Great Gambling Flix

28-Aug-2005, 14:09

For a variety of different reasons, we arent always able spend time in our favorite casino, spend that Sunday afternoon at the race-track, put down some well-earned money on the big game, or participate in whatever other form of gambling that takes our fancy. Luckily there are a plethora of movies about gambling that are sure to entertain (with very little risk - an added bonus) and can even teach us a bit about the subject. Here weve compiled a list of the best gambling movies out there, all of which capture the essence of gambling- the highs and lows, the religious devotion of some, the glory and the dirt. If you have an interest in the world of gambling and all of its accompaniments and you have yet to see these films, go out and rent them as soon as you can. After all, why climb Mount Everest when you could just rent a film about it?

California Split (Robert Altman, 1974). A down-and-out gambler (George Seagal) hooks up with a free-spirited wanderer (Elliot Gould) and the two plunge headlong into gambling mayhem. Most of this film takes place in casinos and at racetracks, as the two win big, get robbed, and drink till they cant walk.

The Color of Money (Martin Scorsese, 1986). A sequel to 1961s (The Hustler – a great gambling film itself), The Color of Money is Scorseses piece about the comeback of Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman). Newman revisits the character from the original 1961 film, and naturally adds age and a bit of world-wary attitude to the role (He would earn his first Academy Award for the performance). Also starring Tom Cruise a cocky young pool player, the film explores the competitive and often dangerous world of underground pool hustling. Both the original Hustler and The Color of Money were based on novels by Walter Tevis.

Bugsy (Barry Levinson, 1991). This is an excellent film about the legendary founder of Las Vegas, Benjamin “Bugsy� Siegal (Warren Beatty). By all accounts accurately portrayed as the sharp-dressing womanizer with a nasty temper, Beatty delivers one of his best performances about the man whose vision and keen sense of business created the otherworldly empire known as Sin City.

The Grifters (Stephen Frears, 1989). Jim Thompsons twisted novel was adapted into this terrific movie which features three actors in peak form. John Cusack plays a small-time con artist, Annette Bening his opportunistic girlfriend and Anjelica Huston simply works it as Cusacks equally conniving mother. The film features an intense build-up to a bloody climax. Great stuff.

The Gambler (Karel Reisz, 1974). Screenwriter James Toback, who also wrote “Bugsy,� does an excellent job of exploring the psychology of a self-destructive risk-taker who cherishes uncertainty. “Its only insane if I lose,� explains the literature professor played by James Caan, “and Im not gonna lose.� Who can argue with logic like that? Not his girlfriend, from whom he habitually borrows money to cover his mounting debts. Eventually, he bites off more than he can chew and gets into trouble with some mean characters, but it still isnt enough to stop him from gambling.

Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995). The inner-workings of a corrupt and mob-owned Vegas casino are exposed in Scorseses epic crime story. It is centered around the characters “Ace� Rothstein (Robert Deniro), a genius bookie and casino manager; Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), a ruthless Mafia under boss and long-time friend of Rothsteins; and Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), a hustling ex-prostitute who knows exactly what she wants (money, jewelry) and how to get it. All the characters are based on real-life people, and many of the scenes are taken directly from real events. The film chronicles the rise to power and subsequent downfall as the FBI, corrupt government officials and their associates in the Mob enter the picture and slowly dismantle the framework built by the main characters.

Croupier (Mike Hodges, 1998). In this film an aspiring writer (Clive Owen) uses his fathers connections to land a job at a casino. Here he meets a woman who seduces him and then encourages him to join her associates in a scheme to rob the casino. After considering the odds he agrees, and go on to find intrigue, deception, and danger; all perfect themes for his book.