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 | The 10 Best Gambling Movies of All Time
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8.
Croupier
(Clive Owen, 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 In fact, with its mirrored walls, cheesy carpeting and outdated furniture, this joint looks more like a New Jersey wedding reception hall than a typical casino.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 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.
7.
Ocean's 11
(George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, 2001)
George Clooney's all-star remake of the Rat Pack romp is as much a heist film as it is a gambling flick. Along with the pure fun of seeing such an array of talent gathered on one screen, the movie is also a great look at the intricate security measures of a modern Vegas casino.
Clooney is con artist Danny Ocean, who's barely out on parole when he's planning his next big gig: he and pal Rusty (Pitt) will assemble a skilled crew of thieves--including cool cats Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner--to bypass an impossible series of high-tech security measures and bust into a main vault holding $150 million from three casinos (the Bellagio, MGM Grand and Mirage) on the night of a heavyweight boxing bout.
Ocean has another agenda: the casinos his crew will hit are owned by tough guy Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), who's dating Danny's ex, Tess (Roberts). Danny not only wants his share of the $150 mil, he wants Tess back and Benedict humiliated by the public loss of cash and girl. "When that perfect hand comes along, you bet big, then you take the house," Danny tells Rusty.
The jackpot scene: Director Steven Soderbergh's exciting, cleverly choreographed heist scene, which involves gaining access to casino money cages, passing through a set of locked doors with codes that change twice a day, getting down an elevator that requires fingerprint identification (and which is surrounded by motion detectors), voice confirmation from two security sources and the nimble maneuverings of a 95-pound Chinese acrobat. Not to mention slipping past two uzi-armed guards and "the most elaborate vault door conceived by man."
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