Big money, expensive clothes and endless entertainment have always been considered attributes of a beautiful life. In the real world, you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Dolce Vita in luxurious casinos that attract multimillion-dollar winnings.
Hollywood could not ignore this topic, and hundreds of films take place in the best gambling establishments in the world. Some films, the plot of which is built around gambling entertainment, are recognized by professional critics and ordinary viewers as true masterpieces of cinema and received high ratings. By the way, one of the films that was recently nominated for an Oscar 2018 – The Great Game – was not included in our list, since it is a film more about playing poker. But it’s also worth watching.
We bring to your attention the ten best films about casinos and easy money.
The Cooler, 2003
Even the surname of the main character of the film, Bernie Luz, is consonant with the word “loser.” He is a loser in life, whose bad luck extends to everyone with whom he has to deal. This unusual quality of Bernie became his profession. He spends his days at the gaming tables of one of the Las Vegas casinos, preventing other players from winning big money. In the jargon of casino workers, such a person is called a brake. So Bernie is trying to pay off his debt to the owner of a gambling establishment, where he lost big a few years ago.
Bernie Luz dreams of paying off his debts and leaving Vegas. But his life changes dramatically when he meets the pretty waitress Natalie. It would seem that for the first time fate allows him to get a lucky ticket, but not everything is so simple. The girl finds herself in cahoots with the casino owner, who does not want to lose the right employee.
Rounders, 1998
Talented lawyer Mike McDermott loves poker and dreams of participating in the World Series of Poker. But he lives in New York, where gambling is only available in underground casinos. Another big loss for the green cloth seems to force Mike to give up his favorite pastime, but the temptation to get easy money still takes over. Mike agrees to help his friend Lester earn the necessary amount, however, to do this he will have to get involved in a dishonest game.
Mike and Lexter decide to pull off a clever scam full of amazing card tricks and ingenious psychological tricks. It would seem that the friends have calculated all the moves in advance and now they will definitely earn a decent amount of money on poker. But they didn’t take into account that in the current circumstances, the main stake in the game would be their own lives.
The Last Casino, 2004
Canadian mathematics professor Doug Barnes owes a significant amount to a local mafioso. He could win back at the casino, but all the gambling establishments know that Doug counts cards, and therefore his way to the gaming tables is prohibited. The professor decides to involve his students in a dirty game and shares with them the mathematically verified secret of a successful betting strategy.
Three of Doug Barnes’ men go on a raid on Canada’s largest casinos. Students have no idea that they are bargaining chips in the hands of a dishonest professor. Young people who are told how to cheat casinos will eventually be tricked by Barnes themselves, after which they will have to figure out how to beat their teacher.
Va-bank (Runner Runner), 2013
College student Richie Furst is trying to earn money for his studies by playing at the largest online casino. Pretty soon he understands how this business works and discovers the betting fraud that the owners of the Internet site use to enrich themselves. Richie goes to Costa Rica to make a claim against online gambling industry tycoon Ivan Block and try to get his money back.
Leading a luxurious life outside the jurisdiction of the United States, Ivan sees great potential in the smart student and, instead of compensation, offers him a good job in his online casino. Richie brings his ideas to life to attract new players to gambling on the Internet and brings the boss a lot of income, which Ivan willingly shares with yesterday’s student. But at some point Richie realizes that he is just a pawn in his boss’s dangerous game. This forces the young man to reconsider his bets and enter into an open confrontation with the cynical millionaire.
Ocean’s Twelve, 2004
The second film about the adventures of the charming robber Danny Ocean and his friends tells about the fate of a gang of noble raiders after their triumphant scam at Terry Benedict’s casino. The owner of a gambling establishment, due to lack of evidence, cannot hand over the successful scammers to the police, but has the right to demand compensation from them for damages and accrued interest. Otherwise, Ocean and his accomplices risk communicating with the mafia, which is not used to standing on ceremony when it comes to extracting money.
In order to avoid problems with the American authorities, who have taken note of the brilliant robbers, the friends go to Europe on business.
The calculation turns out to be correct, and the police of the Old World are unable to unravel the plans of the visiting guest performers. However, the danger comes from a local swindler nicknamed Night Fox, who is not ready to put up with the fact that uninvited guests are in charge of his territory.
Ocean’s Thirteen, 2007
The inseparable swindlers learn that their friend Ruben Tishkoff was framed by the owner of the most luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, billionaire Willie Bank. Danny Ocean, who is sensitive to any injustice, invites his team to restore parity. Modern-day followers of Robin Hood decide to pull off the heist of the century, which will put Willie Bank’s gambling empire under attack.
Noble robbers quickly draw up a plan to ruin the new casino of a dishonest moneybag, but life makes its own adjustments to their scam. Friends have to turn to the Bank’s main competitor and their longtime enemy Terry Benedict for money. He agrees to help Ocean, but demands from the scammers not only the ruin of Bank’s gambling house, but also the theft of diamonds hidden in the most inaccessible place of a carefully guarded casino.
Casino Royale, 2006
British intelligence agent MI6 James Bond is forced to take part in a major poker tournament to complete his next assignment. It is at the gaming table that he can meet with terrorist financier Le Chiffre, who, if he loses, will be under the surveillance of the secret services. Bond is given $10 million for the secret operation. Agent 007 tries to understand the intricacies of poker and for some time he manages to beat the banker. However, Le Chiffre successfully bluffs, and James Bond is close to failing his mission.
The English spy is forced to raise the stakes, and the game spins out of his control. A Bond girl is involved in the case, and in order to save Agent 007, she shares information with a terrorist accomplice. She sacrifices her life so that James Bond can successfully complete an operation of national importance.
Twenty one, 2006
Confident University of Massachusetts mathematics professor Mickey Rosa carefully hides his past as an avid blackjack player and used rigorous mathematical calculations to beat Las Vegas casinos. But giving up gambling that brings good money is not so easy. Being persona non grata in all gambling establishments in America, Rosa organizes a secret club of his students, whom he teaches to count cards and place big bets on time.
The professor’s real find turns out to be talented programmer Ben Campbell. Mickey Rosa makes him the fifth member of the youth team, which goes to Vegas on weekends and always returns from there with bags full of money. However, the idyll in the relationship between the teacher and the students lasts until the young people, in a fit of emotion, squander a large sum. From this moment on, Ben and his comrades have to act independently in order not to lose their place at the university and not end up in prison.
Ocean’s Eleven, 2001
Good-natured swindler Danny Ocean is released from prison and learns that his wife has left for someone else. She exchanged the unlucky swindler for the owner of the largest casinos in Las Vegas, Terry Benedict. Ocean is developing a cunning plan that will allow him not only to improve his own well-being, but also to return his beloved.
To rob Benedict’s casino, an avid swindler needs a team. He gathers the best of the best across the country and, together with eleven accomplices, begins to carry out the fraud of the century.
Casino, 1995
The manager of a large casino, Sam Rothstein, achieved his position thanks to close ties to the mafia. He knows all the ins and outs about playing roulette, how slot machines work and how to bet on cards. Sam is considered the most successful casino manager, but his professional skills are under threat amid personal problems in his marriage to former prostitute Ginger.
Rothstein, who is on good terms with the mafia, gradually wastes his authority and at some point is forced to enter into direct confrontation with the gangsters. Now not only Sam’s financial well-being is at stake, but also his life.