The world of gambling, casino in particular, is a fodder for literary and artistic expression, and a number of movies are either centered, based, or prominently feature the game and all the glamour and danger it entails. All too often, movie-based characters taking unforgettable trips to Las Vegas, which is touted as the casino capital of the world, or navigating heart-pounding and sometimes life-threatening high stakes transactions—in the casino. Read on to find out more about the top 5 most memorable casino movies in history.
The Hangover
The Hangover trilogy exploits the “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” trope, with a group of friends going to Vegas and engaging in high-stakes gambling and other shenanigans in a whirlwind weekend or week, getting high and drunk and not remembering anything afterwards. Their adventures often lead the group of friends into trouble, which is what makes the movies stand out in their unabashedly laugh-out-loud, boisterous and no-good, no-clean fun and humor.
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Eleven and its successors Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen explore the rigors of undertaking casino heists from the world’s most high-profile casinos. Ocean’s Eleven targets the 3 biggest casinos in Las Vegas – the Bellagio, the Mirage and MGM Grand—all owned by a single tycoon Terry Benedict.
Ocean’s Twelve sees Danny and his friends having to return the $160 million loot they robbed from the Bellagio Hotel Casino back in Ocean’s Eleven in order to avoid being killed, making the saying ‘what goes around, comes around’ ring quite prominently.
In Ocean’s Thirteen, Danny and his friends undertake an ambitious plot in order to avenge a friend who was double-crossed by a ruthless casino owner.
Casino
This aptly-titled film directed by Martin Scorsese focuses on the “two-faced quality of Las Vegas”: on the one hand, the glitz and glamour that come along with playing high stakes and making it big, and on the other, brutal and violent dealings that often come along with it. The film delves into the harsh realities of the mob, the gang, the mafia and doing ‘business’ with casino gangsters.
Casino Royale
This 2004 remake of the classic 1976 film stars James Bond, who plays the ‘most important poker game of his career’, in order to secure international security. This film is appealing to both casino fans and James bond films alike, involving the world’s top terrorists, bankers, a high-stakes game of Texas Hold’em in Montenegro, and top secret agents.
The Gambler
In the 2014 movie The Gambler, Mark Wahlberg (Lone Survivor, Shooter) stars as literature professor Jim Bennett living a double life as a high-stakes gambler. The plot centers around Jim taking quite a big risk, borrowing from a gangster and offering his own life as collateral. He must risk everything again for a shot at a second chance as he catches the attention of a loan shark during his dealings in an illicit gambling ring and as his relationship with a student deepens.
