After agreeing to keep an eye on a duffel bag full of money for a friend that’s heading to prison, Eddie gives in to his gambling demons and ends up using the money to indulge his addiction. His troubles quickly worsen once Eddie finds out his friend is getting out of prison sooner than expected. This forces Eddie to find a way to gamble his way into getting all his friend’s duffle bag money back in full. 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. After moving from the big city to Hollywood, Bugsy ends up finding love and success from his underground gambling rackets.
“The Gambler” (Karel Reisz,
As in the best films about gambling and casino, famous saying is, ‘See, life is a people game too.’ The rating is 6/10 on IMDb and 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. You should check out Molly’s Game, a movie based on the true story of Molly Bloom, a high-stakes poker player. She hosted one of the most exclusive underground poker games for the wealthy and powerful, including members of the Mafia, politicians, and celebrities. The movie portrays her life and how the FBI began to track her down, leading to her downfall. If you’re looking for a gambling film that has a lighter edge to it, then this pick should elicit a few laughs. Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels is a British crime/comedy that stars Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones.
Best Gambling Movies Of All Time
Cheaters jumps from casino locale to locale, showing elegant locations and high-stakes roulette games in contrast to the undercurrent of the intense desperation of Elric and Suzie in each scene. Molly’s Game was the directorial debut for writer Aaron Sorkin, based on the alleged true story of a former Olympic skier who ran an international underground poker tournament for celebrities, high profile businessmen, and the Russian mob. Played by Jessica Chastain, Molly Bloom tries to keep her gambling empire afloat while the FBI investigates the massively illegal operation. No scientific studies have proven if Tom Cruise in the ‘80s could make anything cooler.
- William H. Macy, in a role he was seemingly born to inhabit, plays the eponymous Bernie Lootz, who lives a dreary and sexless life in a rundown motel on the Las Vegas Strip.
- Croupier is one of the best casino movies of all time, featuring Clive Owen starring Jack Manfred, an unlucky writer.
- The world of casinos and the act of counting cards become a part of his new life while trying to prevent a young man from seeking revenge on a mutual enemy.
- The movie was released a few months before Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 Series of Poker main event.
- Gambling is the setting rather than the content of this story and it’s all the better for it with the casino giving the film its heart and its edge while the engaging story of those who try and make money from it plays out.
- Every gambler that I’ve ever known can find their story in here, perfectly expressed.
- In the film, the gambler’s spirit is rendered viscerally by Newman, who paints a complex picture of an imperfect masculine ego, flawed by the same instincts that leave him raw and relatable.
- Mixon returned to practice in a limited capacity Friday and could be available this week.
Top 10 Movies About Gambling You Need To Watch Right Now
Gambling is a captivating and thrilling activity that has been the subject of many movies over the years. While some are based on pure fiction, others are actually based on true stories. The Big Picture is using Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists with friends.
Latest Casino Movie Releases: Films for Gambling Enthusiasts
Specifically, Zubkoff wanted to bet against the prevailing wisdom that this movie would be liked enough by critics to earn at or above a Rotten Tomatoes score of 50 percent. The Texans host the Bills on Sunday where Diggs will https://true-fortune.us/ face his former team for the first time since the trade. Diggs spent the past four seasons in Buffalo where he had more than 1,100 yards receiving each year, highlighted by an NFL-leading and career-high 1,535 yards in 2020.
High Roller: The Stu Ungar Story
This just inspires him to push harder and keep it going, and while this might turn out to be a disaster in a movie like, say, Uncut Gems, here, it’s just a wacky ’80s comedy. Let It Ride still gets a lot of comedic mileage out of Dreyfuss’s mania and goes a long way on some very fun supporting performances from Teri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, and David Johansen. But let’s just say they don’t show this one at Gamblers Anonymous meetings.
Final Thoughts: 5 Great Gambling Movies To Watch On Netflix
The way gambling scenes are shot and edited also plays a crucial role in shaping viewer perception. Cinematic techniques — such as close-ups on tense faces, quick cuts during exciting hands, and the strategic use of music and sound effects — enhance the emotional impact of gambling scenes. While effective for storytelling, these techniques can exaggerate the reality of gambling moments, making them seem more glamorous or fraught with tension than they might actually be. Many argue that movies frequently miss the mark in showing the cognitive distortions and emotional challenges faced by real gamblers.
