Suspenseful movies about gambling are a unique blend of excitement and drama. From the glitzy charm of Las Vegas to nerve-racking poker games, these films transport us to a universe where luck can change in the blink of an eye. Matt Damon stars as the poker-playing Mike McDermott, who falls in love with a Russian gambling baron and must beat him at high-stakes games to pay his college fees. If you are a fan of old classics and gambling movies, then you were waiting for this film’s name to appear on the list. In Robert Altman’s nightmarish drama-comedy, the great Elliott Gould and George Segal invite us to a world of night casinos, booze, and loose relationships. California Spirit is a full-fledged close-up not only of gaming as a way of life but also of the American culture of money and luck.
The 75+ Best Movies About Gambling
Directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, and James Garner, “Maverick” is a lighthearted Western comedy with a poker twist. Gibson plays Bret Maverick, a charming gambler with a knack for getting into and out of trouble. When Maverick enters a high-stakes poker tournament with the hope of winning enough money to enter a winner-takes-all riverboat poker game, hilarity ensues as he navigates a series of misadventures and run-ins with colorful characters. Another option among the best casino films about gambling of all time is an action-adventure James Bond movie, Casino Royale. 2016 spy film starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, a British Secret Service agent with a license to kill. Bond plays Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale to topple his organization.
The Sting ( – The Heist is On
Manfred takes a job as a croupier, similar to a dealer, to inspire his writing. He goes against the casino’s code of conduct and gets wrapped up in a risky heist. Ping-ponging from casinos to hotel rooms to long monologues with her father (Kevin Costner), Molly is a show-stopping show-runner who runs a lucrative operation that allows rich people to gamble with other rich people. Jessica Chastain is so good in the role you sometimes forget about all that drivel coming out of Arron Sorkin’s script. This is one of the lesser-known films on the list from a modern perspective — and that isn’t to say that The Cooler (2003) was well-received upon release with millions of dollars accrued in theaters.
Win It All (
While most gambling-based movies are about the player, this one is unique since it is about a blackjack dealer. Jack Manfred is a writer who takes a croupier job just to make ends meet. He breaks casino policy, getting involved with a fellow employee despite having a girlfriend. The scene where Jack deals to his boss is one that lives on as one of the best in any blackjack movie.
Lights, Camera, Action: The 10 Best Casino Movies of All Time
There are plenty of casino movies to watch in 2022, and the remake will probably still hold up in a decade. A 10-out-of-14 rating is more than enough for this remake to earn a spot on the list of Casino Movies to watch in 2022. He is assisted by the gorgeous Eva Green who serves as a distraction and an aid to Mr Bond, setting up the plot for one of the best gambling movies on Netflix worth seeing. There is action, murder attempts, kidnapping and a few perilous moments that make us all ask ourselves if we will see Mr Bond come out of this alive. If you love poker, can look past the fact that Daniel Craig knows nothing about the game, and enjoy good cinematography, Casino Royale may yet be the best movie about gambling on Netflix today.
Molly’s Game (
In the meantime, he convinces his wife, Julia, to place a parlay bet hoping that he will make enough money to repay everyone, and he does as the bet wins. In this movie Charlie (Tom Cruise) discovers he has a brother he knew nothing about and that his estranged father has left all his money to look after him. Charlie hatches a plan to take Raymond (who is an autistic savant) away from the hospital to try and force them to split the money with him. As the film goes on the unlikeable Charlie starts to understand Raymond more and discovers much about him but towards the end of the movie Charlie is in debt and his girlfriend has walked out over his treatment of Raymond. Disney+ is home to some great movies including animated classics, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and so much more. A film cynical in nature, the beguiling use of the spiraling roulette wheel is meant to represent the randomness and transience of life.
Summary of the Best Gambling Movies
It’s not just a movie about gambling; it’s a story of regret, penance, and the search for forgiveness. The film takes viewers through the dark underbelly of the casino world, depicting the devastating aftermath of the gamble. “The Gambler” presents a haunting exploration of addiction that strips away the bright lights and glamor from a poker game.
Meghalaya Polls: Congress releases first list of 55 candidates
With its moody cinematography, gripping plot, and stellar performance by Owen, “Croupier” offers a compelling glimpse into the dark underbelly of the casino world. As Jack grapples with moral dilemmas and ethical compromises, viewers are taken on a thrilling ride that will keep them on the edge of their seats until the very end. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data.
