The Best Casino Movies: From ‘Casino’ to ‘Oceans Eleven,’ Here Are The Must-See Classics
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.
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This process seems to go well at first, but things take a turn for the worst when both men come into contact with a local prostitute and a sketchy casino patron. 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. There is a trove of exceptional movies about gambling that match Peaky Blinder’s level of entertainment.
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“Owning Mahowny” offers a gripping portrayal of the destructive power of high-stakes gambling. Set in the glamorous backdrop of the French Riviera, “The Good Thief” follows the story of a retired master thief and gambling addict. It offers a stylish and atmospheric depiction of the criminal underworld, with a blend of crime, drama, and dark humor.
Poker Queens
The story of “Intacto” revolves around the concept of luck as a tangible and transferable asset. In this world, there are individuals known as “luck thieves” who possess the ability to steal the luck of others. The movie broadly explores themes of fate, chance, and the limits of control over one’s own destiny via original storytelling.
- This Robert Rossen film was an adaptation of the novel of the same name written by Walter Tevis, who also wrote «The Man Who Fell to Earth» and «The Queen’s Gambit,» two more novels to receive high-profile adaptations.
- However, the movie also delves into the darker aspects of Ungar’s life and explores the toll that his gambling addiction takes on his relationships, his health, and his professional success.
- Melville’s approach is unsurprisingly quite minimalistic and subtle but the film manages to engage you on every level.
- We should all consider ourselves lucky that these tales didn’t stay in Vegas, as Sin City has produced some of the best and most underrated movies to ever grace the silver screen.
- Gambling can encompass poker and other card games, of course, but also sports betting, the lottery, and anything else of that ilk you could muster.
- Of course, it also features Bradley Cooper, which helped establish him as a juggernaut of the industry.
- While most gambling movies focus on high-stakes action, «Hard Eight» centers entirely around low-stakes gambling.
- The gambling in the film is more of a backdrop to Hard Eight’s character study of an assortment of interesting figures.
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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.
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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.
Rounders
«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.
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Rounders has become a cult favorite, particularly within the poker community, for its authenticity. Paul Newman won his only Oscar for The Color of Money, revisiting the character of Fast Eddie Felson, whom he played in 1961’s The Hustler. 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. The movie explores the themes of friendship, gambling and gambling addiction, and generally the complexity of human relationships.
Dark City
Set in New Orleans during the Great Depression, this classic American drama tells the story of a talented young poker player who aspires to be the best in the game. He gets the opportunity to prove his skills when he challenges the reigning poker champion to a high-stakes poker game. “The Cincinnati Kid” became famous for its impressive poker scenes and powerful demonstration of the psychology behind the game. Even today, despite the movie’s age, it is considered one of the key gambling movies of the time.
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A remake of the 1960 film of the same name, Soderbergh’s version almost edges out the original with its flamboyance and clinical execution. The film features one of the most famous robbery sequences of all time and has appeared on several best of lists, including Empire magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time”. This Steve McQueen starrer tells https://crazystar-casino.com/ the story of Eric who longs to prove himself a champion in the poker game. His ambitions end up with him facing the best in the world as he fights out an epic battle with Lancey Howard, who is regarded as the greatest of the game. ’21’ is based on the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team, adapted from Ben Mezrich’s novel titled, ‘Bringing Down the House’.
“Intacto” is known for its stylish and atmospheric presentation, blending fantasy, drama, and thriller together. Her addiction not only jeopardizes her marriage but also puts her in dangerous situations. “The Lady Gambles” explores the destructive nature of addiction and the consequences it has on relationships and personal well-being. As a “film noir”, this movie skillfully portrays the protagonist’s descent into the world of gambling, with elements of suspense. “Revolver” incorporates elements of crime, psychological drama, and neo-noir, focusing on themes such as ego, self-discovery, and the power of the mind.
He got the idea to build a hotel and casino resort, the Flamingo, during one of his trips to Vegas to check up on a gambling joint. If you’re up for a unique Netflix gambling movie that combines casino heists, tons of action, and zombies, then you should definitely give Army of the Dead a shot. Through her charismatic personality, she attracts higher caliber players and eventually starts running her own games, which gained her a lot of money.
