Gambling and casinos have always played high stakes in movies over the decades – the world of glamour, intrigue and betting lends itself to dramatic and immersive scenes. With classic movies like Ocean’s Eleven and Casino making stars out of the Vegas casinos themselves, there are plenty to choose from.
Here’s a look at just some of the casino and gambling movies to look out for – and next time you’re in a casino with a whole host of games available, take a look around and see whether your trip could be as exciting as any of these Hollywood versions!
The Hangover (2009)
Casinos are just part of this comedy hit film’s modus operandi – it’s a simple tale of a bunch of guys who hit Vegas for a stag do, only to get horribly drunk and lose the groom. Massively successful at the box office, and spawner of two sequels, follow the cast of Ed Helms, Bradley Cooper and Mike Tyson hamming it up in and around the casinos of Vegas – and there is even some actual gambling along the way!
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
In this remake of the classic Rat Pack film, Clooney heads up a cast for the Millenium as they plan to steal from three Vegas casinos in a massive heist. Choosing the Bellagio, the MGM Grand and the Mirage means plenty of casino action on screen as well as a slick script and sharply written story – it’s light, suave and very sexy.
21 (2008)
This stylish number features Kevin Spacey as a maths professor who leads his group of students into a conspiracy of tricks to beat the casino using card counting and various signals. Actually loosely based on a true story, it focuses on the group winning millions of dollars from Vegas casinos and enjoying their ill gotten gains. It’s really slick and the game sequences are great.
Runner, Runner (2013)
One of the new crop of casino movies, this takes in the world of online casinos as Justin Timberlake’s naive college boy gets caught up with Ben Affleck’s dodgy kingpin. It’s a hard to believe plotline, and although that’s not exactly rare when it comes to casino movies, something about this one makes it even harder to swallow. Still, it’s a different take on the casino movie and if you’re a fan of Timberlake’s earnest performances, it’s still a winner – hard to believe Affleck can turn in stellar performances based on his show in this though.
Last Vegas (2013)
This is an outright winner thanks to its stellar cast – it’s hard to go wrong with a film starring the likes of Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Michael Douglas. In a very different take on the bachelor weekend in Vegas, the plot follows a group of friends in their 60s on their trip to Vegas to celebrate Douglas’s wedding to a much younger woman. It’s a comedy character study as the group comes to terms with ageing and the change in Vegas and their friendships. Definitely worth checking out.
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