Gambling is nearly as old as the human civilization itself. Games of chance always fascinated people and were one of the most common forms of entertainment. It is also often a central topic in movies and TV series. Let’s take a look at some of the top-ranked movies on gambling-related topics.
GBC Time has prepared the list of the highest-rated movies that feature gambling themes. According to the IMDB website, these are the 10 best gambling films.
The Sting – 8.3
This 1973 movie stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The director George Roy Hill even was awarded an Oscar for The Sting.
The premise is simple: Redford’s character, Johnny Hooker, teams up with the grifter played by Newman, Henry Gorgoff, to avenge his partner’s death. Two con men set up a massive scheme in motion. Gorgoff is an avid gambler and loves cheating, Moreover, high-stakes poker games play a key role in the con and are one of the best scenes in the movie.
Casino – 8.3
This 1995 Martin Scorsese film is considered a classic of gangster movies. The cast includes Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, known for the other Scorsese masterpiece – Goodfellas.
De Niro portrays Sam Ace Rothstein – a meticulous gambler in the past and casino owner now. Pesi plays Nicky Santoro – a ruthless Mafiosi. Two start as best friends, but soon they become the worst enemies who compete for the gambling empire.
In Casino, you can see slot machines, casino aesthetics, meticulous money laundering schemes, and cheating gamblers.
Casino Royale – 8.0
The legendary Casino Royale is the first James Bond movie that stars Daniel Craig – one of the favorite Agent 007 of all time. In 2007, the film won a prestigious BAFTA Award.
The movie tells the story of James Bond earning 007 status and a license to kill. The love story between agent 007 and Vesper Lynd also takes place in the movie.
The most important part of the film, however, is the game of Texas Hold’em between Bond, his villain Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), and other players.
The Hustler – 8.0
This 1961 movie won two Oskar awards:
- For best cinematography;
- For the best art direction and set decoration.
Unlike most of the movies on this list, The Huster is set in a billiard hall instead of a casino. Paul Newman plays a hustler Fast Eddie Felson, who gets in trouble when he falls for an alcoholic woman. Now, Felson has to beat the number-one pool player in the country.
Bob le Flambeur – 7.6
This black-and-white French film was first released in 1956. The title means Bob the High Roller or Bob the Gambler. Played by Robert Duchesne, the foresaid Rob is an aging gambler and ex-gangster who decides to rob a casino after losing a big sum of money on games of chance. Bob meticulously plans the robbery but his gambling addiction gets ahold of him. Instead of robbing the casino, he starts gambling there up until the police come in.
Uncut Gems – 7.4
This is not a classic Adam Sandler comedy and is dubbed the actor’s best work ever. The 2019 Uncut Gems is a crime drama.
In this film, Sandler plays Howard Rather – a New York jeweler who has tons of debt and gambling addiction. Rather cannot help but spend all his money on sports betting. When creditors start coming after him, Howard has to come up with the big sums of money quickly. At the time, Rather’s addiction gets ahold of him. Adam Sandler’s stupendous performance allows viewers to see the real face of the gambling addiction.
The Cincinnati Kid – 7.2
The Cincinnati Kid came out in movie theaters back in 1965. And since then, it stays a timeless classic of gambling films. Some critics compare it to another movie on this list – The Hustler. In 1966, The Cincinnati Kid’s Joan Blondell won a Golden Globe for the best-supporting actress.
The plot is centered around a high-stakes poker game, where the lead, played by Steve McQueen, plays against a poker pro – Lancy the Man Howard. The name of the movie comes from the five-stud game played during the match – the Cincinnati Kid. While Texas Hold’em remains the most popular poker variation now, it was officially recognized only in 1967, two years after the movie was released.
God of Gamblers – 7.2
This list would not be complete without at least one Hong Kong film. The 1989 God of Gamblers fits perfectly for that role. The movie’s cast includes two biggest Hong Kong actors:
- Chow Yun-Fat;
- Andy Lau.
Lau plays Michael Chan, a street hustler who accidentally befriends the master gambler who suffers from memory loss – Ko Chun (played by Yun-Fat). In a course of the events, Chan discovers that Ko Chun has supernatural gambling skills and tries to take advantage of him.
God of Gamblers was directed by well-known filmmaker Jing Wong, who shot over 100 movies. In 1900. The movie was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Awards.
The Gambler – 7.1
All-time movie classic – The Gambler – tells a story of a literature professor Axel Freed who has a knack for gambling. When it comes to games of chance, Axel simply cannot help himself. When he loses all his money, Axel borrows from his girlfriend, his mother, and finally from some loan sharks. This 1974 masterfully depicts gambling addiction and its repercussions.
In 2014, Paramount Pictures remade the movie, starring Mark Wahlberg as the main character.
Croupier – 7.0
Released in 1998, this noir movie perfectly displays the atmosphere of a casino. Unlike most of the films on this list, Croupier follows a fellow casino dealer instead of a player. The main character, Jack Manfred, is an aspiring novelist who starts working as a croupier in a casino for money and to research for his book. Played by Clive Owens, he begins to immerse more into the casino world. According to critics, this is one of the most realistic movies about gambling.
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