Top 5: Casino-themed movies of all time
Considering how much of a grand backdrop casinos can provide in a movie, it’s fair to say that they haven’t featured in movies as often as some people might think. Even when we collated our top five films today, there’s not a huge range to choose from. Sure, movies might feature an odd scene or two in a casino, but the number of films that actually revolve around the inner workings of a casino or have multiple scenes set in and around them is minimal.
There are still some great films to choose from, though, and if the glitz and glamour of a casino is right up your street, then we’ve tried to handpick the films that we think will most appeal to you. We appreciate that casino gaming has changed since many of these classics first hit the big screen. Gone are the days of Vegas being the only location people would travel to so they could play a few casino games,
Online casinos are the gravitational force pulling the rest of the gambling world along with them. While land-based casinos offer something different to a new casino site, there’s no disputing the industry’s dynamic forces, and there’s still a market for both types of casinos. Our list today will bring land-based casinos into focus.
Now, we know the notion of a “best film” list causes a stir, and objectivity can quickly turn any such discussion into a heated, mudslinging competition. So, we’ve listed our top five casino-themed movies in no particular order.
Ocean’s Eleven
Ocean’s Eleven is a who’s who of Hollywood A-listers from the 21st century, including:
- Brad Pitt
- Don Cheadle
- Julia Roberts
- Matt Damon
- George Clooney
Based on the Rat Pack original from the 1960s – with the same premise – the team must assemble the perfect heist group, seeking to strike at a Vegas casino. Now, it doesn’t have the sort of gritty, deep crime storyline that some heist films do; as you can tell by the cast, it was all about big budget, sharp lines and bringing in the box office revenue, albeit lacking plot depth.
However, as far as casino films go, it’s right up there as one of the definitive in this niche genre, and while it received a mixed response from critics and online movie reviews, it was an enormous box office success.
Casino
Martin Scorsese hinted that he was up for making a casino movie not long after the success of Goodfellas in 1990. However, it wasn’t until five years later that he turned up with the usual suspects – Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci – to detail how Sam “Ace” Rothstein oversaw the daily activities at the fictional Tangiers Casino on behalf of his overseeing mafioso bosses.
Some critics said that Casino didn’t quite have the snap, storyline or iconic soundtrack in the way Goodfellas did. But it’s pretty unfair to compare a film to Goodfellas, right? This Scorsese classic, you could argue, is the epitome of a casino-themed movie.
The title, the setting, the whole storyline, multiple backdrops on the glitzy Vegas strip and the fantastic cinematography showcase the vastness of the desert that surrounds Nevada’s biggest city. It doesn’t get much more casino-themed than this, and it’s a film that stands out, even among the timeless collection of Scorsese flicks.
Casino Royale
Another blockbuster of its time brought in an enormous audience. Now, we know Casino Royale is obviously a James Bond film; it was the first of Daniel Craig’s phenomenal appearances as the famous British spy, the world-renowned 007.
It’s actually the second Casino Royale film, with the first one having been released in the 1960s. However, given that the whole film revolves around the stand-off between Bond and the main villain over a high-stakes poker game with a prize pool that stretches beyond £100 million, we’d say it definitely fits into the category of one of the best casino-themed movies.
While perennial critics might like to stir the pot and try to infer that it’s not among the top Bond films, its box office performance, critical rating and ability to stand the test of time makes it a no-brainer as one of the top Bond films and casino-based action classics.
The Hangover
It might be touch and go to classify The Hangover as a casino film, but given that the whole storyline takes place in Vegas across multiple casinos and features one of the most iconic, casino-based comedy scenes of all time when Alan channels his inner Rain Man to win big on blackjack, we’re putting it on the list.
Initially, the film was touted to be a mild success. However, after huge box office numbers in its opening week, The Hangover became one of the highest-grossing films of 2009 and is now widely considered one of the defining comedies of the decade.
As with many successful films, Warner Bros tried to capitalise on its colossal success by releasing a sequel, and later, a trilogy, but neither quite captured the essence of what made the original such a captivating and era-defining, casino-based comedy classic.
Croupier
Of course, croupier is another name for a live dealer in a casino. This 1998 film starring Clive Owen focuses on a croupier who becomes embroiled in the murky world of crime and crime bosses looking to cheat a London casino. Although some elements of the film might feel a tad dated, it was released over 25 years ago, so we’d say there’s a bit of leeway for Clive in this one.
While it might not be one of the first films that springs to mind when discussing the top casino-themed movies, it’s one of the more underrated Clive Owen classics. Clive Owen was in the running to play James Bond before Daniel Craig landed the role, and Croupier gives you a good idea of what he might have looked like as 007. We think he’d have done a fantastic job, especially if he was facing off at the poker table against Le Chiffre.
Conclusion
Casino-themed movies are relatively difficult to come by, but we’ve tried to cover a few different angles here – it’s a mixture of comedy, crime and landmark action films, and maybe we’ve stretched the definition of a casino film a little bit further than the conventional framework you’d expect. Honourable mentions are reserved for a few other films, too, such as:
- Rounders
- California Split
- Uncut Gems
- 21
If you haven’t seen any of these films, we recommend checking them out. They all have something unique to offer. We’d also say there’s probably a gap in the market right now for a solid, casino-themed film. A decent one hasn’t emerged for a while – not one that drills right into the whole idea of the industry or how a casino works, not in the same way as Scorsese did with Casino back in 1995, anyway. But if you’re looking for a casino-themed flick, you can’t go wrong with any of those we’ve mentioned here.
