Top Three Gambling Movies
Here are our picks for the top three gambling movies for today.Welcome to my page of the latest Feature Movie Reviews. This page will be constantly updated with three new movie descriptions for those of you who don't really know where to start when looking for a gambling movie. Here, you'll find three great gambling movies, picked from the extensive list of gambling movies on this site. Hopefully this short list will at least give you at starting point if you want to watch a gambling movie. On the other hand, you might just be looking for a new gambling movie to watch, and this page might just give you the title of one you've never watched before. Or you saw it long ago, and have forgotten about it until now, that is. So have a look at this list of gambling movies, and if you have a gambling movie in mind that you think should be featured on this page. I'll definitely take your suggestion into account when I'm renewing the information on this page. Enjoy!
| Poker Secrets from Poker Champs - 2004 | |
 | A crack team of 15 poker champions share tips on the how to master the game in POKER SECRETS FROM POKER CHAMPS. Such pros as Johnny Chan (who appeared in the film ROUNDERS), Phil Ivey, Scotty, Nguyen, Jennifer Harman provide wisdom about critical strategies. Topics include the power of patience, subtle strategies, and bluffing. A pop-up dictionary helps master lingo. |
| The Cincinnati Kid - 1965 | |
 | Not only is it one of the best gambling movies of all-time, it's also one of those rare movies that's better than the book it's based on. Epitome of cool McQueen is the titular Kid, a cocky poker player in Depression Era New Orleans who holds markers from everyone in town. But the Kid is only interested in "The Man," a.k.a. aging five-card-stud legend Lancey Howard (Edward G. Robinson), who the Kid challenges to a high-stakes game. One of director Norman Jewison's best early flicks (based on Richard Jessup's more tame novel) and one of McQueen's finest performances, the movie's pivotal game is refreshingly free of the do-or-die cliché of most movies about poker. Kid's best friend, card dealer Shooter (Karl Malden), is pressured by a local fat cat into fixing the game for Kid. Kid finds out and insists his pal be a straight Shooter, because his sole goal is proving that he can beat Lancey and take the title of five-card-stud stud. The jackpot scene: The flick's thrilling final poker scene, a back-and-forth match that leaves you both heartbroken and oddly satisfied. |
| Croupier - 1998 | |
 | "You have to make the choice in life: be a gambler or a croupier, and then live with your decision," says Jack Manfred, the writer/croupier in director Mike Hodges' (Get Carter) terrific film noir-ish character study that gives us a peek at the London gambling scene. There's no flashing neon, Elvis impersonator or choreographed water fountain in the high-roller casino where unsuccessful author Jack (Owen) toils. In fact, with its mirrored walls, cheesy carpeting and outdated furniture, this joint looks more like a New Jersey wedding reception hall than a typical casino. But the lure of the lifestyle is the same, and despite Jack's choice to stick with dealing blackjack and other card games and steer clear of gambling beyond his job, life deals him another hand. Jack's voiceover--usually an annoying movie device that's actually very effective here--reveals much more than his steely outward demeanor does, including his plans to turn his experiences at the casino into a book that eventually becomes a best seller. He also begins to immerse himself into his book's plot, to the point of losing his girlfriend, breaking the workplace rules against sleeping with co-workers and fraternizing with the patrons, and gambling himself. Just as Jack's casino is not the flashing gambling hole we're used to seeing on the big screen, Croupier is not the flashy gambling thriller we're used to seeing on the big screen. And that's a good thing. The jackpot scene: Jack's croupier audition. In one slick scene, he deftly and quickly separates a pile of casino chips and susses out the fact that his boss can't count while showing his own card dealing proficiency. It's quietly exciting in the movie's trademark understated tone. |