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The 26 Best Movies About Gambling

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This article originally ran in 2020 and is being republished ahead of the release of Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter .

Movies about gambling have an inherent drama because, by definition, they’re about risk. It’s not fun to watch someone be prudent and cautious, but to see someone constantly putting his well-being on the line in desperate, irrational hope for that One Big Score … well, gamblers in gambling movies are in many ways just like that veteran cop who takes One Last Case before retirement. They usually don’t end up with a calm home life upstate, counting their winnings.

So, with the release of Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter , we decided to take a look back at some of the best movies about gambling. A note on methodology: We tried to make sure we emphasized the gambling over the movie. Few would argue that Rounders is better than Casino , but Casino is less about the gambling and more about the world in which that gambling takes place; Rounders is definitely about the gambling. We veered more toward movies about the gambling. Luckily, a whole lot of them happen to be great movies all on their own.

26. Vegas Vacation (1997)

All right, so we know this isn’t a very good movie: It’s probably the worst Vacation movie, with the possible exception of that terrible reboot with Ed Helms. But you’ll have to just indulge us on this one, because it has perhaps the single funniest, dumbest casino joke of all time. Basically, Clark Griswold develops an addiction to gambling and is tormented by a card-dealer named Marty played — awesomely — by Wallace Shawn . Clark is so bad at gambling that, at one point at a “discount” casino, he forks over $20 to play a game called “Pick a Number Between 1 and 10?” He guesses “4.” The dealer says “nope, 7,” and … just takes his money. Clark storms away, grumbling to himself. The idea that such a game would exist basically sums up Las Vegas, and gambling in general. It’s maybe the most honest possible card game.

25. Lucky You (2007)

Made in the heat of the now-mercifully-cooled World Series of Poker craze, the late Curtis Hanson put an immediate halt to his terrific L.A. Confidential/Wonder Boys/8 Mile/In Her Shoes run with this mostly hackneyed story of a superstar poker player (Eric Bana) with a complicated relationship with his even bigger superstar poker-player father (Robert Duvall). We have seen that story a million times in a million better sports movies — this even has a Big Game at the end — but both Bana and Duvall find some truth in their characters regardless. This movie was a disaster at the box office, and Hanson’s hot streak was over.

24. 21 (2008)

Based on the true (if embellished by author Ben Mezrich) story of the MIT Blackjack Team that beat the house for nearly a decade, 21 turns an interesting math and business story into a sort of dumb heist movie featuring a lot of young, handsome actors (Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Jacob Pitts, and even Josh Gad) trying to pull one over on Kevin Spacey. Spacey is particularly checked-out here, and the movie was criticized for “whitewashing” in its casting, turning the mostly Asian-American real-life players into generic white people. But for a brief moment, before Spacey is being kidnapped and beaten in a hotel room, it’s an interesting look at the science behind smart gambling. But only for a moment.

23. Let It Ride (1989)

An odd little comedy about a perpetual loser gambling addict ( Richard Dreyfuss ) who, for one day, hits on every single bet at the horse races. This just inspires him to push harder and keep it going, and while this might turn out to be a disaster in a movie like, say, Uncut Gems , here, it’s just a wacky ’80s comedy. Let It Ride still gets a lot of comedic mileage out of Dreyfuss’s mania and goes a long way on some very fun supporting performances from Teri Garr, Jennifer Tilly, and David Johansen. But let’s just say they don’t show this one at Gamblers Anonymous meetings.

22. Maverick (1994)

There was a time that Mel Gibson was considered such a light and lively leading man that a big-budget studio movie could coast on his charm as a card shark and con man. Based on the popular ’50s television series (and co-starring that show’s lead, James Garner), Maverick is a bit of a bloated contraption, too long and too overstuffed with would-be-epic-and-probably-unnecessary Western scope by Richard Donner. But the film still has its pleasures, not least of which is Gibson’s pal Jodie Foster, who has a blast playing the sort of damsel-in-distress female sidekick role she’d otherwise spent most of her career avoiding. It’s a gas to watch her so giddy.

