Have you ever wondered why people enjoy watching casino movies so much? No? Excitement! Yes, even in the cinema, some people like to go all-in, put all their eggs in one basket or realize: "Rien ne va plus" - there are no more bets. Sometimes this is due to the circumstances of the shooting, and sometimes simply because the film itself is about gambling. And there are actually a lot of really good gambling movies out there. The best movies - from "Casino" to "Ocean's Eleven" we have collected here.
There are actually a lot more gambling movies than you might imagine, so we had to leave some of them out. But in this selection, we have collected those that are imbued with the spirit of excitement and casino.
Casino (1995)
A Martin Scorsese movie is all you really need to know because that always means the movie is great. This is no exception in the case of "Casino", which is considered by many to be Scorsese's best film. In any case, there is no doubt that this is an exceptionally good drama indeed. It's also thanks to a stellar cast that includes Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone. Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) runs the Tanger Casino and has to provide the mafia with money, while his friend Nicky (Joe Pesci) is a rough man who keeps Ace's back with his fists. Everything could have been fine for Nicky and Ace, if Ace had not one day fallen in love with the high-class prostitute Ginger (Sharon Stone), which gradually drags both men into the abyss.
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Arguably the best gambling movie ever: Steven Soderbergh's remake of the 1960s classic Frankie and the Henchmen (originally also called Ocean's Eleven). "Ocean's Eleven" was also a great technical achievement, but the success of the rogue comedy is probably primarily due to the amazing cast: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Casey Affleck , and in the sequels they were also joined by Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vincent Cassel, Bruce Willis and Al Pacino. Honestly, you can hardly get more modern Hollywood in one movie, and it was certainly a joy to be able to admire all these exceptional actors in one movie. Everyone should know what this movie is about: Gangster Danny Ocean (George Clooney) plans a super coup and wants to rob three Las Vegas casinos of their money at the same time: $160 million in total. He gathers a team of experts and prepares the adventure of the century, without even realizing its consequences.
Brake (2003)
In the casino, "The Cooler" is the name given to people whose bad aura causes the luck streak of everyone around them to dry up. So if someone gets too lucky during the game, the casino administration sends a brake to the table, and the streak ends. One such brake is Bernie Lutz (William G. Macy), who owes money to his boss Shelly (Alec Baldwin) and takes the job instead. Once he's paid off his debts, Bernie wants to leave, but Shelly won't let him. To keep Bernie, he hires prostitute Natalie (Maria Bello) to have an affair with him and pretend to love him. However, Natalie does fall in love with Bernie, who has been down on his luck ever since, and in this capacity he is of no use to Shelly. An unadorned look at the dirty side of Las Vegas.
Scam (1973)
The 1930s are difficult for the United States: the economic crisis makes life difficult for people, and crime and corruption are constantly increasing. The beneficiary of all this is Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), who makes a lot of money from illegal business, bribery and gambling. When one of his lackeys is supposed to bring money from a bookie to Lonnegan's headquarters, he is set up by two crooks, Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and Luther Coleman (Robert Earl Jones), and robbed. Two robbers do not know whose money they have stolen. However, Lonnegan is not going to give up so easily, and targets the gangster duo of his people.
Cards, Money, Two Barrels (1988)
Guy Ritchie's debut film in 1998 immediately made a big impression: "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" is a stunning crime comedy with great characters, great dialogue and a great script. The film tells the story of a group of small-time crooks who smell the upheaval of their lives at an illegal poker tournament organized by local porn magnate and mob boss Harry Lansdale (P.H. Moriarty). They hire a gambler, Eddie, to break the bank, but things go awry when Eddie is robbed. Not only does the group of crooks lose all their money, they also find themselves in debt to Lansdale. And Lansdale is not the kind of person to be in debt to. The group only has a week to get the money.
Big Kush (2000)
Continuation of Guy Ritchie's "Cards, Money, Two Barrels" was released only two years later, and is no less spectacular than the first film. It deals with the Russian mafia, expensive jewels, illegal sports betting and a fake boxing match. And about not giving too much away: in the end, everything descends into chaos, nothing goes as it should, and everyone involved has more and more problems. Super movie!
James Bond 007 - Casino Royale (2006)
Someone like James Bond is a natural fit in casino establishments, and 007 visited them quite often. But not as often and stylishly as in the legendary Bond film of 2006, the first with Daniel Craig, who replaced Pierce Brosnan and breathed new life into the franchise. Bond's focus is on gangster Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), an obsessed and brilliant poker player who wants to win money for terrorist activities at Casino Royale. It is logical that James Bond tries to prevent this.
Twenty One (2008)
Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is extremely intelligent and would like to study medicine at Harvard. But he cannot afford it, so he must first earn the necessary money. The chance for this is given to him by mathematics professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), who gathered a group of talented students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to make money counting cards in a casino. At first, everything goes well. But little by little, Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), the head of the casino's security service, catches a trick in the games, and a string of winnings alarmed him.
The Big Game (2017)
Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain) was an Olympic skier and lawyer until she got caught up in the world of underground poker. She quickly discovers her talent for organizing illegal competitions and one day organizes her own poker tournament, and quickly becomes successful. Among her clients are actors, sports stars and businessmen, but, unfortunately, also the Russian mafia. This leads to the FBI coming to Molly's house one day with a search warrant - the beginning of the end. The most interesting thing about this story is that it is based on real events.
