5 best casino films ever from Hollywood

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Casinos provide an awesome experience that is unique from other forms of entertainment. The luxury adrenaline and rush surrounding it give a unique feeling and experience. Although technology has been tremendous and has eliminated the need to travel long distances to gamble, the fun remains unchanged.

Nowadays, there are ample opportunities to have more fun with the advent of live dealer casino games. Live dealer gaming provides a hybrid experience that mirrors what is available at physical casinos when gambling online. Classic games like roulette, blackjack, poker, and more can be played online with a real dealer – this is made possible by streaming technology that allows players to see and interact with others as well as with a dealer from a live studio. Consequently, live dealer roulette online casinos are now widespread and available to players globally.

The awesomeness of casinos is widespread that it even rubs on various industries, including the movie industry. Casinos have inspired many novels and films and will continue to inspire more. As expected, Hollywood, a global central studio system, has invested in a fair share of these films. In this post, we’ll examine Hollywood’s five best casino films. They include:

Casino Royale

Casino Royale is one of the best casino movies to ever grace the cinemas. The movie was first launched in 1973 and was based on Ian Fleming’s novel ‘Casino Royale,’ which was about James Bond’s adventures.

The movie was relaunched in 2006, with Martin Campbell as the director and Daniel Craig in the leading role. In the plot, Le Chiffre is a mob banker and confidant to the world’s most dangerous terrorists. He needed money to keep his life in the dangerous client base he had built up and hence had to attend a game of Texas Hold ’em in Monte Carlo to win some money.

James Bond and the foreign agent, Vesper Lynd, must also participate in the casino game to prevent Le Chiffre from winning and walking away with the money. Bond had to play the best poker game of his life to achieve this goal. The fighting, class, clever wordplay, high risk, and wealth displayed in this movie make it one of the most remarkable movies in cinema history for the casino theme.

Ocean Eleven

Ocean Eleven is another movie launched many decades ago but came back as a blockbuster when relaunched. Although the movie isn’t about gambling, it’s about the most iconic heists ever made and shot in a hotel and casino.

In the plot, Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney, pulls together a team of risky and talented individuals to pull off the biggest heist. The planned target? Las Vegas’ most prominent establishments – 3 casinos, all at once.

The twist and turns in the story, the realistic movie production, the excellent acting, and the actual shooting of the movie in real-life casinos are some of the reasons why this flick is one of the best casino movies of all time.

Rounders

This movie features Matt Damon, playing Mike McDermott, wreaking havoc in a casino. Mike is a law student, a poor kid who is very talented in poker. However, he gave up gambling when he was beaten to near death by a Russian mobster over a game. Everything changed when his childhood friend was released from prison. Mike had to return to the tables to save his friend from the snarls of loan sharks.

Rounders was directed by John Dahl and is one of the most iconic casino films ever. It’s interestingly different from other gambling movies because it did talk about compulsive gambling in huge glorifying lights. Overall, the movie is very entertaining and shows that the scriptwriter and the main characters are well-versed in the poker game.

Casino

Another all-time classic casino film is ‘Casino.’ As the saying goes, ‘Martin Scorsese never takes it lightly.’ A coin has two sides, and this movie highlighted that fact by hoeing the two sides of the coin of Vegas – the fame, riches, and glamour contrasted by the cruel and damaging dealings behind the scenes. This film is based on actual life events described in a non-fictional book by Nicholas Pileggi.

In the plot, Robert De Niro acted as a retired gangster called Sam Rothstein, who manages casinos in Vegas. His seemingly normal lifestyle was shattered when his past came back to haunt him.

This flick details how Rothstein stole from the casinos he managed and still covers his tracks. The way he stole from table games, gift shops, restaurants, and even slot machines. It also went further to explain what to do with this loot, especially the ones that are not physical money like the slot coins.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This film is directed by Terry Gilliam and is based on a famous novel. In the movie, Hunter S. Thompson, played by Johnny Depp, makes a road trip through Western America fueled by drugs. His lawyer accompanied him on the trip after they’d spent the vast money given to them to cover a sporting event for a magazine on drugs.

The primary purpose for embarking on the trip is to look for the American Dream. They encountered many things in the “Sin City” side of Vegas. They had trouble with the police, gamblers, drug dealers, and almost everyone else they encountered on their trip.

Conclusion

Casino movies are very entertaining. Each film tells a different story and paints a different picture of the famous gambling world. All the movies listed above are great and feature great actors. If you haven’t seen them, it’s time you do.