Best Movies That Happen In Casinos

The flashing lights, the sirens, the hum of discussion, and the excitement of putting a bet are all part of the allure of casinos. While betting has been around for centuries, gambling establishments began popping up in Italy in the 17th century. The Casino di Venezia, which opened in 1638 in Venice, is the world's earliest gambling establishment, though it was initially referred to as Theatre Saint Moses. It used guests the chance to bet during theatrical production intermissions.


By the 19th century, gambling establishments appeared all over Europe. In the United States, towns like Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada, and Atlantic City in New Jersey, became understood for casinos and the infamous ties held to organized criminal offense. Gambling itself had a reputation as a vice that might result in other bad practices.


Hollywood's own obsession with casinos has a long history as well. Classic movie "Casablanca" features a gambling establishment as part of Rick Blaine's bar. Throughout the next numerous decades, directors like Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Soderbergh attempted their hand at films about the appeal of gambling and the casinos that supported the lifestyle.


OLBG looked into the history of casinos on screen and assembled a list of 20 of the best gambling establishment films. To be included, motion pictures needed to have important scenes happen in a gambling establishment, and the film needed to have at least a 6.0 on IMDb or a 65 on Metacritic.


ATO Pictures


# 20. 'Casino Jack' (2010 )


- Director: George Hickenlooper
- IMDb user rating: 6.2
- Metascore: 51
- Runtime: 108 minutes


This fictionalized retelling of a true story stars Kevin Spacey as Jack Abramoff, a corrupt Washington D.C. lobbyist encouraged by greed and power. Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon took funds from Native American casinos all while twisting laws for their benefit. In a nod to the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire," one scene discovers Scanlon and Abramoff shouting, "Show me the cash!" Actress Kelly Preston who plays Abramoff's spouse in the film played Maguire's previous sweetheart also.


# 19. 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004 )


- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- IMDb user rating: 6.5
- Metascore: 58
- Runtime: 125 minutes


The follow up to "Ocean's Eleven" discovers Danny Ocean adding a partner to his band of thieves as they interact to pull off a number of European heists. Steven Soderbergh directed not just this 2nd film in what would be a trilogy, however all three "Ocean's" installations. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Elliot Gould, and Bruce Willis not only starred in the film, however they likewise had another thing in common-they were all guest stars on the sitcom "Friends."


Warner Bros. Pictures # 18. 'Ocean's 11' (1960 )


- Director: Lewis Milestone
- IMDb user score: 6.6
- Metascore: 57
- Runtime: 127 minutes


Featuring the Rat Pack-Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop-" Ocean's 11," focuses on 11 men who manage an astounding Las Vegas break-in. Danny Ocean, played by Sinatra, leads his previous The second world war pals in a strategy to rob several gambling establishments in a single night. This classic movie would be remade in 2001 with George Clooney taking control of the function of Danny Ocean. Angie Dickinson played Danny Ocean's ex-wife in the 1960 film, while Julia Roberts actioned in for the updated version in 2001.


Eon Productions


# 17. 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971 )


- Director: Guy Hamilton
- IMDb user ranking: 6.6
- Metascore: 59
- Runtime: 120 minutes


The seventh film in the James Bond film franchise, which was based on the novels by Ian Fleming, stars Sean Connery as 007. The spy jets off to Las Vegas to examine diamond smuggling and discovers a wealthy tycoon and a dubious plot. Connery was the first star to play James Bond and starred in 7 of the films. The Oscar-nominated movie was shot on place in Las Vegas at a number of casinos including The Riviera, Tropicana Las Vegas, and Circus Circus Las Vegas.


TriStar Pictures


# 16. 'Bugsy' (1991 )


- Director: Barry Levinson
- IMDb user ranking: 6.8
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 136 minutes


This film chronicled the life of infamous mobster Bugsy Siegel and his considerable role in building contemporary Las Vegas. Starring Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, the two would fall in love throughout filming, marry quickly after, and go on to have four kids together. The movie was nominated for a remarkable 10 Oscars and won two. While "Bugsy" lost for best picture at the Oscars to "The Silence of the Lambs," it did handle to take home the Golden Globe Award for finest movement picture-drama.


