10 best movies about gambling, cheaters, and robbery

Thinking about reputable casinos we think of all-nighters, pockets full of money and stacks of chips, the clacking of the roulette ball, croupiers, lucky streaks, but also nasty streaks of bad luck. But glitz, glamour, wealth, luxury, the aura of mystery, thrills and crime, addiction, greed, despair and ruin all lie close together. Film directors are only too happy to move in this area of tension, and there are many movies about casinos, gambling, and the people involved. In our best list, you’ll find 10 terrific gambling films.

The Croupier, 1998

Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is a writer in London. The contract for a new book is assured, but at the moment he has even fewer ideas in his head than money in his pocket. The search for a job for the transition leads directly into the past. Jack signs on as a croupier at a casino, a profession he is still very familiar with from his former home in South Africa.

Cool and matter-of-fact, with nimble fingers and an alert eye, Jack experiences the feverish thrill of gambling with a strange detachment. And he begins to write, a novel about a croupier named Jake. But when he begins to take an interest in Jani, a professional gambler, the tide turns. Jani persuades Jack to cover a casino robbery…

Hard Eight, 1996

Aging gambler Sydney (Baker Hall) teaches broke John (John C. Reilly) how to survive quite well with simple tricks in Las Vegas. After initial successes, the duo travels on to the gambling town of Reno, where John falls in love with pretty part-time prostitute Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), who soon gets him into real trouble. Will Sydney be able to get him out of it?

The Gambler, 1974

A young New York literature professor (James Caan) is addicted to gambling. After losing all his money, he is finally forced to borrow from his girlfriend, then his mother, and finally some sinister men.

The Cincinnati Kid, 1965

Feature film directed by Norman Jewison and starring Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson, depicting a poker duel between an old professional player and his young challenger.

The Man with the Golden Arm, 1955

Once a junkie and professional gambler, Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) got off drugs in prison and learned to play the drums. Determined to leave the dark times behind and become a musician, he returns to Chicago…

California Split, 1974

Robert Altman independent dramedy with George Segal and Elliot Gould: When casual gambler Bill meets Charlie, he has no idea that it will change his life forever. For Charlie is a professional gambler who earns his money in brand new independent casino at poker table. Both men are united by their fondness for the card game – and indeed they win handsome sums again and again. But at some point, their winning streak wears off, and financial ruin draws ever closer.

Ocean’s Eleven, 2001

Crook comedy by Steven Soderbergh: Gentleman crook Danny Ocean (George Clooney) plans the most spectacular coup ever: He wants to relieve three casinos in Las Vegas of 150 million dollars in one fell swoop! In addition, he wants to steal the mistress Tess (Julia Roberts) – his ex-wife – from the ruthless casino owner Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). Together with their friend Rusty (Brad Pitt), he recruits nine specialists for the heist, including pickpocket Linus (Matt Damon) and pyrotechnician Basher (Don Cheadle).

The Hustler, 1961

Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) is a cynical and passionate billiard player who steals money from inexperienced players in the pool halls of the big city. But his thoughts revolve around only one goal: he wants to finally defeat the national champion Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). A match against the pro once ended in disaster for Eddie. With the help of alcoholic Sarah (Piper Laurie) and manager Bert Gordon (George C. Scott), Eddie wants to take on Minnesota once again, no matter what price he has to pay…

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, 1998

Small-time hoodlums Eddie (Nick Moran), Bacon (Jason Statham), Tom (Jason Flemyng), and Soap (Dexter Fletcher) dream of big money. They scrape together £100,000 to join cleaver Harry’s poker game – and lose. As a result, they owe Harry half a million pounds, which must be repaid within a week or the quartet will be in trouble.

Snatch, 2000

Crook, Franky Four Fingers (Benicio del Toro) has stolen a precious diamond in Amsterdam, which he is supposed to deliver to his boss Avi in New York. During a stopover in London, the gambling addict, unfortunately, gets carried away placing a bet at an illegal boxing match and is robbed by Russian arms dealer Boris. What follows is a huge mess in which boxing promoter Turkish (Jason Statham), as well as the peasant-smart Irish gypsy One Punch Mickey’ (Brad Pitt), also get involved. And then gangster boss Avi also arrives…

Conclusion

There are a lot of interesting and exciting movies about gambling, and all of them allow you to plunge into a gambling atmosphere and recharge positive energy. Take a look at the 10 best movies about gambling, cheaters, and robbery, and spend your time