{"id":10371,"date":"2010-05-21T06:00:52","date_gmt":"2010-05-21T10:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=10371"},"modified":"2013-03-22T10:52:20","modified_gmt":"2013-03-22T14:52:20","slug":"aces-in-the-hole-a-tribute-to-gambling-films","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/?p=10371","title":{"rendered":"Aces In The Hole: A Tribute To Gambling Films"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-10372\" title=\"Sting\" alt=\"Sting\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Sting.jpg\" width=\"350\" height=\"232\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Sting.jpg 350w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Sting-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>The Gambler, Kenny Rogers, said it himself in his hit song aptly titled The Gambler (that also spawned a series of TV movies), that \u201cYou got to know when to hold \u2018em, know when to fold \u2018em,\u201d and blah, blah, blah. Well, I\u2019ve decided to hold \u2018em as I present my list for the greatest gambling movies. After all, there\u2019s nothing like a little risk to get the blood flowing. Now, the problem with this list is that there are actually a ton of films about the subject and I haven\u2019t been able to view them all. Additionally, another bummer is that many of the most worthwhile gambling movies unfortunately are currently not available on video.\u00a0(Is this a government conspiracy?) However, I\u2019m not going to let these little obstacles deter me (Maybe I don\u2019t know when to fold \u2018em.) from paying tribute to one of America\u2019s favorite pastimes\u2026 that is, losing one\u2019s hard-earned money to big business in some of the most ridiculous ways possible.<\/p>\n<p>Now, not all films featuring games of chance are solely about gambling. That would probably be tough to pull off and most likely relatively uninteresting. Such films featuring a turn of the card, roll of the dice, etc. are usually used to fuel a narrative concerning a bigger human drama, but I did my best to whittle this list down to films that feature gambling as a central plot device as much as possible. Therefore, I\u2019m going to give an honorable mention to titles such as Hard Eight and Two For The Money, because while they feature and deal with gambling, the activity isn\u2019t quite as focal as some other solid efforts that handle the topic. I\u2019ll also throw in <a title=\"21\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D54442&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">21<\/a> and California Split. Sadly, I haven\u2019t seen these two, but they\u2019re on my list, and I mention them only because I\u2019m convinced that they have to be enjoyable films. So, without further delay, here are the greatest gambling releases of all time, in no particular order.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"A Big Hand For The Little Lady \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_title_smart.asp?search=A+Big+Hand+For+The+Little+Lady+\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">A Big Hand For The Little Lady <\/a>(1966): A totally fun and brilliantly paced little movie has <a title=\"Joanne Woodward \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Joanne+Woodward+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Joanne Woodward <\/a>and her compulsive gambler of a husband <a title=\"Henry Fonda \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Henry+Fonda+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Henry Fonda <\/a>stumbling into the biggest poker game in town, held once a year for the richest men in the county. Seeing this as a sign for him to make a killing, Fonda risks his life savings to get into the game, much to the chagrin of Woodward. However, when the excitement of the game becomes too much for Fonda, the innocent and supposedly ignorant Woodward must step in to play for him. Funny, with great performances from an incredible supporting cast including <a title=\"Jason Robards\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Jason+Robards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Jason Robards<\/a>, Kevin McCarthy and Burgess Meredith, the film perfectly embodies the spirit and rush of poker.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Sting\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D11902&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Sting<\/a> (1973): OK, for some this title may be an obvious choice, and for others it may be an odd one since the movie is more about the art of the con. However, I would probably have to turn in my membership card as a gambler, a film buff, and perhaps even a man if I didn\u2019t include it on this list. The title is an Academy Award winner, so no one needs me to exclaim how awesome it is. However, there\u2019s plenty of gambling in the film (including characters gambling with their lives), the poker scene between <a title=\"Paul Newman \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Paul+Newman+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Paul Newman <\/a>and <a title=\"Robert Shaw \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Robert+Shaw+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Robert Shaw <\/a>is amazing, and the main aspect of the title deals with taking down Shaw through betting on the horse races, so it seems fitting that George Roy Hill\u2019s\u00a0masterpiece gets a rightful place on the list.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10373\" title=\"Gambler\" alt=\"Gambler\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Gambler.jpg\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Gambler.jpg 320w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Gambler-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Gambler-200x150.