Gambling Supervisors and Licenses
Maybe it is the glamour of the casino or the links to the Mafia or just human nature to gamble, Hollywood has created some memorable movies and scenes based around casinos and gambling. Hollywood and television have a rich history of using gambling and casinos in their productions. Wild West movies often depict cowboys pulling their guns over a game of cards, https://true-fortune.us/ James Bond is no stranger to the baccarat table and even Mr Bean has been known to enjoy the slot machines. Mark Wahlberg stars in this thriller about reckless gambling and the mounting debt that so many players can fall into. An educated professor at Harvard with a perfect personal life, yet he is incapable of stopping himself from throwing everything away.
What are the Best Known Movies That Feature a Casino Scene?
If that all sounds a bit deep then it also features some of the best pool scenes recorded on film, some top quality betting action and an effortlessly cool performance from Paul Newman in the lead role. The tale of small-time pool hustler Eddie taking on the big time is one any gambler can empathise with and it features the same mix of hope, hubris, heroics and heartbreak we’ve all experienced. We’ve all seen the GIF of Zach Galifianakis in deep thought, equations whipping around his head. A loaded cast led by Kevin Spacey shows the team’s journey from winning hundreds of thousands at Vegas casinos to its untimely downfall. With a strong romantic subplot, this one of the best blackjack-based movies ever. Based around the life of Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal who managed several casinos for the Mafia back in the 1970’s and 80’s.
- The Jewish jeweler suffers from severe financial hardship, trying to get out of it and pay off the debts accumulated on him by selling a rare and precious gem that he bought from Ethiopian miners.
- With Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, and Ed Helms in the leading roles, this movie guarantees a good laugh.
- Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman gave the performances of their careers portraying brothers Charlie and Raymond in this emotionally charged drama.
- This beloved franchise gave us a mature, reinvented Bond with the introduction of Daniel Craig and his excellent poker face.
- The two leads develop a legitimate friendship, too, one which mirrors the chemistry of the actors themselves.
- Gambling hasn’t lost its cultural vitality over decades, and the same is true for great gambling films like 1974’s The Gambler.
- Ironically, production took place in less than a week and entirely in New York, as Studio City had not completed construction.
- 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.
Now, Garrett has no idea that he will be safekeeping a bag of money, but upon discovery, his gambling addiction kicks in. He smiles to himself, sweats profusely, and decides that fortune has truly smiled upon him. Jealousy takes over but Jabami has a presence of character that helps her overcome the pettiness of schoolmates and continually excel at gambling. The girl continues to defeat the school’s best gamblers and she soon takes on the staff and anyone who has money or ambition to challenge her. Netflix is a cultural phenomenon no matter where you stand on password sharing or cheesy documentaries about Tyson Fury, a heavyweight boxer with a distinct charisma. Today, we brush this aside and take a good hard look at the best gambling movies on Netflix, bringing you some of the untold stories that you may want to explore.
- Raymond who has never been to a casino before looks confused and befuddled.
- Directed by Jeff Probst, the movie has an interesting if somewhat unlikely plot.
- Starring Robert De Niro and an Oscar®-nominated Sharon Stone, Casino is a technically-dazzling epic from one of America’s greatest living filmmakers.
- Disney+ is home to some great movies including animated classics, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and so much more.
The article was written and developed by a Senior Business Project Manager of Freeslotshub. On the website, he provided a wide selection of games with popular film heroes on the page with movie slots that are available online with no downloading for users all over the world. The movie is much more than a story about attempting to cheat the system. Rain Man is one of the movies you must watch because it tells us a lot about the importance of family, of differences in mental astuteness, and how easily one can cross the boundaries of what is legal. Impressive ambition and bravura performances from an outstanding cast help Casino pay off in spite of a familiar narrative that may strike some viewers as a safe bet for director Martin Scorsese.
- Casino depicts the epic story of the traditional casino gambling culture in Las Vegas.
- The film tries to balance the role of religion and gambling in the team’s lives but mainly just uses interviews and clips to tell what is a pretty extraordinary tale of pretty normal people smashing up Vegas for $$$$.
- Netflix has hit the jackpot with its gambling-themed films and is not planning to stop anytime soon.
- The film illustrates how gambling addiction can affect those around you as Axel ends up borrowing money from friends and, eventually, loan sharks.
- There’s the Man, unloved and unfriended and maybe past his prime, who knows that it always comes to character in the end.
Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians
- They can also harvest your personal sensitive data, not just damage your device, so avoid streaming movies on these websites and stick to the safe reputable to be on the safe side.
- Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson is like a more interesting version of Cruise’s character, and his battle to take down Jackie Gleason’s Minnesota Fats follows a more human, soulful narrative than a typical sports-movie arc.
- Swingers follows Mike Peters (masterfully played by Jon Favreau), a struggling comedian who moved to Los Angeles in search of stardom and is still angry over Michelle, his girlfriend of six years, leaving him six months earlier.
- That is to say, everything about this movie drips with elegance and glamour, coupled with high stakes, bluffing, and gambling-esque tactics.
- He’s up against Mads Mikkelsen, who plays an international criminal with a questionable tell, risking the funds of the exact sort of people you don’t want to be on the bad side of.
- If any of these famous movies make you want to go to your nearest land-based casino or sign up to a reputable online casino like 10bet, gamble responsibly and start by setting a reasonable spending budget.
- The movie was released in October 2010, and it stars Kevin Spacey, Pepper Barry, and Lovitz John.
The movie runs the gamut of things a viewer would expect to find in any great movie on gambling; greed, deception, money, power, and even murder. The film’s main point revolves around the involvement of the mob in the Vegas casinos of the ’70s and ’80s. 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. The film goes from casino to casino when the World Series of Poker becomes a beacon for the main characters, making poker the poison of the protagonist’s choice.
Feature List
Whether showcasing the opulent, adrenaline-fueled world of high rollers or the stark realities of addiction, these films play a pivotal role in shaping how society views the casino experience. They stand at the crossroads between glorification and caution, often blurring the lines between entertainment and real-life consequences. Gambling movies, with their high-stakes drama and glittering portrayal of casino life, have long captivated audiences, weaving a complex narrative that deeply influences our collective perception of gambling culture. This exciting crime thriller stars Nicolas Cage as a dishonest detective.
The city’s popularity among filmmakers is exemplified by Cultural Affairs Bureau data cited in a South China Morning Post report, which shows that roughly 110 film applications are made in the SAR each year. Most of these come from Hong Kong productions, although mainland, Taiwanese and Japanese features can also be found in the mix – along with movies from further afield. Macao has long been a magnet for international movies, thanks to its exotic mix of cultures, world-class casinos and bags of atmosphere.
The Card Counter is a revenge thriller about an ex-military interrogator turned gambler who is haunted by his past. One of James Caan’s best movies, The Gambler focuses on a literature professor with a gambling vice who must avoid loan sharks when they begin to circle. A perennial down-on-his-luck guy works as a gambling jinx, known as a cooler, in an old school casino until his luck changes for the better when he becomes smitten with a cocktail waitress, much to his cutthroat boss’s frustration. 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.
Gambling Movies and Their Impact on Casino Culture
It’s really a tale of the two main characters and their attempts to get revenge on a slightly cartoon-like villain but it’s a hugely entertaining ride and the old-school horse racing world has a wonderfully nostalgic feel to it. Swingers is blessed with a beautifully quotable screenplay, one of the most electrifying and intelligent ever written, demonstrating that in modern Hollywood, sincerity and compassion are not incompatible with humor. When it initially came out, it caught the film industry and audiences by storm, propelling Favreau and Vince Vaughn to the pinnacle of their careers and successfully transforming Vegas into a very compelling character. This debut picture from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is noteworthy not only for its tight and pristine storytelling but also for its performances. Despite the slow pace, the film is a cool, precisely observed thriller that recognizes and capitalizes on its own merits. Vegas is so vibrant and adventurous that it can play a lead character, a supporting one, or merely a backdrop that helps to enhance the plot.
The result is California Split (1974), a wonderful character study that delves deep into the dangers of gambling addiction. There’s no denying this entry as a classic of the gambling movie ilk, and although it hasn’t aged as well as some of its older counterparts, it will forever be remembered for its tangible tone and rock-solid narrative. And those accolades are more indicative of the film’s actual quality than its acclaim from critics or number of tickets sold in theaters. William H. Macy stars as the titular character Bernie Lootz — and as a cooler in a casino, he acts as bad luck for the other gamblers, placed there by the casino themselves as a sort of negative presence.
Ginger confides in Nicky about the situation, and the two start an affair. Sam soon discovers their affair, confronts Ginger, and ends his friendship with Nicky. Nicky ends his affair with Ginger once she asks him to kill Sam and threatens to go to the FBI.