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This isn’t one of Scorsese’s best movies — and as we said earlier, The Hustler is the better overall film — but it’s solid and despairing. Like with Scorsese’s mobsters, these are people who are magnetic but not ones you’d want to spend time with in real life. Matt Damon is terrific as the main character, a brilliant poker player who tries to bail out his friend Worm, played by Ed Norton. John Malkovich plays the iconic Teddy KGB, and John Turturro is Knish, the wise old grinder. The movie is filled with realistic characters and covers the highs and lows and massive swings of no-limit hold ’em as well as other games.
Win It All
This criminally underrated movie shows the intense highs and lows of the gambler’s mind, with the audience having a front-row seat. Acting as a realistic portrayal of gambling addiction, Ben Mendelsohn’s performance as Gerry shows the misery and recklessness that comes with his type of dependency. From the glamour of Las Vegas to the realities of gambling addiction, these films offer a true journey into the world of gambling.
Top Gambling Movies on Netflix Worth Watching
Thankfully, this list goes through the trouble of finding 30 of them and are required viewing for movie buffs everywhere. The discrepancies between movie portrayals and real gambling do more than just entertain; they shape perceptions. Viewers may come away with distorted views on the ease of beating the house, the prevalence of monumental wins, or the effectiveness of certain gambling strategies. Next time you want to take a break from online gambling and try another form of entertainment, check out some great movies about gambling.
So, if you’re craving a compelling cinematic experience, grab some popcorn, settle into your favorite armchair, and prepare to be immersed in the electrifying world of gambling cinema. The response to “Uncut Gems” was overwhelmingly positive, with a strong approval rating of 91% on the review website Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised its ability to create a suffocating feeling of anxiety through its cinematography and Sandler’s dynamic and compelling performance. Many critics have even hailed this as Sandler’s best performance, showcasing his ability to act outside his usual comedic-centric roles.
Mike, who had quit playing poker, picks up the cards again and is drawn back into the gambling underworld. The movies explored in this article provide a thought-provoking glimpse into the world of gambling addiction, showcasing its destructive power and the devastating consequences it can have on individuals and their loved ones. While these films serve as cautionary tales, they also offer valuable insights into the psychology and complexities of addiction.
Based on his own short film “Cigarettes & Coffee,” “Hard Eight” casts the veteran character actor Philip Baker Hall as Sydney, a sullen gambler with a mysterious past. In this role written specifically for him, Hall plays an unlikely father figure to a down-on-his-luck John C. Reilly, who needs enough money to bury his recently deceased mother. Sydney shows the ropes to Reilly’s John, and two years later the protegé is an expert gambler married to Clementine, a cocktail waitress played by Gwyneth Paltrow. When Samuel L. Jackson’s tough guy Jimmy enters the fold, Sydney’s past unravels, driving the rest of the tragic narrative. With great impact, “Hard Eight” is foremost about character and place, and it’s quite a masterful start to Anderson’s acclaimed career.
HARD EIGHT (
- This biopic delves into everything that made Bugsy what he was and how he helped develop Las Vegas into what it is today.
- Part of the fun lies in trying to figure out if Segal hit it big or lost thousands, because his worrying expression never changes.
- This thrilling excitement is what makes Casino one of the best movies about gambling ever made.
- While not solely focused on poker, the movie centers around the game of blackjack, a popular casino card game, and is based on the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team.
- Following his breakthrough “Good Will Hunting,” Damon takes on the role of yet another math wunderkind in John Dahl’s cult classic, though he trades in his janitor gig for a steady life on the poker grind.
- “Ocean’s Eleven” is a popular gambling movie that offers its viewers multiple thrills.
- It is a cautionary tale of what can happen when addiction takes over.
Faced with $44,000 worth of debt and a rich family that is ashamed of him, Freed travels to Las Vegas in the hope of winning big. When the chips are down, gambling movies have always been the best backdrop for intrigue from heists to heartache. Here is SPYSCAPE’s countdown of the top 10 gambling scenes from memorable movies you’ll want to stream right now. A good gambling movie will have high stakes, both for the characters and the audience. The characters should be put in jeopardy, and the audience should be invested in their struggle. The stakes should be believable and exciting, making for a suspenseful and thrilling experience.
