by Ben Stamos
With so many movies out there worth considering, the website FruityKing.co.uk decided to publish the results of their poll and here is what the fans named some of the best gambling films ever made!
Molly’s Game
One of the most recent gambling movies is Molly’s Game, released in 2017 and based on a real story. It is a fascinating narrative that has Jessica Chastain in the leading role, as she tells the story of Molly Bloom, a successful US Olympic skier. After suffering an injury that forced her out of the competitive landscape, she decided that gambling could provide a worthy alternative.
Her uncanny ability of doing business with wealthy individuals helped her organise some of the most amazing high-stakes poker games in the US. Her adventure started with running games for millionaires, before organising her own poker nights. As expected, the authorities get involved and Molly ends up being prosecuted for running an illegal gambling ring, with all the legal implications of such a charge.
Rounders
More than two decades after it was released in 1998, Rounders is still widely regarded as one of the best poker movies ever made. It has the merit of making the game popular worldwide, by highlighting the key aspects of the game. Matt Damon brilliantly succeeded at portraying Mike McDermott on his quest to offset the losses suffered at poker tables against Russian mobsters.
Strong characters, such as Teddy KGB make the movie even more exciting while turning the game into a battle of wills. While some poker scenes might be exaggerated, the intensity of high-stakes poker games is there. Rounders has the merit of highlighting the volatility of a game where luck can cause huge upsets, but skill and intelligence weigh heavily in the balance.
Casino
Any list containing the best gambling movies of all time would be incomplete without Casino. Martin Scorsese did a brilliant job with this film which was produced in 1995 and it is still a pleasure to watch 26 years later. It depicts the atmosphere of Las Vegas many decades ago when mobsters ran some of the biggest casinos in town.
The stellar cast includes Robert de Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci among other Hollywood superstars. The narrative is immersive and the dialogue exceptionally good, making Casino a fascinating movie from start to finish. It offers a little bit of everything, being the perfect mix between a mobster movie and a gambling themed film, therefore a must-watch.