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Gambler\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D28663&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Gambler<\/a> (1974): Perhaps the quintessential gambling film, it features <a title=\"James Caan \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=James+Caan+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">James Caan <\/a>as an otherwise intelligent literary professor with a gambling addiction who gets in way over his head. It\u2019s a brilliant character study, and Caan is intense and riveting as man who feels he\u2019s always on the edge of his next big score but is incapable of recognizing his real problems. He eventually goes in debt to the mob, and to get even he of course tries to gamble his way out. There are scenes such as when Caan takes a very ill-advised hit on a hand of blackjack while he\u2019s on a rush, and moments of complete discomfort while he listens to a basketball game he has bet on while he\u2019s in the tub, that are undeniably impactful.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Hustler\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D97770&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Hustler<\/a> (1961)\/<a title=\"The Cincinnati Kid \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D62812&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Cincinnati Kid <\/a>(1965): Yeah, it\u2019s probably cheating to include two films in one slot, but bear with me. While it would have been controversial, I almost left The Cincinnati Kid off my list, because as I\u2019ve made known in a previous piece, I feel the Depression Era poker effort with <a title=\"Steve McQueen \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Steve+McQueen+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Steve McQueen <\/a>is a touch overrated and flawed. However, there are great performances in it (especially McQueen and <a title=\"Edward G. Robinson\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Edward+G.+Robinson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Edward G. Robinson<\/a>) and the poker scenes are entertaining. I decided to slip it alongside The Hustler since the two movies are very similar in tone, scope and subject matter, with the obvious exception of The Hustler utilizing billiards to tell its story instead of cards, and the two are often measured against each other, anyway. Additionally, I feel The Hustler is a far superior film as far as gambling is concerned. The rivalry between Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) and Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason) is one of the best in film history.<\/p>\n<p>Let It Ride (1989): This underrated farce features <a title=\"Richard Dreyfuss \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Richard+Dreyfuss+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Richard Dreyfuss <\/a>as man who has spent much of his life losing money at the racetrack. However, after promising wife <a title=\"Teri Garr \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Teri+Garr+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Teri Garr <\/a>that he\u2019ll quit, he gets a hot tip on a horse and bets everything he has (a whopping $50) on one \u201cfinal\u201d hurrah. Miraculously, he wins, but instead of quitting Dreyfuss decides to \u201clet it ride\u201d and experiences an incredible wave of good luck. It\u2019s so good in fact, that one can\u2019t help but wonder when it will run out. Not only is the film uproariously hilarious, but for me it mirrors the choices we all make with our lives. There are some critics who revile this movie and I don\u2019t understand why, so I\u2019ll take this opportunity to call them all a bunch of jaded hacks.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Croupier\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D65148&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Croupier<\/a> (1998): Quoting Ernest Hemingway from A Farewell to Arms, lead character <a title=\"Clive Owen \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Clive+Owen+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Clive Owen <\/a>states, \u201cThe world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places.\u201d Thus begins this tough tale, as aspiring author Owen takes a job as a dealer at a London casino in order to acquire material for his novel. He becomes coldly detached and even creates an alter ego for himself, with the intention of using this alternate persona as the protagonist of his book. However, as Owen becomes more and more immersed in the seedy world of gambling, it becomes increasingly tough to tell where the real Owen begins and his fictional character ends. Matters get really dire when he gets involved in a plot to rob the casino. The film is unique, surprisingly tense and stylistic, and it\u2019s incredibly interesting to witness a story from the casino dealer\u2019s point of view.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10374\" title=\"Rounders\" alt=\"Rounders\" src=\"http:\/\/www.moviefanfare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Rounders.jpg\" width=\"438\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Rounders.jpg 438w, https:\/\/onecinephile.wpenginepowered.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/Rounders-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Rounders\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=B21019&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Rounders<\/a> (1998): This is perhaps the grand daddy of them all. Most likely the greatest film ever made about the game of poker, it stars Matt Damon as a pro caliber poker player who has given up the game to concentrate on his law degree (and keep his girlfriend happy, due to getting in over his head). However, when his best friend (<a title=\"Edward Norton\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Edward+Norton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Edward Norton<\/a>) gets released from prison looking to make\u00a0it big, Damon gets sucked back into the game when Norton goes in debt to loan sharks. This leads to a showdown between Damon and head honcho Teddy KGB (essayed brilliantly by <a title=\"John Malkovich\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=John+Malkovich\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Malkovich<\/a>, with the exception of maybe the Russian accent). The movie delves pretty deep into various poker nuances such as tells (even though the Oreo cookie tell is perhaps a bit silly), strategy, etc. and features the Cadillac of poker, no limit Texas hold \u2018em. Any fan of poker will say that any game that doesn\u2019t feature exposed cards isn\u2019t a real game, and many gambling films unfortunately don\u2019t feature this kind of game. Anyway, the whole effort is entirely engaging, with great supporting turns from <a title=\"Famke Janssen \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Famke+Janssen+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Famke Janssen <\/a>and <a title=\"Martin Landau\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Martin+Landau\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Martin Landau<\/a>, and even features two-time World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Johnny Chan in a cameo appearance.