Our review of the 10 best gambling movies of all time
I've seen them all and many more. Here are my top 10 gambling movies of all time.
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1# Casino
Director Martin Scorsese reunites with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci from GoodFellas for a three-hour epic. De Niro is superb as Sam 'Ace' Rothstein. Sharon Stone wins an Oscar nomination for her role as 'Ginger'.
It may be 3 hours long but the acting is superb, and Scorsese shows himself to be a genius behind the camera. Brutal in parts, this movie shows Vegas at the time when the mafia had a real stranglehold on American society. This truly is a gritty great movie. |
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2# The Cincinnati Kid
Steve McQueen is brilliant in his role as a young poker player with a growing reputation as one of the best stud poker players around.
Based in the 1960's, McQueen shows how poker should be played. Great poker action from an outstanding actor.
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3# The Gambler
A masterpiece in my opinion, presenting one of the best psychological studies undertaken in cinema. James Caan may have had a comeback on our television screens in recent years, but in my opinion this is his best performance ever.
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4# Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
You may wonder why Madonna ever married an unknown Brit by the name of Guy Richie, but after seeing this gritty British movie you can begin to understand that Guy must have something going for him.
Introducing Vinnie Jones as the real British hard man, Lock Stock is both entertaining and breathtaking. The poker scenes are particularly well filmed and its hardly surprising that Guy Richie was able to call upon Brad Pitt for his next project.
The most innovative storyline and filming since Pulp Fiction. |
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5# Croupier
A real classic that went almost unnoticed when originally released in 1999. Since then it arguably become one of the best movies to come out of Britain since in the1990's.
It has the classic ingredients of a great movie...a strong actor (Clive Owen), a great story and a superb director.
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6# Rounders
Matt Damon never seems to age. The baby faced actor gives a solid performance in his role as a sharp smart poker player.
Ed Norton is superb. This is definitely a film to entertain with the added bonus that it is bound to keep the ladies happy. |
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7# Oceans 11
The cast is brilliant and if you haven't already got this in your DVD collection then you really should get hold of a copy.
The movie has a great cast and fast paced story line. Based loosely on the 1960's Rat Pack original, Oceans 11 unites George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in an attempt to steal
$163 million from the seemingly impervious vault of Las Vegas's Bellagio casino. Andy Garcia is ruthlessly brilliant. |
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8# The Sting
Ok, so this film is almost as old as I am. However its a classic starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. You get a real feel of what 1930's Chicago was like and its not surprising to see the movie picked up 7 oscars.
Sit down, grab a drink and prepare to watch one of film history's greatest ever's cons.
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9# California Split
California Split is certainly convincing. The filming of its casinos, gambling halls and race tracks are more than realistic and without the glittering lights you see in other movies on the subject.
Despite this its a good humoured film with an excellent story line. If you are serious about casinos then it's definitely one to add to the collection. |
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10# The Hustler
Paul Newman is superb in this cinematic masterpiece, playing a young and talented pool hustler.
If you love pool, or want to see what some people claim is the better of the two films produced by director Robert Rossen (the sequel being the 'Color of Money') then you should certainly add this movie to your collection.
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