Place your bets, please.
Many people enjoy the thrill of gambling and chance games. What is it about gambling that makes it so exhilarating? Perhaps it’s the rush of the unknown, or the opportunity towin money and suddenly inheritan exciting new life. Whatever the reason, millions of people each year spend time and money in casinos, on lottery and Powerball tickets, and on other forms of gambling.Forbesreported that in 2019, gambling was up to a record number of $43.6 billion and, despitethe worldwide pandemic, numbers continued to be up in 2020 and 2021 as people continued to gamble. People can bet on anything in Vegas and elsewhere, with gamblersplacing bets on everythingfrom who’ll be the next Pope to which celebrity will pass away.
Throughout cinema history, there have been many movies focused on gambling andcasino-related heists. Today, we are taking a look at some of the best to ever be made. These are the films that kept us entertained and kept our eyes glued to the screen from start to finish. Are the odds in your favor? They certainly can be if you choose to watch one of the movies on this list.
6It Could Happen to You
Money doesn’t always make people greedy, as evidenced by the first film on this list,It Could Happen to You,which is based on true events. Kindhearted Police officer Charlie Lang (anexcellent Nicolas Cage) loves his job and loves working in New York City. After eating at a diner, he discovers he has no money to tip waitressYvonneBiasi (Bridget Fonda). So, he promises to return with either double the tip, or half his winning lottery ticket, should it be a winner. Miraculously, Lang’s ticket is the winning one, earning him a grand total of $4 million. Lang keeps his word and returns to the diner to repay Yvonne, much to his wife’s annoyance. This is a sweet meditation on the nature of goodheartedness, with wonderful performances and a light, breezy feel which is humorously incongruent to the big-money win in the film.
5Guys and Dolls
“Luck, if you’ve ever been a lady to begin with, luck be a lady tonight,” as the classic Frank Sinatra song (and gambler’s anthem) goes.Luck may be with you when you watch this 1955 musical comedy starring Sinatra, Vivian Blaine, Marlon Brando, and Jean Simmons.Guys and Dollsfollows gambler Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), who finds himself in need of $1,000. He bets his friend, Sky Masterson (Marlon Brando), that Sky cannot get Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons), who runs the local mission, to agree to a date with him. She agrees under the condition that Sky brings more lost souls to her mission. This classic musical features several well-known songs like “Luck Be a Lady,” “I’ll Know,” and “If I Were a Bell," and suggests that romance means taking a chance and that love is the biggest gamble of all.
Related:Matt Damon Is Game for Ocean’s 14 Whenever Director Steven Soderbergh Is Ready for It
Rain Manis perhaps one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. In this 1988 drama, he plays Charlie Babbitt, a collectibles dealer in need of some quick cash. After his estranged father passes away, he discovers that his dad has left his multimillion-dollar estate to his brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who lives in a mental institution. Charlie learns that Raymond has autism and savant syndrome and possesses the ability to count hundreds of objects and calculate complex problems in his head. Using his brother’s skills, Charlie takes his brother to Las Vegas with the hopes of winning money to cover his debts, ina road trip movie for the ages. Watching Hoffman’s character gamble and win with ease, and Cruise’s high-anxiety scumbag character obsessively react to the thrill of it all, emotionally mimics the rollercoaster ride that is gambling.
3Casino Royale
Even 007 can’t resist a good game of cards. InCasino Royale, James Bond (Daniel Craig) travels to Madagascar where he discovers a link to a terrorist organization and a plot to raise funds by participating in a high-stakes poker game. Now, the winner takes it all as Bond must gamble his way to victory to foil the terrorist’s plot. While the movie is captivating from start to finish, director Martin Campbell was worried that the poker scenes would be boring. “There was a lot of [card] playing in it,” he toldPolygon.“It was the thing I sweated on more than anything else.” Yet, despite his fears, the end result is anything but boring as Bond plays one suave game of poker after another.
Related:Steven Soderbergh Wants to Do Another Ocean’s Eleven Sequel with the Original Cast
2Ocean’s Movies
Sit back and buckle up when you watch these American heist films. The first three Ocean films follow Danny Ocean (George Clooney), and his gang as they plan, scheme, and ruthlessly pull off elaborate heists (loosely based off the Frank Sinatra and Rat Pack original). The original Ocean trilogy was edited, directed, and produced by Steven Soderbergh in what are undoubtedly his mot crowd-pleasing and commercial films. In 2018, Gary Ross wrote and directed the all-female spin-off,Ocean’s Eight,which was lucky enough to feature Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Sarah Paulson, and Rihanna. In total, the four Ocean movies areOcean’s Eleven(2001),Ocean’s Twelve(2004),Oceans Thirteen(2007), andOcean’s Eight(2018), with the 2001 version being the best; Soderbergh’s playful use of color, incredible score, inventive cinematography, and effortless sense of cool created many imitators who could call but never raise that film’s hand.
1The Sting
The Stingfollows friends Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) and Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman) as they team up to swindle a crime boss responsible for the murder of their mutual friend. However, they’ll need to rely on their wits and skills to pull off their big scheme.The Stingfeatures some of the best high-stakes gambling in film history, and brilliantly associates the thrill of a masterful con with the exhilaration of gambling and risking it all. The classic won severalAcademy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director (George Roy Hill), Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, and Best Music Score for its iconic theme. With charming, winning performances and intelligent gambling sequences,The Stingis an easy bet and surefire win.