The Shulers (1988)
In "Shulery" in 1998, the Russians again caused trouble. This time it is the Russian mobster Teddy KGB (John Malkovich), against whom the gifted poker player Mike McDermatt (Matt Damon) loses a lot of money, which makes him want to quit gambling. But when his friend Worm (Edward Norton) is released from prison, he again involves his friend in gambling. And you can probably guess that this is not a good idea.
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
The film "Cincinnati Kid" tells about the confrontation between two great poker players: Eric Stoner (Steve McQueen) and Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson). Stoner wants to beat Howard fair and square and believes he can do it. But his supporters want to help him illegally, which Stoner rejects. Such a position won him no friends. But he fights for his integrity.
Revolver (2005)
Seven years in prison paid off for Jake Green. Thanks to his experienced cellmates, he becomes a complete player when he is released and manages to bring gangster boss Maku to justice. But was it a smart move? An extremely financially profitable evening, puts Jake on Maca's hit list. Because he is not used to losing.
The Hangover in Vegas (2009)
They planned a bachelor party in Vegas that they will never forget. Now they are desperately trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. Who owns the baby in the closet in the Caesar's Palace hotel room? How did the tiger get into the bathroom? Why doesn't one of the boys have a tooth? And most importantly, where is the groom? What guys go through when they're "on" is nothing compared to the shenanigans they have to do when they're sober. They are forced to reconstruct all the bad decisions they made last night, one by one.
Criminal city. Payback (2024)
Original title: "The Roundup: Punishment" is a 2024 South Korean action film directed by Ho Myung Heng. In the fourth part of the series, Ma Dong-seok once again takes on the role of the steadfast detective Ma Seok-do. He joins a cyber-investigative team to track down Baek Chang-gi, a former mercenary and leader of an illegal online gambling organization.
The investigation leads Ma Seok-Do and his team to the Philippines, where they stumble upon a complex web of cybercrime and brutal violence. As they uncover the criminals' machinations, the situation escalates, and Ma must use all her skills to catch the masterminds. Can he take down the online casino criminal organization before it strikes again?
Pokerface (2022)
Poker Face is a 2022 thriller directed by and starring Russell Crowe. The film tells the story of Jake Foley, a tech billionaire and passionate gamer of poker, who invites his childhood friends to an exclusive poker night at his luxurious estate. During the game, Jake finds himself using this meeting to uncover old secrets and get revenge for past scams.
The situation escalates when a group of armed thieves break into the estate, thinking that no one is there. Now the friends have to work together to survive the night and fend off the intruders. In the process, loyalties are tested and hidden truths come out. Will Jake be able to carry out his plans for revenge, or will unexpected events change everything?
Cold Calculation (2021)
"Cold Calculation" is a 2021 thriller film directed by Paul Schrader. In the center of the plot is William Tell, a former military investigator who, after serving a prison sentence, travels the United States as a professional card dealer. His reclusive life changes when he meets Sirk, a young man who seeks revenge against a common enemy. Tell takes Sirk under his wing and tries to talk him out of his revenge plan. Together with gambling agent La Linda, they plan to win big money in big poker tournaments. But the demons of the past catch up with Tell, and he has to face his inner conflicts. Can he find a way to redemption before his past catches up with him forever?
Home (2017)
In the 2017 comedy Undercover Casino, directed by Andrew Jay, Cohen Scott and Kate Johansen (played by Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler) face a big problem: they've lost all of their savings, which were earmarked for their daughter Alex's college education. To pay for their studies, they decide to open an illegal casino in the basement of their house with their friend Frank (Jason Mantzoukas).
At first, things go well, and neighbors flock here to gamble. But soon the Johansens begin to have problems: they have to deal with cheating players, inquisitive representatives of the authorities and real gangsters. The situation escalates as they try to keep their daughter in the dark while continuing to run an illegal business.
The Player (2014)
The movie "The Player" was released in cinemas in 2014. Along with Mark Wahlberg in the lead role, John Goodman and Brie Larson also played supporting roles. The film was directed by Rupert Wyatt, who adapted the screenplay by William Monaghan. In the center of the film is the protagonist Jim Bennett, addicted to gambling and up to his ears in debt. One day, Bennett borrows money from his mother, but loses it, which puts him under even more pressure.
Bennett is forced to earn money illegally. Ultimately, at the end of the film, he manages to get out of debt and overcome his gambling addiction. Not only that, but he also seems to find happiness in love. The film received favorable reviews and shows that gambling can also have an unpleasant side.
Croupier (1998)
The croupier plays a very important role in the casino, because he stands behind the gaming tables and serves the players. The 1998 film The Croupier tells the story of Jack Manfred, who actually wanted to leave his life as a croupier behind, but due to his lack of success as a writer, he is forced to return to the casino. As the film progresses, he becomes more and more involved in the life of this environment. Clive Owen's hero breaks more and more rules imposed on him by his job as a croupier. Among other things, he starts a relationship. The film ends with him writing a book and successfully publishing it.
Star Peppers (2013)
This is a comedy film that was released in theaters in 2013 and was directed by John Turteltaub. Although the film itself did not win an Oscar, it starred an outstanding cast that had already enjoyed success. Along with Mary Steenburgen, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas, five Oscar winners appeared in front of the camera.
Conclusion
There are many genres in the film industry, but the subject of gambling seems to be timeless. Therefore, the question "Why are movies about casinos so popular?" does not seem completely unreasonable. Casino movies have been enthralling a wide audience for decades, from the youth to the older generation. They appeal to viewers who often have a propensity to gamble, and the depiction of risk and fast money is particularly appealing. Therefore, the films skillfully combine the excitement of the game with exciting storylines.