casino
It’s a sobering look at the devastating effects of gambling addiction on a person’s life and career. Robert Altman’s “California Split” follows two friends, played by George Segal and Elliott Gould, who share a passion for gambling. The film captures the highs and lows of the gambler’s life with a mix of drama and humor. Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond features a gripping high-stakes poker game against a terrorist financier.
A nickname like “Worm” is itself a red flag for a person, and it’s made even worse when that person has served time. Played by Edward Norton, Worm is one of those characters whom you hate to love, as his gambling habits tear Mike’s world down in a matter of days. William Tell (played by Oscar Isaac) lives a sad life, moving from one motel to the next, living out of suitcases and covering all the furniture in bedsheets. The story of “Tricheurs” revolves around a talented but rebellious student from a working-class background who becomes involved with a group of students who engage in cheating and fraud to achieve academic success.
Casino Royale
The story follows Bond as he gets assigned to a bankrupt terrorist financier in a high-stakes poker game. The film features intense action sequences, high-stakes gambling, and a compelling storyline in the context of stylish gambling glamor. “Casino Royale” remains a popular entry in the James Bond film series due to its fresh take on the character.
It’s not quite Goodfellas (although Joe Pesci does play a similar, psychotically inclined character in both films), but Casino is just as bold, stylish, and slick as any other Scorsese picture of its kind. Director Steven Soderbergh takes us through all the intricate planning and execution, then wraps up with a satisfying ending. It may not have been showered in Oscar nominations, but Ocean’s Eleven is undoubtedly the most famous heist movie of our age. Everything about the Safdie brothers’ crime-thriller is high-wire and frenzied, just like its haphazard protagonist. And, of course, being a Safdie movie, it was produced by A24, so expect a lot of visceral neon lights that illuminate its dark themes.
- “The Cooler” is a romantic drama that tells about an unlucky man who works as a “cooler” in a Las Vegas casino.
- From comedic heist movies to dark crime dramas, there are all kinds of movies about the ups and downs and wins and losses of the gambling world.
- Vegas is probably not the right place to go for your honeymoon, a subtle fact Jack Singer (played by Nicolas Cage) learns the hard way.
Inspired by true events, 21 tells the story of a group of MIT students who use their math skills to count cards and win millions at blackjack tables in Las Vegas. Led by their professor (Kevin Spacey), the group devises an intricate system to outsmart casinos. The film balances the allure of easy money with the moral complexities of bending the rules. 21 offers a sleek, modern take on casino movies, blending intellect with suspense in the neon-lit world of Vegas. Paul Newman may seem like the greatest billiards player of all time in The Hustler, but that doesn’t make his high stakes pool games feel any less like he’s about to lose it all.
Molly’s Game is based on the real life of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-grade skier who suffered a serious and career-ending injury while preparing for the Winter Olympics in 2002. She then went on to host underground poker games that included several esteemed individuals on behalf of real estate developer Dean Keith. However, that’s not the case in Win It All, where Eddie Garrett, played by Jake Johnson, not only loses an entire bankroll in just a few seconds, but it’s not even his own money to begin with.
The movie follows two fellow conmen that decide to get revenge on a crime boss who’s responsible for the death of their mutual acquaintance. The two men concoct a fail-proof plan that starts out easy enough but soon gets harder and harder to maintain as unexpected elements enter the picture. A whole lot of big bets, plus plenty of surprising twists and turns come to pass in this film that’s all about pulling one over on an unsuspecting victim. The simple definition of a croupier is an individual who’s in charge of running a gaming table. The movie named after that important position follows an aspiring writer who takes on that role in order to support his ambitions. During his time spent as a croupier, he tries his hardest not to get sucked up in the dark world of gambling and fall for a more “attractive” temptation.
It exudes a particularly anxiety-inducing tone to its general style of cinematography and sound design, which remains a main talking point among fans to this day. If you happened to miss this critical darling from a few years back, it’s undoubtedly worth checking out. The heist is shown on screen, but things get interesting when Pitt’s character, a hitman named Jackie Cogan comes into play. And although there are some questionable choices of editing with little to write home about in the technical departments of camerawork, the overall project was definitely a success. Kicking things off with a bit of an anomaly, The Hangover (2009) is the only clear-cut comedy movie on the entire list. That said, this modern hit is in the end definitely a film of actual quality, with positive ratings from critics and even a win at the Golden Globes for Best Musical or Comedy.
These films, with their unique perspectives on the world of gambling, offer a wide range of emotions, from the thrill of victory to the despair of defeat. Whether you’re a fan of the glitz and glamour of casino life, the tension of the poker table, or the drama of a life changed by a single bet. Richard Dreyfuss stars in “Let It Ride,” a comedy about a day at the races that turns into an unbelievable winning streak. It’s a light-hearted look at the dream of the big win, filled with quirky characters and comedic situations. A classic of French cinema, “Bob le Flambeur” combines the elegance of noir with the thrill of the heist genre, telling the story of an aging gambler planning one final score at the Deauville casino. Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck star in “Runner Runner,” a thriller that explores the dangerous and deceitful world of online gambling.
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