- You can always try to find a copy on DVD, but in the age of streaming services, here’s what you need to know.
- It is also a film that captures the essence of poker and the people who play it.
- It’s pretty cool seeing the mix, from old-school vibes to the new high-stakes dramas.
- Tepper, the protagonist, finds a lost wallet on the street and he calls the owner to come and pick it up.
- Ron Livingston, Maria Bello, and Paul Sorvino play key roles but it is Macy who truly carries this movie that packs a big punch.
- Mike, who had quit playing poker, picks up the cards again and is drawn back into the gambling underworld.
- Tommy is one of the main characters, and he brings an atmosphere of excitement to the audience.
- The movie is a great watch both alone and with company, but gambling scenes are few and far between, with most of them bunched up during the latter parts of the film.
- His situation becomes more complicated when he gets entangled in the cheating schemes of another man.
It does not simply portray gambling as a straightforward path to destruction but explores the psychological and emotional intricacies that entangle those involved in it. The apparent glamour and thrill of the casino are continually undercut by an omnipresent tension, a lurking darkness that insidiously permeates the world John and his young counterpart inhabit. The highest-grossing film of a year that also included Die Hard, Coming to America, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit– Rain Man coasts off its feel-good charms, particularly the blackjack scene between Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman.
“Mississippi Grind” subtly navigates through the labyrinthine paths of gambling addiction, all while capturing the poignant, multifaceted human experiences along the journey. Well, William H. Macy plays a loser who is so good at losing that a casino highers him to sit at a craps table and ruin everyone else’s luck. It won two of its nine nominations at the 34th Academy Awards, and has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. And as Fast Eddie seeks to test his pool hustling aptitude against the professional player “Minnesota Flats”, the stars of this sports show in Newman and George C. Scott lead the project to utter greatness.
The feelings of a gambling addict are portrayed perfectly, as Toback himself has had gambling addictions in the past and tries to convey his feeling through the movie. A wonderful drama about an English language teacher who gets addicted to gambling; and gets chased by debts and creditors. This British crime comedy from Guy Ritchie follows four actual partners-in-crime who have to make up the debt they owe from losing a rigged card game.
The plot centers on the Hyakkaou Private Academy, which, as noted, is all about teaching its students to gamble. Uncut Gems is perhaps one of the most gutting dramas on the big screen which goes to show how successful people, through bad judgment calls, can end up in bad situations caused by gambling. So far as gambling movies on Netflix go, this one is a fair warning to everyone who hopes to turn gambling into a full-time job and highlights the dangers that the activity invites. The Cooler embeds itself into the casino milieu, showing the techniques that casinos use to get all the money they can from gamblers. In addition, the film sheds a light on the change in casino policies as the movie’s setting is forced to undergo changes to keep up with modern casinos. 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.
The film embarks on a road trip that metaphorically encapsulates the gambler’s journey, balancing between the pursuit of a dream and the inevitable losses that punctuate it. Gerry and Curtis, bound by their mutual devotion to the gamble, share a journey that is as much about their burgeoning friendship as it is about the bets they place. The magnetic charm of the open road, coupled with the tantalizing possibility of a life-altering win, fuels their journey along the Mississippi River. The movie doesn’t merely portray the destructive path of gambling but also highlights the friendships and connections that can burgeon amidst despair and dream chasing. When Phillip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Samuel L. Jackson, and Paul Thomas Anderson are on the table, it’s a Royal Flush. Assuming you like your casino movies with a tinge of tragedy, Anderson’s debut feature, about a veteran card player and a lonely orphan, is a riveting exploration of the men who spend their lives in Vegas.
With John (the veteran) mentoring John (the novice), the film immerses viewers in a compelling narrative that is as much about human connection and moral ambiguity as it is about the perils of gambling. John, despite his seasoned, stoic exterior, embodies a complexity and vulnerability that seep through his interactions with his younger counterpart and others he encounters. His decision to mentor John stems from an intertwined mesh of paternal instinct, penance, and perhaps, a quest for redemption, offering a layered and morally complex protagonist.