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"The Cooler \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D65061&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">The Cooler <\/a>(2003): This one may not focus on gambling quite as much as the others, but I find the idea fascinating that casinos would employ a gloomy, downtrodden man to bring bad luck to gamblers on hot streaks. That\u2019s the basic gist of this gem, as <a title=\"William H. Macy \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=William+H.+Macy+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">William H. Macy <\/a>plays the said \u201ccooler,\u201d who quickly puts an end to someone\u2019s good luck merely by standing next to the person. How does he do this? Simply by being himself. Macy is a born loser. However, this all begins to change when he enters into a loving relationship with waitress <a title=\"Maria Bello\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Maria+Bello\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Maria Bello<\/a>. All of a sudden, \u201clady luck\u201d is on his side, and the fact that he\u2019s feeling good about himself is having dire consequences for the casino, since now everyone who comes into contact with him is winning! This is all much to the dismay of Macy\u2019s boss, <a title=\"Alec Baldwin\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Alec+Baldwin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Alec Baldwin<\/a>, who has a sordid history with Macy. Now, Baldwin must find a way to get his cooler back under control. The film, for its premise, is so well done, with a great atmosphere and Las Vegas feel to it, and all performances are sublime, especially Baldwin\u2019s turn, which garnered him an Oscar nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Owning Mahowny (2003): This character study, based on Gary Stephen Ross\u2019 factual book Stung: The Incredible Obsession of Brian Molony, is a superb example of gambling gone wrong in real life. <a title=\"Philip Seymour Hoffman \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Philip+Seymour+Hoffman+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Philip Seymour Hoffman <\/a>is awesome as \u201cDan Mahowny,\u201d a bank executive with an insidious gambling addiction. His overwhelming habits lead him to \u201cborrow\u201d more than $10 million from his bank, resulting in one of the biggest embezzlement scams in Canadian history. What\u2019s most interesting is that for the otherwise smart, likable and mild-mannered Mahowny, it\u2019s never really about the money. It\u2019s much more about the process of gambling, the one thing that gives the Mahowny character pleasure in life, even though he knows it will lead to his downfall. All the performances are phenomenal from top to bottom, including turns from <a title=\"Minnie Driver \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Minnie+Driver+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Minnie Driver <\/a>and <a title=\"John Hurt\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=John+Hurt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">John Hurt<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Even Money\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D98465&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Even Money<\/a> (2006): I call this one the <a title=\"Requiem For A Dream\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/product.asp?sku=D22204&amp;loc=buzzsearch\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Requiem For A Dream<\/a> of gambling movies, even though this film isn\u2019t quite as compelling. \u201cEverybody\u2019s chasing something,\u201d remarks the film\u2019s narrator (Kelsey Grammer), \u201cbut what they\u2019re really looking for is more life. However, some people may go looking for more and come away with less.\u201d It\u2019s pretty heady stuff, and the film pretty deftly illustrates the dangers and consequences of gambling addiction, whether it\u2019s the slots, sports betting, or even gambling with others\u2019 lives. Led by an ensemble, all-star cast that includes <a title=\"Kim Basinger\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Kim+Basinger\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Kim Basinger<\/a>, <a title=\"Ray Liotta\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Ray+Liotta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ray Liotta<\/a>, <a title=\"Forest Whitaker\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Forest+Whitaker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Forest Whitaker<\/a>, <a title=\"Tim Roth\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Tim+Roth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Tim Roth<\/a>, <a title=\"Danny DeVito \" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Danny+DeVito+\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Danny DeVito <\/a>and <a title=\"Carla Gugino\" href=\"http:\/\/www.moviesunlimited.com\/musite\/findresults_actor.asp?search=Carla+Gugino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Carla Gugino<\/a>, they do a fantastic job illustrating just how ugly and dire the world of gambling can get.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Gambler, Kenny Rogers, said it himself in his hit song aptly titled The Gambler (that also spawned a series of TV movies), that \u201cYou got to know when to hold \u2018em, know when to fold \u2018em,\u201d and blah, blah,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9700,"featured_media":10372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5364],"class_list":["post-10371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-staff-notes"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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