21. The Cooler (2003)

This likable indie’s best quality is its premise: Meet Bernie (William H. Macy), a professional loser whose job it is to ruin any high-roller’s hot streak simply by playing at the same craps table. The Cooler starts off as a sad, funny character study of a recovering gambling addict who’s still in massive debt to Alec Baldwin’s tough-guy casino boss — he’s working off what he owes by being the guy’s go-to “cooler” — but the love of a good woman (Maria Bello’s weary cocktail waitress) might just change his luck. Realism takes a backseat to romance and crowd-pleasing sentiment in Wayne Kramer’s directorial debut, and the followthrough isn’t as entertaining as the setup. But Macy was born to play this sort of hangdog failure who hasn’t stopped betting on himself.

20. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Often, movie characters who gamble are presented as sobering cautionary tales. Nobody told Steven Soderbergh , who turned his remake of the creaky Rat Pack caper into a jazzy, fleet-footed blast. From the early scene where George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s ultra-cool characters square off at the card table, it’s clear that this Ocean’s Eleven will exude the sleek, cocky spirit of modern Vegas, which is all upscale adult pleasures and very little actual degenerate behavior. Soderbergh’s ensemble is impeccably dressed and never fussed, sporting the swagger that real gamblers wish they had. The filmmaker isn’t interested in the intricacies of gambling, and he also thinks the games’ metaphors are equally silly — as demonstrated by one of the film’s best moments:

19. Molly’s Game (2017)

If you chafe at Aaron Sorkin’s showy, know-it-all attitude in his screenplays , then be warned: His directorial debut is the Oscar-winner at his Sorkin-iest . Molly’s Game is based on the memoir of Molly Bloom , a former champion skier who shifts careers after a terrible accident, turning her attention to the world of underground poker. Jessica Chastain is coiled-cobra cocky as Molly, walking us through this illegal but highly addictive and lucrative ecosystem as she becomes the queen of organizing high-stakes games. This thriller is far too proud of its own cleverness — a chronic Sorkin shortcoming — but you feel Molly’s rush, and you meet some truly heartbreaking characters, including Bill Camp’s hopeless gambler. It’s horrifying to watch him drown in slow motion.

18. Casino (1995)

“In Vegas, everybody’s gotta watch everybody else.” In 1973, Robert De Niro played the dangerous, unpredictable hothead opposite Harvey Keitel’s sensible mobster in Mean Streets — a couple decades later, it was De Niro as the man with the weight of obligations bearing down on him. In Casino , he’s Ace, a gangster running a mobbed-up casino who’s trying to do things “the right way,” only to be undercut by his hotheaded pal ( Joe Pesci ) and an ambitious woman (Sharon Stone) he shouldn’t trust. Want to understand the inner workings of Vegas gambling? Martin Scorsese ’s intricate drama is for you, chronicling Sin City’s evolution from seedy to sanitized over the span of several years. As he did previously with GoodFellas , Scorsese understands how American enterprise works in the criminal underworld — and also how individuals get trampled on along the way.

17. The Hustler (1961)

When you consider the parameters of our gambling movie rankings, we must say, The Hustler isn’t as good a gambling movie as its sequel, The Color of Money , (which you will find later on this list) … but it probably is a better movie overall. The 1961 original is less concerned with a swaggering Tom Cruise– Paul Newman movie-star face-off and more focused on loyalty and integrity and ambition. Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson is like a more interesting version of Cruise’s character, and his battle to take down Jackie Gleason’s Minnesota Fats follows a more human, soulful narrative than a typical sports-movie arc. It’s better the less it is about the pool hustling … which is great, but keeps it lower on this list.

16. Bugsy (1991)

An origin story of Las Vegas, Bugsy is principally a study of Bugsy Siegel, a gangster who travels to the desert, convinced he’s seen the mob’s future. Lavish, classy, and smart, director Barry Levinson ’s Oscar-winning drama follows Siegel in his seemingly quixotic dream of creating a mecca of gambling and casinos, and Warren Beatty keenly plays him as a man of passions but perhaps not enough reason. Bugsy is less about gambling — although Siegel surely takes some big chances — than it is about Sin City’s messy birth, which proves fascinating, even if the movie’s glitzy, prestige-picture trappings are a bit limiting.

