The place of movies in popular culture cannot be underplayed. Movies are top in the entertainment sector of pop culture, and they lend a great voice to society. Similarly, the casino and gambling world has dramatically influenced pop culture.
The relationship between movies and casinos has brought glamour and excitement to popular culture. It has made people adopt the lifestyle and fashion sense of the characters they watch on the screen. With Las Vegas being the principal city for casinos, casino movies have brought Vegas to some of us through the screen.
Casino movies have been around for a while, gaining massive popularity in the 90s with films like The Sting (1973), Casino (1995), and The Gambler 1974. Let us examine some of the top casino movies you can start watching to get into the Vegas feel as you play blackjack online.
Casino (1995)
Credit: Universal Pictures
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Named after the theme of discussion, the 1995 movie Casino is the best casino and gambling movie of all time. It’s quite surprising that the film was made close to 3 decades ago and still waiting for another casino movie to beat its IMDB rating of 8.2/10.
American Film director Martin Charles Scorsese directed the epic crime movie. It was produced based on the 1995 non-fiction book Casino: Love and Honour in Las Vegas. The banging crime film stars great actors like Robert De Niro, Don Rikin, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and James Woods.
Based on the true-life story of a mafia enforcer and a casino executive, the movie has a running time of 2 hours and 58 minutes.
Although several decades old, Casino is a high-grossing movie, raking over $116,000,000 at the box office. Thrilling and enjoyable, Casino still has fans twenty-nine years after it was made. You can find it on Apple TV, Prime Video, ROW8, Redbox, and Vudu.
Ocean’s 11 (2001)
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
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Ocean’s 11 got a rating of 7.7/10 and has grossed over $183,000,000 at the box office. The first Ocean’s movie was made in 2001 to be followed by Ocean’s 12 in 2004. The Ocean’s series is a set of heist films that can be watched as standalone but have some tips referring to the other ones.
Ocean’s 11 was directed by Steven Soderbergh. It involves Danny, played by George Clooney, assembling a group of eleven people to steal money from three casinos in Las Vegas. The movie has other stars like Brad Pit, Julia Robert, Scott Caan, and Matt Damon.
The film is still available for Ocean’s lovers on Netflix and Amazon Instant Video.
The Gambler (1974)
Credit: Paramount Pictures
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The title of this 1974 movie, directed by Karel Reisz, is an insight into what happens in the film itself. A college professor, Axel Freed, is addicted to gambling and therefore gets into a huge debt. The professor, played by James Caan, had to do a couple of illegal things to pay the debt off.
The movie was so successful that Paramount Pictures announced a remake with the original producers in 2011. Caan’s acting in the film was impressive and widely lauded so much that he was nominated for the prestigious Golden Globe Award.
Rounders (1998)
Credit: Miramax Films
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Another 90s movie, the crime drama, featured Mike McDermott as the lead actor, Matt Damon. Damon is a reformed gambler who turns back into the game when his friend asks for help to pay a moneylender.
The movie, directed by John Dahl, extensively featured the underground world of poker and became a cult hit after the poker boom in the early 2000s.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998)
Credit: Universal Pictures
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An adventure comedy-drama, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, is a breath of fresh air from the other casino movies that are majorly made on the theme of crime and thrill. Another 1998 blockbuster, the film garnered over $10,000,000 at the box office.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, the movie features stars like Johnny Depp, Tobey Maguire, and Benicio Del Toro. Although the film is a financial failure as it wasn’t able to gross up to its budget of $18 million at the box office, it has a 7.6/10 IMDB rating and has gathered a cult-like following.
Final Thoughts
Casinos have been a significant contributor to pop culture. It encompasses many things, including movies, books, and games, among others. Some films have been based on gambling and casinos while exploring other themes like betrayal, love, adventure, etc.
For many people, Casino is a movie that will make you want to stroll right into a casino. Of course, it’s something not everyone can do at a whim. Not to worry, you can experience a bit of what it’s like to play in a casino by visiting an online casino.
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