Money, glamour, red carpets, glitter balls and lots of controversy – it’s all about the casino floor of course!
Casinos, like Hollywood celebs, are considered desirable and exciting places to be seen. Never more so than in a high action movie blockbuster.
We have looked at the best films of all-time and chosen a selection that have the very best casino jackpots – the crème de la crème of casino movies! See if you agree:
- Casino (1995)
No list would be complete without the Golden Globe winning film, Casino by Martin Scorsese, starring acting legend Robert De Niro.
The film follows Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a mob-connected casino boss operating in Las Vegas. Surprisingly the film is based on a true story, which is told in the novel Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, and follows the life of Frank Rosenthal, who is portrayed as Rothstein in the film.
- Casino Royale (2006)
No Bond film would be complete without some high rolling and risk taking.
This 2006 blockbuster features 007 played by Daniel Craig playing notorious villain, Le Chiffre, in a high-stakes game of Texas hold ‘em in a Montenegro casino. In true Bond style, 007 pulls a start flush winning $115 million!
Casino Royale is not the only film where James Bond is seen playing table games. The glitz and glamour of casinos play perfectly into the overall setting of Bond films, seeing him at the tables in films such as Dr. No, Thunderball and Diamonds Are Forever.
- Ocean’s 11 (1960 & 2001)
Ocean’s 11 was originally performed by the Rat Pack, the entertainers on the casino scene in, back in 1960. It was remade in 2001 by director Steven Soderbergh and was a huge hit, earning 5th place on the list of highest earning films of all-time after brining in $450 million to the box office.
Its success lead to two sequels and a spin off. The name Ocean’s stays as a theme throughout and refers to the central character Daniel “Danny” Ocean.
- Rain Man (1988)
A young Tom Cruise plays hustler Charlie, brother to Raymond “Ray” Babbitt, the rain main himself.
Ray, played by Dustin Hoffman, is the brains behind the duo and gets Charlie out of a $80,000 pickle by using his remarkable talent for numbers on the blackjack table.
While on a wild road trip the pair stop off in a Nevada casino for one of the most memorable card-counting scenes of all-time.
- The Hangover (2009)
While Ocean’s 11 was the 5th biggest grossing film off all time, this classic made the top of its class winning the highest grossing film of 2009.
The story focuses on a bachelor party held in the party centre of the USA, Las Vegas. In true Vegas style things get weird and the group end up demonstrating their card counting skills in the bid to win a hostage fee to release the groom who has been kidnapped.
- The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Steve McQueen expertly portrays the exciting and nervous nature of a poker match in this 1965 drama.
During the depression a poker play called Eric “the kid” Stoner, played by McQueen, seeks to establish himself as a poker player. His quest leads him to take on Lancey Howard, an experienced player widely considered to be the best, ending in a climactic final poker match between the two.
- Rounders (1998)
Rounders tells the story of Mike McDermott a law student and part time poker player with a talent. Mike gets sucked into the underground, high stakes world of poker and quickly runs up an unmanageable debt. The term “rounder” refers to a person traveling around from city to city seeking high-stakes card games.
Texas Hold ‘Em is the main Poker game of choice in the film and at the time of release people had mixed reviews. It has only been over time that it has grown a cult following.
