If you ask any casino lover what their favorite casino or gambling movie is they’ll probably give you a long list, but will find it hard to give you only one name. Who doesn’t love a good movie with a dramatic storyline and a big win? We have put together a list of what we consider the best 5 casino movies ever made, not in any particular order.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
The 2001 version of Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of the classic 1960 version that starred Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop. The star studded cast of the newer movie includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, Bernie Mac and Julia Roberts.
Danny Ocean, freshly released from prison wants to score the biggest casino heist in history. He puts together a team of 11 con artists who work together to target three of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas and rob 150 million in one night.
Casino Royale (2006)
What could be better than a James Bond movie based in a Casino? James Bond (staring Daniel Craig) is on a mission in Madagascar when things go wrong. He then follows a lead to the Bahamas where he learns that Le Chiffre, banker to the world’s terrorist organizations is planning to raise money in a high-stakes poker game at the Casino Royale in Montenegro.
Casino (1995)
This Martin Scorsese film, staring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci and James Woods, depicts the corrupt inner workings of a Las Vegas casino. A movie that shows the glamorous face of Vegas along with all the greed, power, deception and money that go with it.
Sam “Ace” Rothstein runs the mob-owned Tangiers casino, and helps make it successful. But, over the years his friend Nicky Santoro and his wife, Ginger, and ex-hustler put him in danger. Casino was inspired by a true story and is considered by many to be the best of all casino movies.
Croupier (1998)
Jack (Clive Owen) is a croupier who wants to be a writer. Jack tell his story and makes sure to mention that he is not a gambler, although he was born into the world of gambling and even though he doesn’t gamble at the tables, it is how he leads his life.
This movie shows the side of the casino through the eyes of the people who work there.
21 (2008)
21 is based on a true story of a group of MIT students who were trained by their professor to count cards. The group travelled to Las Vegas on the weekends to win at blackjack. 21 tells the story of Ben, who needs to make money to pay for his tuition to Harvard and where the cards take him. The movie stars Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts, Aaron Yoo, and Kieu Chinh.
If you haven’t yet seen these casino movies – what are you waiting for? These are just the first in a long list of must-see gambling and casino movies.