In Casino, he’s Ace, a gangster running a mobbed-up casino who’s trying to do things “the right way,” only to be undercut by his hotheaded pal (Joe Pesci) and an ambitious woman (Sharon Stone) he shouldn’t trust. Martin Scorsese’s intricate drama is for you, chronicling Sin City’s evolution from seedy to sanitized over the span of several years. As he did previously with GoodFellas, Scorsese understands how American enterprise works in the criminal underworld — and also how individuals get trampled on along the way. Instead, this refreshing film takes a different approach entirely, by telling the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), a lady who runs an underground poker empire for Hollywood’s rich and famous. Spider (Michael Imperioli) finds his voice while working as a gangster gofer but nobody crosses Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) and his shine box.
While it is true that most of these movies tend to romanticize gambling, we maintained our standards of accuracy and realism, just as we do when reviewing US based online casinos. Rosa himself is banned from entering casinos as his card counting skills are known to the establishments and they are not happy to be losing that much money to a trick. This gambling movie on Netflix is probably one of the most realistic ones as well, as card-counting systems in blackjack do exist and casinos need to be extra careful not to allow a player to take advantage of a weakness in their security. 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. His rival is Minnesota Fats, one of the coolest named characters in gambling film history.
“The Hangover” is a beloved movie that has gained a cult following over the years. The film became a massive hit, with its fans quoting and re-watching it repeatedly with their friends and family. Even today, eleven years after its release, people still enjoy “The Hangover”!
Unforgettable gambling films offer electrifying narratives and memorable characters, reflecting the allure and rich complexity of the casino world. These cinematic achievements are just a few examples of the great films that transport viewers into the world of gambling. There are many trends affecting the Polish gambling scene and the creation of video games from movies is just an example.
Because we like Axel, watching his demise at the hands of his own addiction is as painful as it is scary, and it allows the film to possess the mindset of an addict in a startlingly effective way. We feel his excitement and we cringe at his pain, and it all leads to an ending that cashes all in and wins big. Often cited as “Goodfellas Go West,” “Casino” has long struggled to get out of the shadow of Scorsese’s other three-hour mob epic starring Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. DeNiro stars as “Ace” Rothstein, a tough, tortured Jewish bookie summoned by his Chicago mob bosses to run the Tangiers Casino in Vegas. While Rothstein’s fetishistic attention to detail rivals Scorsese’s own, he is unable to keep the casino’s corruption under wraps as he juggles an ultra-violent mafioso sidekick (Pesci) and a defiant wife (a standout Sharon Stone). The film lurches from one extravagant set piece to the next, at times feeling like a guided tour through the seven deadly sins.
If you want to chill at home with a good movie about sports betting or gambling, we’ve curated a great selection of films that are currently on Netflix, as well as a few options that might make their way to the platform at some point. That said, the days of professional baseball players taking a dive to satisfy a bet are over because they’re paid millions anyway. That rough and beautiful city, complete with funeral jazz processions, gold teeth ladies banging the blues, and the poker games out behind the railroad tracks or in a back bar or the catered suite of a fancy hotel. Like the hard luck Pig who must always go broke, or the Doc who still believes a system can win, or Yeller who has a joke for every hand. There’s the millionaire Slade who just wants to win so he can dance on a grave and doesn’t care how it’s done.
Our list begins with a modern classic, “Casino Royale,” where the world of espionage intersects with the equally risky poker realm. Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond redefined the character, bringing a gritty realism to the franchise. The film’s gripping central scene takes place at Montenegro’s luxurious Casino Royale, where Bond must outplay the sinister Le Chiffre in a nerve-racking game of Texas Hold’em poker. In this article, we explore the top 10 best casino movies of all time, providing you with cinematic gems that captivate both gambling aficionados and film lovers alike. Translated as either “Bob the Gambler” or “Bob the High Roller,” Bob le flambuer is a cinematic breakdown of what happens when someone is forced to risk it all.
Betting has never seemed as bitterly hopeless as it does in the Safdie Brother’s intense farce about a jeweler (Adam Sandler), the mob, and Kevin Garnett. New York becomes a manic monstrosity full of bookies, sad sacks, and noise; the entire city seems to reflect Sandler’s down-on-his-luck, out-of-options plunger. Although the MCU and DCEU exist separately from each other, there are instances where each studio has referenced the other in their movies. The ’90s were the Wild West of fantasy films, rife with experimentation before the genre found its way to Middle Earth. 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.
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