Columbia Pictures


# 15. '21' (2008 )


- Director: Robert Luketic
- IMDb user ranking: 6.8
- Metascore: 48
- Runtime: 123 minutes


Under the tutelage of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology teacher, 6 MIT students were trained to end up being card counters and made a killing in Las Vegas in this movie, which is loosely based on the unique "Bringing Down the House" by Ben Mezrich. While numerous recording places were in Boston, including the Public Garden, Boston University, and Newbury Street, Las Vegas was likewise an important shooting area for "21." According to the Nevada Film Office, shooting happened in many Las Vegas casinos, consisting of Planet Hollywood, The Venetian, Caesars Palace, Acid Rock Hotel, and Red Rock Casino.


Lions Gate Entertainment


# 14. 'The Cooler' (2003 )


- Director: Wayne Kramer
- IMDb user ranking: 6.9
- Metascore: 69
- Runtime: 101 minutes


An unfortunate guy is utilized by the mob to cool things down for high-stakes gamblers who are on a winning streak at a Las Vegas casino until he gets fortunate in love, changing his own luck at the gambling establishment. Maria Bello, William H. Macy, and Alec Baldwin star in this film that was primarily shot in Reno, Nevada. Baldwin got both an Oscar and a Golden Globe election for finest supporting actor for his role as casino manager Shelly Kaplow.


Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.


# 13. 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007 )


- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- IMDb user ranking: 6.9
- Metascore: 62
- Runtime: 122 minutes


The final movie in the "Ocean's Eleven" trilogy, "Ocean's Thirteen" discovers the gang getting together to manage another heist after one of the initial 11 is double-crossed by casino owner Willy Bank, who is played by legendary actor Al Pacino. Among the lines in the movie, "You shook Sinatra's hand," is a referral to Frank Sinatra who played Danny Ocean in the original version of "Ocean's 11." The expression is suggested as a sort of values or gentleman's contract.


New Line Cinema


# 12. 'Boiler Room' (2000 )


- Director: Ben Younger
- IMDb user ranking: 7.0
- Metascore: 63
- Runtime: 120 minutes


When Seth Davis' daddy, a judge, catches him running an illegal casino from his apartment or condo, he isn't delighted. Davis, played by Giovanni Ribisi, heads out and gets a job as a broker in a boiler space, which according to Dictionary.com is, "a location where illicit brokers participate in high-pressure selling, over the telephone, of securities of an extremely speculative nature or of suspicious value." The film was loosely based on the story of Jordan Belfort who was the subject of the 2013 Martin Scorsese film, "The Wolf of Wall Street," which was also the title of Belfort's memoir.


Sony Pictures Classics


# 11. 'Owning Mahowny' (2003 )


- Director: Richard Kwietniowski
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 70
- Runtime: 104 minutes


At the heart of this film is a tale of gambling addiction. Based on the true story of Brian Molony, "Owning Mahowny" tells the tale of Dan Mahowny, a bank manager, who has access to multimillion dollar accounts that he used to feed his gambling habit. The real-life Molony committed bank fraud by embezzling $10.4 million from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The film, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Mahowny, was filmed in Toronto and Atlantic City, where Molony actually dropped $1.4 million at a New Jersey gambling establishment prior to his arrest in 1982.


ARTE


# 10. 'Croupier' (1998 )


- Director: Mike Hodges
- IMDb user rating: 7.1
- Metascore: 75
- Runtime: 94 minutes


Aspiring writer Jack Manfred gets a task as a croupier, somebody who works the tables at a casino and handles bets and payouts. While Jack does not bet, his daddy does, and it is he who gets Jack the task at a London casino. Portrayed by Clive Owen, Jack gets caught up in a love triangle and a plot to cheat the gambling establishment before the film's end. The casino in the movie was really developed on an embeded in Germany.


Paramount Pictures


# 9. 'The Gambler' (1974 )


- Director: Karel Reisz
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 65
- Runtime: 111 minutes


James Caan stars as high-stakes gambler and English teacher Axel Freed, who gets so captured up in betting that he uses a loan shark his life for collateral versus a loan. This criminal offense thriller earned Caan an Oscar nod for best actor. Screenwriter James Toback has a lot of experience with gaming and based the movie's screenplay on his own addiction-though Freed's gambling appears to be an addiction to the rush and danger instead of to the act of gaming. A 2014 remake of the film starred Mark Wahlberg ahead function.


Spelling Goldberg


# 8. 'California Split' (1974 )


- Director: Robert Altman
- IMDb user score: 7.2
- Metascore: 84
- Runtime: 108 minutes


A casual bettor and a professional ended up being buddies and dig themselves deeper into the world of betting in this movie starring Elliott Gould and George Segal. In a last desperate attempt to win big, the 2 characters head to Reno, Nevada, for the poker game to end all poker video games. "California Split" was the first non-Cinerama film to utilize the eight-track stereo for dialogue, enabling for the recording of eight different audio channels. The use of this innovation strengthened Altman's use of overlapping discussion, which became one of his trademarks as a director.


Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer


# 7. 'Hard 8' (1996 )


- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
- IMDb user rating: 7.2
- Metascore: 78
- Runtime: 101 minutes


" Hard 8" significant director Paul Thomas Anderson's movie debut and was based on his brief movie "Coffee & Cigarettes." An expert gambler played by Philip Baker Hall, takes a newbie played by John C. Reilly, under his wing. Things go all right up until the beginner succumbs to Clementine, a mixed drink waitress played by Gwyneth Paltrow. Several gambling establishments in Reno and Sparks, Nevada, worked as shooting areas, consisting of the Nugget Casino Resort.


Miramax


# 6. 'Rounders' (1998 )


- Director: John Dahl
- IMDb user rating: 7.3
- Metascore: 54
- Runtime: 121 minutes


Not just does this film star Matt Damon and Edward Norton, but the supporting cast is a home entertainment market who's who and includes John Malkovich, John Turturro, Martin Landau, and Famke Janssen. The story discovers Damon's character, Mike McDermott, who is a reformed gambler, assisting his good friend, played by Norton, who was just recently released from jail and who drags McDermott right back into the world he was trying to leave. A number of the film's locations were made to look like casinos or nation clubs, including the fictional Chesterfield Club in the film.


United Artists


# 5. 'Leaving Las Vegas' (1995 )


- Director: Mike Figgis
- IMDb user ranking: 7.5
- Metascore: 82
- Runtime: 111 minutes


Screenwriter and alcoholic Ben Sanderson, played by Nicolas Cage, heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There he meets a prostitute called Sera, represented by Elisabeth Shue, who promises not to hinder his strategy, though things get complicated when they fall in love. The film is based on John O'Brien's semi-autobiographical novel. O'Brien passed away at 33, before production on the film began, and according to the author's daddy, the novel functioned as a morbid suicide note.


Columbia Pictures Industries Inc.


# 4. 'Gilda' (1946 )


- Director: Charles Vidor
- IMDb user rating: 7.6
- Metascore: n/a
- Runtime: 110 minutes


Starring Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, this timeless film discovers a small-time bettor getting caught up in shady business when he finds his former fan is wed to his existing company at a casino in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The film was nominated for the Grand Prize of the Festival for feature film at the Cannes Film Festival. Hayworth did not sing a word in the film, but rather, was talented at . Anita Ellis was the singing voice behind Gilda.


Warner Bros.


# 3. 'Ocean's Eleven' (2001 )


- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- IMDb user rating: 7.7
- Metascore: 74
- Runtime: 116 minutes


A remake of the 1960 movie starring Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, this version stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt with their own modern-day team, that includes Matt Damon, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Eddie Jemison, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, and Shaobo Qin. Like the original, the remake includes Danny Ocean and his pals robbing 3 gambling establishments at the exact same time. "Ocean's Eleven" got numerous nominations for finest acting ensemble.


Danjaq. LLC/ United Artists/ Columbia Pictures


# 2. 'Casino Royale' (2006 )


- Director: Martin Campbell
- IMDb user rating: 8.0
- Metascore: 80
- Runtime: 144 minutes


In his first objective as super spy 007, Daniel Craig as James Bond need to beat an evil banker at Casino Royale, Montenegro, at high-stakes poker. The movie functions as Bond's origin story though it was the 21st movie in the franchise and the 3rd movie adjustment of Ian Fleming's first Bond book. "Casino Royale" was primarily filmed in the Czech Republic spa-town of Karlovy Vary.


Universal Pictures


# 1. 'Casino' (1995 )


- Director: Martin Scorsese
- IMDb user rating: 8.2
- Metascore: 73
- Runtime: 178 minutes


This film was the last one for Saul Bass who developed the title sequence. Bass was well understood for his work that not only consisted of several Scorsese films consisting of "GoodFellas," and "Cape Fear," but classics such as "Psycho" and "Spartacus." Starring Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Sharon Stone, "Casino" was motivated by the mob associate and casino supervisor Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal and focuses on the relationship in between a gambling establishment executive and a mob enforcer. Striving for authenticity, Scorsese shot at the Las Vegas Riviera, inhabiting a small area of the casino while genuine gambling was occurring.