15. Atlantic City (1980)

Today, the legalization of gambling has become a Hail Mary last-ditch effort for many financially eroding urban areas like Detroit, St. Louis, and others — but Atlantic City did this first. Louis Malle’s heartbreaking but still charming, even regal Atlantic City captures both the blight of Atlantic City — which led to the legalization of gambling there in the first place — and the hope among the poor dreamers still hanging around its edges. With a screenplay written by John Guare, the film features an honest, old-school movie-star performance from Burt Lancaster and a riveting turn from a young Susan Sarandon as a casino waitress with dreams of being a dealer but an ex-husband she can’t shake. The movie feels both dated and timeless, capturing a specific moment that has the power of folklore.

14. Eight Men Out (1988)

John Sayles’s historical drama about the Black Sox scandal of 1919, when members of the Chicago White Sox (including legend Shoeless Joe Jackson) threw the World Series to gamblers, is particularly instructive today, when professional sports have embraced gambling revenues wholeheartedly, ignoring the lessons of the past. The story of Eight Men Out is less about corruption from the players than it is a labor-management conflict: The players fix the series not out of greed but out of desperation when their owner refuses to reward them for an incredible season. Gambling’s corrosive influence on sports has mostly been forgotten in the recent years, but Eight Men Out reminds us of its perils.

13. The Color of Money (1986)

Paul Newman won his only Oscar for The Color of Money , revisiting the character of Fast Eddie Felson, whom he played in 1961’s The Hustler . The sequel is a movie about an aging pool shark at a crossroads. “He had to stop gambling,” Scorsese said in Conversations With Scorsese . “He had become a different kind of hustler in a way, selling liquor. But he couldn’t resist the joy of the game. I mean, not just pool, but livening up the game of life, which is the real gamble.” That quote undersells the film’s cautionary tone — how it portrays its characters, including Tom Cruise’s upstart pool player Vincent, as individuals who have thrown away their lives on a game that doesn’t love them back. This isn’t one of Scorsese’s best movies — and as we said earlier, The Hustler is the better overall film — but it’s solid and despairing. Like with Scorsese’s mobsters, these are people who are magnetic but not ones you’d want to spend time with in real life.

12. The Sting (1973)

Who says gambling can’t be really fun? This Best Picture winner exudes pure pleasure … well, unless you run afoul of Shaw (Paul Newman) and Kelly ( Robert Redford ), that is. These two con men decide to take down a no-good mobster (Robert Shaw), and their elaborate grift involves card games and horse racing. Understanding the machinations of Shaw and Kelly’s plan doesn’t matter — it’s just a delight to watch the characters (and director George Roy Hill) turn The Sting into one big, electric narrative sport. These are some winners who are easy to root for.

11. Owning Mahowny (2003)

When you strip away all the supposed glamour and glitz of gambling and focus on the crippling, oppressive addiction, you get Owning Mahowny , the true story of a Canadian bank manager ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ) who stole money from his bank and used it to make a series of increasingly dangerous bets in Atlantic City. Hoffman, as you might expect, is brilliant in the role, elusive and pathetic in equal measure, a man who is helpless to control himself but does his best to hang on as long as he can regardless. The movie is so tuned in to Hoffman’s frequency that it’s almost too distant to the viewer: His Mahowny is so locked in his own head that there’s no way for us to get in. But this is probably as close to the terror of what it’s actually like to have a gambling addiction as a movie can probably get.

10. Rounders (1998)

We say this every time we write about Rounders , but it remains true: “It’s basically Citizen Kane for gambling addicts and … perfectly fine for everybody else.” That puts it higher on this list than it would be on almost any other, but it does do an excellent job of capturing the swaggering, dopey masculinity of being a professional poker player. (Or at least of being one in the late ’90s.) We’re glad Matt Damon eventually grew out of these roles , but a supporting cast like this (John Malkovich! John Turturro! Martin Landau! Famke Janssen! Even Bill Camp!) can’t help but populate this with people who make a mostly artificial world feel real and lived-in. Still: See The Cincinnati Kid , people. (That’ll be coming up on this list shortly.)

9. The Card Counter (2021)

Paul Schrader’s sleek, moody, anguished drama about a professional card player (a fantastic Oscar Isaac) who travels from casino to casino as a way to have some quiet control over his life and hide from the guilt in his past is more fun, but not less intense, than Schrader usually has: He clearly loves this particular milieu and delights in detailing its intricacies and nuances. The gambling scenes sometimes sit uneasily alongside Schrader’s usual tone of guilt and pain, but they also enliven and energize both him and the film. And for all the different examples of Cool Movie Gamblers on this list, Isaac’s is very near the top: We are not gamblers, but if we were, he does it the way we like to pretend we would: smart, cautious … and always in control.

