Roulette has been at the core of casino imagery for ages – be it the standard casino billboards and TV ads or the classic Hollywood scenes that brought an atmosphere of both chance and misery at the Roulette table, where anything seemed possible.
For most of us, the closest we can get to having the same life-changing experience is if we put on a suit or dress and download some free roulette apps. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the magic of casino scenes that have inspired so many to dream big about the opportunities but also develop sound fears about the dangers lurking at the other side of the coin.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best examples of Roulette scenes on the big screen:
#1 Run Lola Run
This quirky European film doesn’t have much to do with casinos or gambling at all, but it has one of the most memorable Roulette scenes in cinema history. Run Lola Run is a German movie about a girl named Lola who tries to solve the problems she has with her life and boyfriend. The movie unfolds on three different levels, each representing an alternative storyline.
The Roulette scene found its way on this list because it perfectly represents the commonly shared idea of the Roulette wheel as a ticket out of poverty and misery, where one spin is enough to break or make your future. Lola finds herself behind the table after her boyfriend ends up in trouble over a debt of 100,000 DEM and has only half an hour to repay it. Lola’s fear of losing her boyfriend drives her straight to a casino, where she bets a 100 DEM chip on her lucky number, wins, and then re-bets and wins for the second time to the shock of all the rich gamblers around her. In only two minutes she ends up winning more than her boyfriends’ debt in an irrational and desperate attempt to fix the situation – a brilliant example of the improbability of changing your life sitting behind the wheel.
# 2 Indecent Proposal
This 1993 classic makes for one of the most dramatic films of the decade and one of the most striking casino scenes in film history. In case you don’t know the story, the film’s central characters are David and Diana, a couple who had successful lives before the recession and were hit with hardships afterwards. In an act of desperation, they decide to go to Vegas and put all their savings at a single Roulette bet. Normally, they lose their money and end up trying to leave the casino with all they had sitting behind them at the table.
The scene is then interrupted by the high-roller Gage who offers the couple $1 million for a chance to spend the night with Diana. After much discussion, they both accept and what follows is a story full of insecurities, resentment and misery that drives the couple apart before the film ends, and all because of one unlucky spin at the Roulette table.
#1 Casablanca
Does this film even need introduction? Casablanca is one of the highest rated films of all time, starring classic Hollywood film stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid. The movie will forever remain enshrined in the Hall of Fame of film history due to its evergreen cinematic value and some of the most famous movie quotes ever.
The unique undertone of sadness and darkness surrounding the main protagonist Rick, who is also a gambling café owner, inspires a feeling of drowned hope in the character, which is why the Roulette scene holds such a contrasting value for film fans. Rick’s Roulette table is a rigged game, often landing on numbers his croupiers find more beneficial. But just this one time, we see Rick sitting down next to a nearly broke and pitiful gambler and telling him to put his money on 22.The result? Well, the man wins twice on the same number and changes his life around, all on Rick’s expense. The value of this monumental scene is that it’s the first time we see the slight dash of goodness and solidarity in the main character which will completely unfold by the end of the film. Classic!
