Nick Dow's blog : FACT OR FICTION: MOVIES ABOUT HOLLYWOOD CASINO AND GAMBLING
Casinos and gambling like from NewSlotGames.NET have been an integral part of cinema almost since its inception. The dramatic tension that naturally arises in a gambling environment translates well to the big screen, and directors relished the opportunity to use such stories, although it did not always translate into eventual success with studios or audiences.
Below is a list of six films based on casinos and gambling that have achieved varying results, both financially and in their portrayal of the gambling world. From funny poker duels to high-risk heists, there was no shortage of interesting gambling moments in the movies. But who did everything right and who did it wrong? Let's get a look.
“Casino Royale”
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Budget: $150 million
Box Office: $599 million
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95%
IMDB Rating: 8/10
Daniel Craig's first appearance as the famous British spy is also considered his best Bond role, his fourth in the series. Casino Royale offered a fresh take on the Bond genre, focusing less on gadgets and exciting villains and more on realistic action and espionage. Much of the film takes place at a high-stakes party in Casino Royale, where Bond and the main villain Le Chiffre compete with wits and cards with tens of millions of dollars at stake.
Strengths: Bond does a great job of explaining to sexy MI6 accountant Vesper Lynd the importance of reading your opponent's facial expressions and playing against personality, not just the cards in your hand. The action scenes at the gaming table are effectively shot, and Craig impresses with his effort to create a believable card player who shows little emotion.
Disadvantages: Unfortunately, all of this is ruined in two important hands, when Bond and Le Chiffre always end up with monster hands that no one could help but go all-in with, barring bluffing and any typical poker strategy. Additionally, the villain has a physical gesture that is so obvious that he has to hide it with his hand, which clearly exaggerates the role of physical signs in a poker game.
Did you know: Acclaimed director Quentin Tarantino has expressed interest in directing Casino Royale and claimed to be working behind the scenes with Ian Fleming's (James Bond creator) family on a completely different film than the one that eventually came out. His “Casino Royale” would feature previous Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, be filmed in black and white and take place in the 1950s. Angelina Jolie was the producers' first choice to play the female lead, but she responded that she would rather play the role of a female Bond than just a "decoration".
Final Verdict: Great movie, but the stereotypical Hollywood poker hands make it difficult to take the gaming scenes seriously.
“Rounders”
Release Date: September 11, 1998
Budget: $12 million
Box Office: $22.9 million
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 65%
IMDB Rating: 7.4/10
“Rounders” is a cult poker movie that tells the story of the World Series of Poker and players like Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, long before they became popular thanks to the poker boom. The story of a small-time poker player named Mike (played by Matt Damon) does not seek to make him a hero who achieves great things, but rather focuses on the development of his character as he tries to help a friend out of debt and raise money on his own to participate in the GSP..
Pros: “Rounders” was named the best poker movie ever made by professional card player Vanessa Rousso, and played a significant role in the lives of many other gamblers such as Dutch Boyd, Gavin Griffin and Hevad Khan. Most of the poker scenes are subtle (no one gets a royal flush), and the script makes excellent use of poker slang that most audiences were unfamiliar with at the time. “Rounders” also shows the variety of games a gambler can find himself in, such as small game rooms, restaurants, private residences and private clubs.
The Bad: Unfortunately, "Rounders" has a few poker mistakes that keep it from being a perfect movie. As in “Casino Royale,” the villain of “Rounders,” the Russian KGB poker room owner (played by John Malkovich), has an absurd physical attribute. The KGB's signature is his handling of cookies when he makes an important poker decision, which would be immediately noticeable to any experienced poker player if something similar happened in real life. This detracts from the characters' poker skill level.
Did you know: “Rounders” star Matt Damon bought in for $10,000 for the main event of the 1998 World Championship of Poker and was eliminated on the fourth day of play when his pair of kings collided with poker legend Doyle Brunson's pair of aces. Doyle Brunson's poker book, Super System, is featured in the opening scene of Rounders.
Final Verdict: Rounders remains my personal favorite gambling movie of all time, but it loses its edge with too many revealing demonstrations of how close to Mike's supernatural abilities his cards are in some situations and his vulnerability and normality in others.
“Casino”
Release date: November 22, 1995
Budget: $40-50 million
Box office: $116 million
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 80%
IMDB rating: 8.2/10
“Casino” has long been considered the standard of films about casinos, although the film does not have many scenes of gambling, but the atmosphere behind the scenes of a mafia-era gambling establishment is perfectly conveyed. The film was directed by Martin Scorsese and featured Robert De Niro in the lead role of casino boss Sam “Ace” Rothstein. The film contains a lot of violence, but if you ignore that, it provides viewers with fascinating insider information about the casino.
Pros: “Casino” really tried to show the audience a lot about what it takes to run a giant multi-million dollar business, including sportsbooks, slot machines, betting percentages, odds, entertainment and much more. The film also touches on many controversial gambling topics, such as fraud and the high level of punishment that was meted out to those who tried to break the rules in those days.
Disadvantages: Fortunately, this classic film does not exaggerate its attitude towards gambling, making it perhaps the most realistic film about gambling ever made. Everything from how money was skimmed off the top rate to how people were ruthlessly eliminated from the face of the earth to avoid persecution has been confirmed and verified by historians as something that could actually happen. However, you can deduct one point for the fact that the main character has the nickname “Ace”.
Did you know: The casino in the film, Tangier, is a fictional establishment created specifically for the film. However, many plot elements were taken from the true story of the Stardust Casino, one of the most famous old casinos in Las Vegas. Interior scenes were filmed at the Riviera Casino during the hours of 1:00-4:00 a.m. so as not to disturb the actual players. A former Mafia hitman who had served time in prison was on set and acted as a consultant to the director, providing information on how professional assassinations were to be carried out.
Final verdict: We “bet everything” when it comes to “Casino”. This is a classic mafia movie and gave a great insight into the casino as an extremely exciting and dangerous place.
“Sea of Money” (“Ocean's 11”)
Release date: December 7, 2011
Budget: $85 million
Box office: $450 million
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 82%
IMDB rating: 7.8/10
A remake of the film starring the Rat Pack (Sinatra, Martin, Davis, etc.), Sea of Money was a modern blockbuster with an all-star cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia. This is an extremely grand heist movie, and Sea of Money never takes itself too seriously, which makes it easier to appreciate the absurd scenarios the team finds themselves in while trying to rob the safes of three Las Vegas casinos.
Pros: The film has incredible charisma from its star cast, and its throws and deceptions leave an impressive impression on the viewer. The heist team has great chemistry and dynamics, and it's a joy to watch them work together.
Cons: Sea of Money has some absurd and unrealistic scenes that fortunately don't make it a serious drama. Some of the deceptions and tricks that the heroes used can be considered fantastic and unrealizable in real life.
Did you know: This is the most successful remake of the 1960 film Sea of Money. When George Clooney joined the project, he asked the executive producer and head of Warner Bros. Sherry Langera was given permission to take the family of 40 to a resort in Italy to facilitate the Clooney family's move to Europe, where they could find more privacy. The Sea of Money three-disc DVD set contains a scene that was shot in the first take and ended up in the master version because it was inadvertently transferred to the DVD.
Final Verdict: Sea of Money is an entertaining film with a brilliant ensemble cast. It may not be the most realistic or intelligent gambling movie, but it shows that fun and light casino movies can be very appealing to audiences.
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