Top 5 Casino Films for Movie Newbies
Casino films are a fantastic option for a movie night. If you are just getting into films, you will find that casino films are usually packed with high stakes and last-minute twists. Here are five of the best casino films that you need to watch soon!
Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale was the 21st Bond film and the first in Daniel Craig’s tenure. It saw Bond enter a high-stakes poker tournament that saw him face off against Mads Mikkelsen’s Le Chiffre, a terrorist financier. It helped to reinvent the character of Bond and kicked things off spectacularly. The scenes set in the casino in Montenegro are tense and packed with action, and definitely serve as some of the high points of the film.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
It might not be your traditional casino film, but Ocean’s Eleven does have a casino heist at the heart of it. George Clooney leads an all-star ensemble cast in this remake of the 1960s Rat Pack film. A group of thieves plans to rob the Mirage, the Bellagio, and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas simultaneously. Their journey to do so, and the twist at the end of the film, will have every heist lover on the edge of their seat.
Casino (1995)
Directed by Martin Scorsese, Casino is yet another collaboration between the director and Robert De Niro. Anyone who has played a game or two at an online casino will recognise some of the trappings of the casino world in this epic drama. It follows De Niro as his character Sam runs the Tangiers Casino and has to deal with the Mafia, the casino operations, and his own relationships and issues. This is a critically acclaimed film that should be on the must-watch list for every casino buff.
21 (2008)
21 is based on a true story of a team from MIT who used card-counting to win big at casinos in Las Vegas. The film starred Jim Sturgess and Kevin Spacey as the star of the team and the professor who recruits them respectively. Its focus on blackjack over other casino games makes it stand out from a majority of other casino films that tend to focus on poker if they have a game at the heart of them.
California Split (1974)
Thought to be one of the best films of the 1970s, California Split stars George Segal and Elliot Gould as Bill and Charlie, two men who become friends over a shared love of gambling. The film features a high stakes poker game in Reno followed by a long sequence of gambling across different games – from poke to craps and more. It is a great way to gain some insight into gambling from all facets. California Split might not be as action-packed as some of the films on this list, but it is definitely worth watching.
These are five casino films that all movie lovers need to check out at some point. Which one will you watch first? It could be just the title for your next movie night!