8. Mississippi Grind (2015)

Before they jumped aboard the Marvel bandwagon, Half Nelson filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck crafted this lovingly retro two-hander about a couple of inveterate gamblers driving down south to a New Orleans poker game with potentially big payoffs. This might be Ryan Reynolds’s best performance: He’s terrific as the backslapping Curtis who befriends the troubled Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) . Addiction, depression, and regret are the hallmarks of Mississippi Grind , which doesn’t try to hide its debts to 1970s Hollywood — specifically, a certain Robert Altman film that will appear later in these rankings. But that cinematic referencing does nothing to blunt the material’s desperate, melancholy pull. Mississippi Grind practically reeks of stale cigarettes and half-drunk cans of beer: It’s a portrait of nonstop gambling as one sad grind.

7. Croupier (1998)

Clive Owen has been such a familiar, somewhat disappointing, presence in films for the last two decades that it’s now hard to remember what a lightning bolt his arrival was. So go back and rewatch Croupier , where all that promise was laid out fairly magnificently. He’s Jack, an aspiring novelist desperate for money — soon, he’s a croupier getting to know the world of casino gambling. Pitched like a hard-boiler noir — Jack has the blasé seen-it-all vibe of a private dick — Croupier explores the sweaty anxiety and crippling sadness of those who have thrown their lives (and money) away at the tables. If the plot complications aren’t always satisfying, the film’s vivid recreation of dingy casino life is utterly intoxicating. It’s a shame that Owen has rarely found a film since that’s so magnetic.

6. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)

Considered a bit of a knockoff of The Hustler at the time, this movie, which concentrates on poker rather than pool hustling, holds up just as well as that film, and maybe even better, if just because people do a lot more poker-playing than pool-hustling anymore. It also has a classic Steve McQueen performance as “the Kid,” a cocky player who learns he’s maybe not as great as he thinks he is. The movie feels current and taut and relevant. Put it this way: All the bros you know who think Rounders is the best movie ever clearly haven’t seen this.

5. Tricheurs (1984)

The best gambling movie you’ve never heard of. Right before Barbet Schroeder gave us Barfly, Reversal of Fortune, and Single White Female, he made this mad, irresistible little thriller about a charming man (played by French rock star Jacques Dutronc) with such a desperate addiction to gambling that he ultimately doesn’t really care if he wins or loses. That becomes an even bigger problem when he meets up with a man who enlists him in a complicated cheating scheme that just raises the stakes to an unmanageable level. Tricheurs isn’t judgmental of these gamblers and cheaters: It just follows them along to their inevitable doom. Not that the trip isn’t a wicked, dark blast regardless.

4. Hard Eight (1996)

Paul Thomas Anderson ’s first film, an expansion of a short film he made called Coffee & Cigarettes (and starring a character called Sydney that Philip Baker Hall previously played in Midnight Run ), was a major pain for the neophyte filmmaker, a movie he nearly lost the rights to (and whose title he famously hates). And while it can’t stand up to PTA’s masterworks, it’s a remarkable debut, a study of a sad, lonely man who has learned to survive in the underworld of Las Vegas by being quiet and unassuming until he meets people who might actually need his help. It’s less showy than you’d expect from Anderson’s first film — he was saving his truly bravura stuff for Boogie Nights — but it’s deeply moving: The movie seems to understand Las Vegas, and the men you never notice when you’re there, on an almost transcendent level. And Philip Seymour Hoffman’s one scene is immortal:

3. Uncut Gems (2019)

Every time we see the “This is how I win” meme on social media, we can’t help but think … you know , that moment in Uncut Gems is really heartbreaking. For all the well-deserved discussion about the fact that Josh and Benny Safdie’s thriller is incredibly intense, what gets left out is precisely why it’s so nerve-wracking. And that’s because Howard, wonderfully played by Adam Sandler, is a hopeless gambling addict who cannot stop until he destroys himself utterly. The brilliance of Uncut Gems is in Howard’s ability to get us sucked into his sickness, making us think, even for a moment, that, yes, he might be able to pull off this crazed caper he’s concocted — yes, maybe this is how he wins. Never once moralizing about their doomed protagonist, the Safdies inject his mania directly into our veins, riding along on his crazed rush. Yet here’s the craziest part: After seeing the film’s tragic finale, you may want to get right back on the ride immediately. Addiction is sort of like that.

