If you’re like most people, you enjoy watching movies about the things you are passionate about. If you just happen to be passionate about gambling, then you definitely need to check out our top five list of the best gambling films of all time.
1. Two for the Money: Number one on our top gambling films list goes to this slick little 2005 film starring Matthew McConaughey and Al Pacino. McConaughey stars as Brandon Lang, a former football star who suffered a serious and career-ending injury. His inside knowledge of sports, however, makes him an excellent predictor of game outcomes, and he teams up with gambling insider, Walter, in the hopes of making the big bucks. Nothing is what it seems in this flick, however, and the tables get turned quite a few times, making for a bumpy, unpredictable, edge-of-your-seat viewing experience.
2. Casino: A classic in its own right, this 1995 Martin Scorsese film has a special place in every true gambler’s heart, as well as on our list of top gambling films. With a superstar 90s cast, including Sharon Stone, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and James Woods, this movie shows both the dark and glamorous sides of the gambling industry. Two Las Vegas mobsters, friends and enemies at the same time, delve deeper and deeper into this new, and at first enticing, world, falling into troubles with drugs and women along the way.
3. Rounders: If you aren’t familiar with this 1998 cult classic starring a young Matt Damon and Edward Norton, then you need to get your hands on a copy quickly. Filled with lots of fun and laughs, viewers watch as Mike McDermott (Damon), a one time gambling addict who has turned his back on his troubled ways, enters back into the gambling lifestyle to help friend Lester (Edward Norton) repay some big debts.
4. Let it Ride: We’re going a little old school with this next installment on our list. This 1989 almost-family-friendly laughfest features the fantastic Richard Dreyfuss as a gambling addict on a very good day. The audience journeys with Dreyfuss’ character, Jay Trotter, as he heads to the racetrack and gradually realizes losing is not in the day’s forecast.
5. The Gambler: We’ll take it back even further for the last film on our top gambling films list. Not to be confused with the 1997 remake, the 1974 classic features James Caan as Axel Freed, a literature professor who loves gambling more than anything else. His love, however, quickly turns into addiction, and Freed gets deeper and deeper into a hole he may never find his way out of, dragging his friends and family down with him along the way.
