The casino world has always drawn attention, whether that’s good or bad. So what better way to get a dose of all the casino action than by watching the best films that involve the casino? Here’s our pick of the best casino movies, including intense dramas, more light-hearted films and scandalous documentaries. Watching these spectacular movies after playing your favorite online casino games will prove to be so much fun – you’ll have so much to compare!
Our list is organized primarily by IMDB scores, but don’t be afraid to check out some of the “lower”-rated films on our list — you may get more out of those than some of the higher-scoring films. After all, it’s a question of personal taste!
1. Casino (1995)
IMDB Score: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
This is a classic from director Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, The Departed) Casino is the story of handicapper and casino executive Sam “Ace” Rothstein (De Niro,) his encounters with the mob, including friend Nicky Santoro (Pesci,) and his love for hustler Ginger McKenna (Stone). We follow Sam as he tries to manage his relationships, the demands of the mob, and how even though he reached the top, it all came crashing down around him.
This movie was based on the real-life story of Frank Rosenthal, who operated four of the biggest casinos in Las Vegas in the 1970s: the Stardust, Fremont, Marino and Hacienda. His story was told in the book Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas, written by Nicholas Pileggi.
A quote about Casino
Martin Scorsese’s intimate epic about money, sex, and brute force is a grandly conceived study of what happens to Goodfellas from the Mean Streets when they outstrip their wildest dreams and achieve the pinnacle of wealth and power.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
2. Croupier (1998)
IMDB Score: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%
Starring: Clive Owen, Nick Reding, Nicholas Ball
Directed by: Mike Hodges
Jack Manfred (Owen), an aspiring writer, begins working as a croupier in a casino to pay the bills, but soon finds himself drawn into a world of money, sex and danger. He breaks the rules after he agrees to help an out of luck gambler pull off an inside job, but will his bets pay off, or will he be unable to escape the choices he’s made?
A quote about Croupier
For once, here is a British film that is both tough and intelligent, and so well-researched that it will probably tell you more about how casinos work than had it been a documentary.
George Perry, BBC.com
3. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
IMDB Score: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Don Cheadle
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Danny Ocean (Clooney) is out on parole when he decides to pull off one large heist. Okay, technically it’s three large heists, but they’re all at the same time. And these aren’t just any heists: he wants to hit a trio of the biggest casinos in Vegas. To get it done and get out cleanly, he’s going to need a team of thieves and con-artists who are crazy enough to pull it off. The Ocean’s franchise has given us some of the best heist movies and Ocean’s Eleven is definitely a firm favorite!
A quote about Ocean’s Eleven
[Steven] Soderbergh’s crisp, funny heist flick makes out like a bandit. George Clooney and Elliott Gould steal the show.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
4. Hard Eight (1996)
IMDB Score: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
Starring: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Many of us know John C. Reilly for his more serious roles, but in Hard Eight, Reilly plays John, a simple man who needs money to pay for his mother’s funeral. While he sits at a diner, wondering what to do, Sydney (Hall,) a gambler and hustler, notices the young man. John explains his situation, and Sydney offers to teach him everything he knows. Soon John’s doing pretty well for himself, but things go awry after he meets Clementine (Paltrow.)
A quote about Hard Eight
This first feature by writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson is impressive for its lean and unblemished storytelling, but even more so for its performances.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
5. California Split (1974)
IMDB Score: 7.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 88%
Starring: George Segal, Elliot Gould, Ann Prentiss
Directed by: Robert Altman
When Bill Denny (Segal) meets Charlie Waters (Gould,) the two become quick friends over their shared passion: gambling. However, things get a bit out of control when Bill soon finds himself deep in debt and has only one way to get out: sell what little he has and bet it all on a high-stakes poker game in Reno.
A quote about California Split
A fascinating, vivid movie, not quite comparable to any other movie that I can immediately think of. Nor is it easily categorized.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
6. Owning Mahowny (2003)
IMDB Score: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 79%
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, John Hurt
Directed by: Richard Kwietniowski
This film is based on the true story of Brian Molony, a Toronto bank employee who became addicted to gambling and stole millions of dollars from the bank he worked at to fund his addiction (not recommended, people!) Owning Mahowny follows the same basic storyline, with Dan Mahowny (Hoffman) going about his regular life working at a bank. To all those who know him, he’s a nice enough guy who is quiet but reliable. Little do they know about Dan’s out-of-control habit which will eventually destroy his life.
A quote about Owning Mahowny
Whether or not you think of gambling as a vice, you can bet on Owning Mahowny.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
7. The Cooler (2003)
IMDB Score: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 77%
Starring: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin
Directed by: Wayne Kramer
The Cooler is a story about Bernie Lootz (Macy,) a guy so unlucky that his bad luck spreads to those around him. That’s why he works at a casino, where his only job is to make sure that gamblers on a hot streak suddenly go cold. It’s a simple life for Bernie, until he meets and falls in love with cocktail waitress Natalie (Bello.) He soon finds his bad luck and his ability as a “cooler” is fading, which can only end badly for Bernie in the long run.
A quote about The Cooler
A B-movie in the best sense: Unpretentious. Raffish. Just trashy enough to be six kinds of fun without making you hate yourself in the morning.
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
8. 21 (2008)
IMDB Score: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 35%
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Based on the exploits of the MIT Blackjack Team, 21 is a true story in which students from the celebrated institute managed to “beat” blackjack and get rich in the process. In the movie, Ben Campbell (Sturgess,) is drawn into an unusual situation thanks to his math professor, Micky Rosa. Rosa has decided to teach his students how to count cards, and for Ben, who doesn’t have the money to finish his studies, it could be the ticket he needs to complete his studies at MIT.
The real story is told by Ben Mezrich in the book Bringing Down the House, however, much of the book is believed to be exaggerated. Even though the film itself got less than stellar reviews from critics, audiences enjoyed it and it became a box office hit. Don’t be surprised if you feel inspired to play blackjack at a casino after watching this movie!
A quote about 21
Although it’s definitely a fictionalization of a true story, they get the essence of this insanely crazy double life that these kids led as they were breaking the bank in Vegas.
Richard Roeper, Expert & Roeper.
9. Casino Jack and the United States of Money (2010)
IMDB Score: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 82%
Starring: Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, William Branner
Directed by: Alex Gibney
Unlike the other eight films on this list, this is a documentary about one of the greatest con artists, and truly corrupt people to ever find themselves connected to the American government — Jack Abramoff. It details how the Washington lobbyist led one of the greatest corruption scandals and how it eventually led to him being convicted of fraud, conspiracy and tax evasion. The title of the film alludes to the role Abramoff had in the looting of the tribal treasury.
A quote about Casino Jack and the United States of Money
The narrative trots all over the globe, including stops for labor exploitation in the Marianas Islands, dealings with Russian mobsters, ripping off Indian tribes in the desert southwest, and jetting to Scotland to golf with impressionable politicians.
Ian Buckwalter, NPR
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