2. The Gambler (1974)

James Toback, who has since been hit with allegations of all kinds of problematic behavior , based his screenplay on his own gambling addiction, but what’s great about The Gambler — the 1974 James Caan version, obviously, not the 2014 Mark Wahlberg one — is that the title character is less obsessed with gambling than he is with danger, even self-destruction. His Axel makes bets simply to dig himself deeper and deeper into trouble, even arguing that, for him, the fun of betting is losing. That’s a perilous situation for a gambler, to say the least, but Caan sells us on Axel’s desperate chase for the next rush. Axel isn’t betting on basketball: He’s playing Russian roulette.

1. California Split (1974)

The story goes that Robert Altman sent Elliot Gould the screenplay to California Split , hoping he’d play Charlie, a gambler who befriends fellow gambler Bill (George Segal). “I’ve always wanted to play this guy,” Gould told the director, to which Altman replied, “You are this guy.” Hopefully not — Charlie’s addiction is pretty severe — but the actor exuded his laid-back charm to wonderful effect while working with Segal, who wasn’t that interested in gambling. And yet the two men’s rakish charm, in one of the high watermarks of ’70s hangout cinema, makes this not just a great buddy movie but a beautiful exploration of boys-will-be-boys friendship. And, of course, there’s a whole lot of gambling, which Altman films with casual mastery, letting us eavesdrop on the weird characters and dangerous oddballs who populate that world. California Split remains perhaps the director’s most underrated classic — and its gut-punch ending is so muted, yet so perfect.

Grierson & Leitch write about the movies regularly and host a podcast on film . Follow them on Twitter or visit their site .

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  • December 8, 2020
  • B-Sides , Columns

The Best Blackjack Movies You Must Watch

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Blackjack is the most popular casino table game in the world and has been depicted in movies over the years.  Its popularity is due to the fact that the rules are easy to understand from the start whilst more advanced strategies can be developed through experience. The aim is to get closer to 21 against the dealer, and there is no competition between other players on the table.

Blackjack also has a low house edge, often over 97 percent, which gives players a better chance of a win. As a fast-paced game, it is ideal to play online blackjack at these Microgaming casinos when time is limited or you do not want to spend too much time at each casino. Blackjack is popular in movies as a game of skill where the rules are the same everywhere, which has created some of the best blackjack movies you must watch. 

Director: Robert Luketik

Based on a true story, 21 is the only Hollywood movie that has blackjack as its focus. The movie follows six MIT students who become experts in card counting and decide to try their skills in the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. It all starts when Ben Campbell (Jim Sturges), a gifted student is accepted into Harvard Medical School but cannot afford the tuition fees. MIT Professor Micky Rosa invites Ben to join his blackjack team of fellow students and through card-counting and covert signaling, the team works towards winning big. 

The Last Casino (2004)

Director: Pierre Gill 

The predecessor of the more famous 21 , The Last Casino which was directed by Pierre Gill has an almost identical storyline. In the movie, mathematics Professor Doug Barnes is blacklisted from the casino. Barnes then creates a blackjack team of card counters, recruiting three of his smartest students to teach them what he assures them is a low-risk plan.  three of them. He convinces them that his plans involve low risks. The Canadian setting is also an interesting contrast to Las Vegas movies. 

Casino (1995)

Director: Martin Scorsese

Casino is a dazzling gangster epic that tells the story of Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro), who oversees a casino in Vegas. Sam doubles profit at the casino and is soon joined by his friend Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci). Blackjack is pivotal in a memorable scene in which Santoro catches players cheating, with one person standing behind the dealer and conveying the information to associates at the table. Santoro grabs the cheater and gives him the option to either forfeit his winnings or walk out with them but face serious consequences. 

