Gambling has always been a thing of interest for a lot of movie makers. Even though gambling is slowly starting to move to the online world, enabling people to use bitcoin and online bonuses to gamble, the popularity of physical casinos is not going to wane anytime soon. Casinos speak about money, luxury, fame, but also action and crime, so it comes to a no surprise that today you have dozens of Hollywood classics that revolve around this subject.
Some movies are about gambling itself, while others only use casinos as a place for their story. Whichever the case, here is a list of some of the most popular movies with a gambling theme.
Croupier
Released in 1998, this crime and drama movie directed by Mike Hodges features a story about a writer who gets a job at a local casino as a croupier. The main protagonist played by Clive Owen finds this to be an ideal inspiration for a novel as he meets some interesting characters at his new job.
An original Ocean’s 11 came out in 1960 and it featured stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. However, a 2001 remake is often connected to this title instead. It is a story of a well-known thief named Danny Ocean (played by George Clooney) and his team of 11 people that are on a mission to rob several Las Vegas casinos on the same night. The movie was a huge success, followed by two sequels and one more coming up in June 2018.
Casino Royale
James Bond and casino movies definitely go hand in hand. Although most Bond movies portray agent 007 as a gambling man, you can say that Casino Royale is probably the only one where gambling is actually the main story. The newest of Bonds, Daniel Craig, plays a part in which he must play a game of high-stakes poker against a notorious terrorist named Le Chiffre.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Although this movie is not so much about gambling itself, it really portrays the true nature of Vegas in the 70’s. Written by Hunter S. Thompson, this book was made into a movie in 1998, starring Johnny Depp as the main protagonist called Raoul Duke. Raoul and his lawyer engage in a series of psychedelic antics, wandering around Las Vegas and tripping under the bright casino lights.
Revolver
If you’re used to seeing comedies from the famous British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, “Revolver” is certainly not going to be what you expect. It’s a story about a gambler named Jake Green who is forced to take part in a poker game by a gang boss. When things turn bad, and the money goes missing, Green gets in trouble and eventually finds himself in solitary confinement, where he starts learning about chess.
Rounders
This great movie came out in 1998 and it’s one of the best poker-themed flicks ever. A former gambler named Mike McDermott (played by Matt Damon) must return to playing poker in order to help his friend in trouble who owes big money to loan sharks.
Casino
The best we saved for last and Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” is without a doubt the most legendary movie with a gambling theme. A story about two gangsters played by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci and their casino enterprise lasts for more than 3 hours and is considered to be one of the best mafia movies as well.
