Casinos, bets and money have become one of the most intriguing topics in our society. It is not surprising that the film industry has decided to take inspiration from the universe that hides behind this gaming paradise. In the world of cinema you can see a multitude of realities, where casinos are in the background or even as one more character in the action. You can see that the atmosphere in these films is unique, whether they are criminal, outlandish, hilarious, tense or anecdotal.
Rain Man
Rain Man is a film from 1988 starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. The film is about two brothers, Charlie and Raymond. Charlie finds out after the death of his father of the existence of the Raymond, who is also the legitimate heir of his father. The special thing about Raymond is that he is autistic. In the film, the protagonists spend a night in Las Vegas, where they manage to win a lot of money in a casino thanks to Raymond’s great ability to play. The film won four awards at the Oscars in 1989, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman.
Sydney
Paul Thomas Anderson entered the world of casinos with the film Sydney in 1996. Directed and written by him, it featured Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow and Samuel L. Jackson in the main cast. The film presents the union between Sydney, a veteran gambler and John, a young man who needs money to bury his mother. After convincing the young man to try gambling, they both go to the casinos to get the money they both need. This fleeting happiness will be interrupted two years later, when Clementine appears on the scene, a waitress and prostitute who is willing to do anything for money.
Croupier
Croupier is a film from 1998 directed by Mike Hodges and written by Paul Mayesberg. The film narrates the experiences of Jack Manfred, a young man who dreams of being a professional writer. While facing quite serious economic problems, he decides to start working as a croupier in a casino in order to improve his financial situation. However, what begins as a job to survive, ends up being the vehicle to establish a relationship with a woman who takes him down turbulent roads. The film was among the top ten films of 2000 for the National Board of Review. In addition, it was also nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Awards for best film.
Ocean´s Eleven
Steven Soderbergh started the “Ocean’s” franchise with Ocean’s Eleven in 2001. It starred faces well known to the public such as George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy García or Julia Roberts. The plot followed Danny Ocean, a charismatic thief who, after getting out of prison, decides to plan the biggest casino heist in history. In order to do this, he will gather eleven people, each a master in his field, in order to carry out his plan. The only complication is that the owner of the casinos is the current partner of his ex-wife. In casino films of this kind spectators have the opportunity to enjoy watching many games of chance which nowadays can also be played online and for free, for instance, to play at free casino table games, where you can gamble for free or real money on hundreds of classic casino games at the portal VegasSlotsOnline. The good thing is that these online casinos use the best technologies to ensure that user data is secure and the games are fair.
21Black Jack
Robert Luketic released 21: Black Jack in 2008, inspired by the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The film showed the success of a group of young university students who, through mathematics and statistics, develop the key to be able to win in Las Vegas casinos and thus be able to pay for university tuition. The plan is perfect and there is no a single loose end, since they have the help of Micky Rosa, a statistics genius who shows them all the tricks necessary to rob casinos. Seduced by the idea of amassing great fortunes, Ben joins the group. However, the risk will increase and they will have to always be one step ahead of Cole Williams, one of the most terrible security chiefs.
In conclusion, these casino films are the best option for you especially if you are into robbery and theft too.