With the Mafia now out of the casino industry, nearly all the old casinos are demolished, and new casinos are built with money from junk bonds. Paul Thomas Anderson is known for his films Boogie Nights and Magnolia. Both would be full of characters and stories in a way reminiscent of Robert Altman’s films. Anderson’s debut-length Hard Eight (1996; originally called Sydney) is a whole another story; it focuses greatly, not rushing at all, on its four protagonists.
She encounters Lou Pascal (Lancaster), a mobster, who saves her & helps her achieve success but leads to trouble. Check a 1988 American road drama film and one of the best casino movies of all time starring Tom Cruise for comedy. Charlie Babbit, a selfish, debt-laden car salesman, learns his wealthy father passed, leaving millions to his autistic brother in a trust fund. He breaks his brother out of a mental institution, using savant-level math skills to win while gambling in Las Vegas.
Manfred finds himself drawn to a woman who is a gambler at his table – a serious transgression of the casino’s rules for employees. Under pressure from creditors, the woman asks Manfred to be the inside man for a robbery at his own casino. Manfred must evaluate the stakes and consider what he is willing to risk. Croupier describes this distinctive world from a professional dealer’s perspective.
Upon its release, the film received a mixed response, with some critics praising it for its tongue-in-cheek self-awareness, and others criticising the project as a shallow cash grab. Scorsese, however, defended the project, stating in a Los Angeles Times report that “a short film is even tougher in a way…It has to be contained in and of itself.” Make your own judgement by watching it above. About a dozen actors have taken on the role across movies and television and captured Lex Luthor’s arrogance and villainy against the Man of Tomorrow. These films give further insight into the complex, often tense relationship between people and their wagering habits.
The Cincinnati Kid is a gambling story in all it’s glory and I won’t even tell you who wins. The poker is almost an aside to what is more of a meditation on the role of luck in life and what gambling for a living can do to a man’s soul. But aside from anything else it’s just hands-down one of the all-time great films with two of the all-time great actors in lead roles. The film features the career-best work by Elisabeth Shue and Cage while director Mike Figgis’ artistic direction maintains it realistic and stoic style. Moreover, Leaving Las Vegas is a dark and joyful film that brings viewers to dreamy realms no other film about alcoholism has gone to before. Ocean’s Eleven is the first movie in the Ocean trilogy and a remake of the 1960 movie of the same name.
Starring an ensemble cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Elliott Gould, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, and Carl Reiner, the gang comes together to pull off the biggest Vegas heists of all time. There’s nothing the casino can do if someone’s playing hot and winning a lot of money—unless they send in «The Cooler,» anyway. Played with a timid, nervous energy by William H. Macy, «The Cooler» is naturally unlucky, and he works for the casino by jinxing players and spreading his misfortune. The main characters in these films are upping the ante by risking their lives on the big score, falling into debt or addiction—or trying to game the system. Sometimes, they’re running underworld operations; sometimes those involved are super spies.
Throughout the film, this control of one’s decisions central to gambling is what he tries to instill in a Cirk Baufort (Tye Sheridan) seeking to avenge his father’s death lethally. When films like The Card Counter uncover the psychological connection between being good at gambling and dealing with being a human, they create something truly magical that stands the test of time. There was a glorious point in the ‘90s when Matt Damon seemed only to play unassuming boy genius to his degenerate friends, and Rounders is arguably his finest portrayal of the golden boy archetype. The typical gambling tropes (mobsters and a crushing debt catalyst) are present. Still, there’s a cerebral element to the filmmaking that makes Rounders awe-inspiring even to someone who only thinks the river is a body of water. McDermott sees inside the mind (and hand) of a diabolically stoic Russian mobster by watching how he eats Oreos.
Directed by David Mamet, this heist film follows Lindsay Crouse’s character Dr. Margaret Ford as she meets a criminal figure named Mike Mancuso — played wonderfully by Joe Mantegna. She’s a psychiatrist who recently finished a book on obsessive-compulsive disorder, and one of her patients seeks help from her regarding his involvement with and debt owed to the aforementioned crime lord. This is also notable among fans today for being the first film in its franchise to feature Daniel Craig as the titular character. He would reprise the role four times, the most recent of which — No Time to Die (2021) by Cari Joji Fukunaga — marked his last appearance in the series.