Part of the James Bond saga, ‘Casino Royale’ chronicles the beginning of Bond’s career as Agent 007, as he takes on a mission to pull back a mob banker from winning a high stakes poker game. ‘Casino Royale’ is one of the best James Bond flicks and features an iconic performance by Daniel Craig who took the Bond character to another level, portraying him as a tough yet vulnerable man. The film is gritty, entertaining and visually mesmerizing and is just the kind of stuff to watch if you’re in the mood for some pure, classy, adrenaline pumping fun. Clive Owen stars as Jack Manfred, a wannabe novelist who takes up a job as a croupier, both because he needs the money and because he believes it will make for good research for the book he’s writing. The line between himself and the main character of his novel begins to blur as he leans more and more into his constructed persona as a croupier. Alex Kingston as Yani de Villiers makes for a great femme fatale in the classic neo-noir tradition, while the film’s smokey cinematography and hard-boiled voice-over narration complete the noir stylings.
- The lasting phrase from the film may be a delusionally confident Howard exclaiming, “This is how I win,” but the tragic irony of it all, gambling is ultimately how he loses everything.
- “Poker Queens” offers an insightful look into the lives of these remarkable women who have significantly impacted the world of poker.
- Rather than spending most of his time in a casino like most of the other gambling addicts in the movies included on this list, Howard prefers to get his rush out of betting on sports.
- Matt Damon stars as Mike McDermott, a man with serious poker skills but life elements that keep him away from the game, namely a disapproving girlfriend, an attachment to law school, and a failed attempt at a big win looming over him.
- The drama surrounding the world of gambling can suck you in with its tales of big wins, devastating losses and criminal masterminds.
From the Safdie Brothers, Uncut Gems follows fast-talking jeweler Howard as he tries to juggle family obligations, his mistress, angry collectors, and mounting debts on top of his insatiable thirst for gambling. 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.
Starring the ever flamboyant James Caan, ‘The Gambler’ is a raw, intriguing character study exploring the darkest sides of addiction. I came across this film as part of research for this article and it was just the kind of stuff that completely took me by surprise. The film, as its title suggests, uses gambling and takes a disturbing look at what eventually consumes the human existence. Caan is electrifying and vulnerable as a despicable character with whom we end up sympathising despite lacking any redeeming qualities. The movie Croupier takes a rather different take on conventional gambling films, showing another side of the industry.
There was a time that Mel Gibson was considered such a light and lively leading man that a big-budget studio movie could coast on his charm as a card shark and con man. But the film still has its pleasures, not least of which is Gibson’s pal Jodie Foster, who has a blast playing the sort of damsel-in-distress female sidekick role she’d otherwise spent most of her career avoiding. Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut tells the true story of Molly Bloom, the Queen of Hollywood’s underground poker empire. Loosely based on a true story, the movie tells of a married pair who exploited a fascinating flaw in a national lottery and reinvested the money they drifted off the system into their small Michigan town. This is basically a comedy about how one man brought his small community together for a common goal.
- Familiye is a black-and-white film that depicts the story of a family of three brothers, the eldest of whom has just got out of prison.
- Rounders has become a cult favorite, particularly within the poker community, for its authenticity.
- And all the performers delivered Sorkin’s world-famous dialogue to a critically acclaimed degree.
- This British crime comedy was the directorial debut of Guy Ritchie, who also wrote the screenplay.
- But the film still has its pleasures, not least of which is Gibson’s pal Jodie Foster, who has a blast playing the sort of damsel-in-distress female sidekick role she’d otherwise spent most of her career avoiding.
- The film takes a very realistic look into the casino world and is highly stylised with utmost focus on characterisation and the setting.
His rival is Minnesota Fats, one of the coolest named characters in gambling film history. The story goes that Robert Altman sent Elliot Gould the screenplay to California Split, hoping he’d play Charlie, a gambler who befriends fellow gambler Bill (George Segal). And yet the two men’s rakish charm, in one of the high watermarks of ’70s hangout cinema, makes this not just a great buddy movie but a beautiful exploration of boys-will-be-boys friendship. And, of course, there’s a whole lot of gambling, which Altman films with casual mastery, letting us eavesdrop on the weird characters and dangerous oddballs who populate that world. California Split remains perhaps the director’s most underrated classic — and its gut-punch ending is so muted, yet so perfect. Spacey is particularly checked-out here, and the movie was criticized for “whitewashing” in its casting, turning the mostly Asian-American real-life players into generic white people.
