The most famous casino and gambling films

The world of gambling and casinos has always grabbed the interest of not only gaming enthusiasts, but also of show business. This is especially true of directors and producers who have regularly focused their attention and work on this fascinating world, with its riches and luxury.

One of the first, and certainly most enrapturing, films to capture the essence of gambling was “The Sting”; with two Hollywood stars of the time, Robert Redford and Paul Newman playing two grifters, or confidence tricksters, involved in a series of bets and homicides. The film was released in the now-distant 1973 and won a much-deserved Oscar for photography.

More recently, we saw the 1995 release of the film “Casinò”, with Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci. The film describes to perfection the various aspects of the world of Las Vegas and its casinos, Starting with the years in which gaming was controlled by the underworld and gangland interests controlled most betting, the film is well produced and boasts a real calibre cast.

“Rounders” came out in 1998 and represents a ‘must’ for enthusiasts of Texas Hold’em poker. It tells the story of a student, Mike (Matt Damon), who loses in the region of $ 25,000. However, what should theoretically be his last ‘hand’ ignites the desire for revenge – aided by his childhood friend Worm (played by Edward Norton), recently released from prison and keen to lend a helping hand.

“The Cooler” takes a much more light-hearted and entertaining look at the world of gambling. The out-of-luck leading player is assigned the role of cooler by the casino, hoping that his streak of bad luck will rub off on the other players. All goes according to plan until the arrival of a girl who starts to change his luck and the course of events.

Stepping further back in time takes us to a masterpiece from the 1970’s, “California Split” (1974). This excellent film by Robert Altman features a pair of hard gamblers, played by Charlie Waters (Elliot Gould) and Bill Denny (George Segal). The chance meeting in California of two players completely absorbed by a game that has become nothing less than an out-and-out obsession, sees their lives change drastically. One interesting feature in the film is the performance of former WSOP champion – as himself – Amarillo “Slim” Preston.

Last but not least among the best gambling films, is the recently released “21”, by Robert Luketic. Based on true events, the film tells the story of Ben Campbell, a brilliant mathematics student, and a group of fellow classmates who use their skills of calculation under the guidance of professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) to invent and take advantage of a complex system of card counting to win at blackjack. Every weekend, the group head of to Las Vegas to break the bank. All’s well until they come under the suspicious eye of a security guard who makes it his mission in life to ruin forever their desire to play at blackjack.

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