by Alex Truman
These gambling related films embraced a wide range of historical eras and regions. After all, many of them transport everyone to areas like Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Monte Carlo and contain intriguing poker plays as well as exciting scenarios. The adventure will bring us all into the worlds of drama, mafia, and some of the best comedies available. Now, let us begin our walk through the finest cinematic accomplishments in the gambling sector.
The Cincinnati Kid
The gambling scene has always been fiercely competitive, with several gamers striving for the number one spot. The Cincinnati Kid, generally regarded as one of the greatest gambling films of all time, tells a story of youthful aspiring gambler Eric “The Kid” Stoner, who sets out to take on a resigned security guard, notably the world’s finest gambler, Lancey “The Man” Howard. The Cincinnati Kid illustrates the realm of casinos and gambling as it was before flashy tournaments and before the introduction of top internet casinos. The actors are conceited beyond belief, and they are so certain in their gambling abilities that they are prepared to sacrifice it all in only one match to demonstrate they are the greatest.
Mississippi Grind
Mississippi Grind, another film about gambling based on poker, following a pair of young gamblers on their journey to New Orleans. This duo are both excellent Hold’em experts and are slightly impulsive, which results in a variety of amusing and thrilling scenarios. The participants’ aim is to travel to New Orleans, win poker games and to eventually keep winning in high stakes poker games. After all, things just take unexpected turns along the road, making the whole encounter less than optimum for the duo.
21 (2008)
The tale of MIT’s hugely successful blackjack squad has become something of a classic throughout gamblers all around the globe. 21 is a thriller featuring Kevin Spacey that depicts this well-known incident in an innovative and entertaining manner. The film follows the lives of intelligent and bright MIT students led by Ben, a lucky mathematics student. A smart instructor convinces Ben and many other pupils to establish a group and travel to Atlantic City to utilise card counting tactics to cheat the casino out of millions of dollars at the blackjack tables. Nevertheless, as is customary, things quickly deteriorate. A combination of bad timing, massive egos, and vigilant security personnel turns the scenario into a nightmare.
Owning Mahowny
Owning Mahowny, another one of the best casino movies of all time, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as a real-life Canadian bank manager who went far off. Owning Mahowny is a real story-based film that depicts the symptoms of a serious gambling habit. This is a very good legend! Accessibility to large sums of money, a penchant for gaming, and infrequent excursions to Atlantic City… Before all is said and done, Mahowny finds himself owing a large amount of money with no practical manner of repaying it. This film provides a genuine glimpse into the mind of a compulsive gambler by depicting both the insane side of casinos and the humanistic aspect of a person dealing with addiction.
Casino (1995)
Casino, produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, seems to be a film that thoroughly captures the genuine Las Vegas, the actual Sin City. Ace, a smart mafia-related handicapper who is recruited to undertake a task for the family, is played by Robert De Niro. The role entails running The Tangiers, another of the Strip’s earliest casinos. Ace is an Irishman and will never be a righteous man, so he is offered “assistance” from a criminal named Nicky Santoro. Add Sharon Stone as the gorgeous Ginger, a sex worker who wins Ace’s heart, and you have a classic Las Vegas romance-drama on your hands. It’s really the incredible performances of Stone, De Niro and Pesci, combined with Scorsese’s masterful touches, which marks Casino as one of the best gambling films ever directed.
Rounders (1998)
This poker film is considered the biggest masterpiece by poker players. Rounders‘ major star is Matt Damon, who plays Mike McDermott, a rising superstar in New York’s underworld gambling scene. Mike loses his whole fortune in a large stakes poker session against Russian mob bosses near the beginning of the film. He promises to do everything in the “right” manner from now on and stops playing cards for a time. However, Mike’s old poker partner Worm’s discharge from jail drives him back down the path of gambling and poker. They run into additional difficulties with the bad guys, including Teddy KGB, and Mike is obliged to repair Worm’s errors.