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. The Color of Money takes place 25 years after Robert Rossen’s 1961 drama, with retired pool hustler «Fast Eddie» (played by Paul Newman) teaching Vincent (played by Tom Cruise) how to finesse the game of life.
Starring Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, this comedy-drama was directed by American filmmaking duo Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and it was released by A24. It’s almost a road film of sorts, as Mendelsohn’s character — a gambling addict named Gerry — befriends Gosling’s character Curtis, and deems him a good luck charm. Thus, he recruits Curtis on a cross-country road trip to New Orleans to partake in a high-stakes poker game. 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. 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.
If you have 1hr 57min to spare, this is a casino heist movie that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. He comes across John, played by John C. Reilly, by chance after John has gone broke and takes pity on him. The two enter a mentor-mentee relationship centered around a Reno casino, and Sydney even becomes a father figure for John. «Rounders» not only made a big splash as a movie but was also hugely influential to the development and popularization of Texas Hold ‘em poker in the real world. According to PokerListings.com, «Rounders» can be credited with elevating no-limit Texas Hold ‘em to its current status as the most popular card game in the world.
In reality and in the film, Dan Mahowny, whose real name was Brian Molony, per the Toronto Star, was a manager at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce with an all-consuming gambling addiction. He used his position as a bank manager to gamble with money belonging to the bank’s clients in excess of $10 million. 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. The plot revolves around four friends who decide to put all their cash together and enter a major poker game against a big-time crime boss. That crime boss takes the win under dubious means, which forces the main man who convinced his crew to enter the game to pay up or be forced to give up his father’s pub as collateral.
The film was directed by Mike Hodges, who was best known for films like «Flash Gordon» and the Michael Caine classic «Get Carter.» «Croupier» was one of Hodges’ final films. «Hard Eight» was the debut feature film from writer and director Paul Thomas Anderson, the filmmaker behind movies like «There Will Be Blood,» «Boogie Nights,» and «Punch-Drunk Love,» amongst others. The title refers to a particular dice roll in the game of craps; two fours equal a hard eight. Craps and other casino games play a significant role in the film, but the story is just as much about romance and murder as it is about gambling. With violent loan sharks coming after him, Howard is in a tight spot and needs to come up with money as quickly as possible.
And they’re all portrayed by talented thespians, most of whom shine particularly bright within comedic roles — Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Heather Graham, for example. Of course, it also features Bradley Cooper, which helped establish him as a juggernaut of the industry. Two con men get revenge for a fallen friend in this buddy comedy starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman. The Sting won the Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, and many more in 1974, as the smart but tense comedy keeps the audience guessing who will come out the better grifter. In this one, Paul Newman is cool as a cucumber as the younger version of Fast Eddie, still making a name for himself in the gangster-like world of gambling (for all its reputation and nicknames).
The Ocean’s Eleven team is made up of con men, mechanics, surveillance experts, pickpockets, and even an acrobat. Well, it’s not exactly easy, but a team of pros who have lots of previous heist experience should be able to pull it off. Gambling movies and caper movies often overlap, and that’s certainly the case with The Sting. Starring Paul Newman—man, he sure likes to hustle—The Sting follows two pro grifters who try to con the mob. Based on Walter Tevis’s 1984 novel, The Color of Money is a kind of sequel to The Hustler (also written by Tevis and starring Newman). 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.
With strong performances, excellent action sequences, and a tight script, «Casino Royale» shines as one of the finest films in the lengthy James Bond series and as one of the overall best gambling films out there. Few gambling movies portray gambling less as a talent and more as a coping mechanism, like Paul Schrader’s 2021 crime drama The Card Counter. Oscar Issac plays card counting wizard William Tell who teaches himself how to count cards in a military prison to practice the patience and restraint from succumbing to the darker impulses that landed him in prison in the first place. 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.
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.
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.
During those eight years, he learned to count cards while serving time for his hand in torturing and abusing Abu Ghraib prisoners (a real tragedy that surfaced in 2004). Gambling can be an intense, life-destroying addiction that’s as far from funny as it gets. Mississippi Grind, however, features Ryan Reynolds—so, obviously, it’s going to have laughs. However, he was not alone in his endeavors, as he was also joined by his partner, Virginia Hill, played by Annette Bening. Bugsy met Virginia in Los Angeles and fell madly in love with her, which caused him to divorce his then-wife. One of the first things most gamblers learn is proper bankroll management to ensure their bankroll lasts throughout the season.