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Rain Man (1988)

Director: Barry Levinston

Winner of four Oscars in 1989, including B est Picture , Rain Man is a classic movie starring Tom Cruise as the selfish and unscrupulous Charlie Babbitt and his estranged brother Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant, who reconnect after their father’s death when Charlie is settling his estate. One of the movie highlights is when Charlie plans to win at Blackjack by counting cards, using Ray’s abilities to create a significant advantage. This story of family, ambition and card counting, also won Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director , and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Hoffman.

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The 75+ Best Movies About Gambling

Ranker Film

The world of high-stakes gambling has long been an enticing playground for filmmakers, inspiring a plethora of stunning films that immerse audiences into the exhilarating casino atmosphere. These movies often feature intricate storylines, captivating characters, and thrilling twists that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. By exploring themes like obsession, addiction, deceit, and redemption, some of the top movies about gambling reveal the complex nature of human beings and the consequences of their actions. 

Movies about gambling take audiences on exhilarating journeys with characters who face overwhelming odds, yet navigate through with luck, strategy, and skill. Gambling is an integral part of each story's unfolding, whether through the gamblers' pursuit of fortune, the excitement of outwitting adversaries, or the psychological battles they wage against themselves. The immersive plots and stunning visuals of these casino movies cause viewers to become fully invested in the characters and their gripping stories. 

Unforgettable gambling films offer electrifying narratives and memorable characters, reflecting the allure and rich complexity of the casino world. Among these are titles such as Casino , a film that takes viewers deep into the world of Las Vegas mobsters and the power plays that shaped Sin City; Rounders , which follows the journey of a former poker prodigy struggling with the thrill of high-stakes games; and Rain Man , a heartwarming tale of two brothers who discover an uncanny knack for card counting, altering their lives forever. These cinematic achievements are just a few examples of the great films that transport viewers into the world of gambling. 

The best gambling movies offer a perfect blend of suspense, drama, and intensity, providing an unforgettable cinematic experience. These films enchant audiences and leave lasting impressions by capturing the essence of the gambling world and its multifaceted characters. 

Rounders

Featuring an exceptional cast including Matt Damon, Edward Norton, and John Malkovich, Rounders  delves into the intense world of underground poker and the tumultuous lives of its players. This highly engaging movie explores the psychological aspects of the game, revealing the strategic mind games and aggressive tactics that are common amongst the most skilled players. With its captivating plot and richly drawn characters, Rounders  has earned its status as a must-watch for poker enthusiasts and cinephiles alike. Its ability to create tension and excitement makes it a standout example of gambling cinema.

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Casino

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Casino  delivers a exhilarating and gritty look into the world of high-stakes gambling, as it follows the rise and fall of legendary mobster, Sam "Ace" Rothstein. With its thrilling narrative and interesting acting by Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci, this film showcases the dark side of Las Vegas, exposing the corruption and deception that lie beneath its glamorous surface. The authentic portrayal of casino life, along with Scorsese's masterful storytelling, cements Casino  as an memorable classic in the pantheon of gambling films.

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The Hustler

The Hustler

In this timeless classic, Paul Newman stars as Eddie Felson, a young pool prodigy who seeks to prove himself against legendary player Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Delving into the seedy world of underground pool halls and high-stakes games, The Hustler  combines powerful acting with an interesting story to create a interesting cinematic experience. The gritty realism and emotionally charged character arcs make this film stand out among other gambling movies. Its exploration of ambition, talent, and self-destruction solidifies The Hustler  as a must-watch for anyone interested in this genre.

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Ocean's Eleven

Ocean's Eleven

Steven Soderbergh's stylish heist film, Ocean's Eleven , tells the thrilling story of Danny Ocean and his team of skilled accomplices as they attempt to steal $150 million from casino magnate Terry Benedict. Boasting an all-star cast led by George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon, the film offers a mesmerizing blend of intrigue, deception, and high-stakes gambling. The dazzling casino heist and witty banter between characters make Ocean's Eleven  a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable entry in the gambling genre. Its mix of clever planning and flawless execution have solidified Ocean's Eleven  as a true classic.

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Mississippi Grind

Mississippi Grind

With standout acting from Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind  follows two gamblers on a road trip through America's Southern gambling belt. As their friendship develops, the movie delves into themes of addiction, luck, and the importance of human connections. Featuring authentic portrayals of the various games played during their journey, Mississippi Grind  provides an engaging insight into the nuances of gambling subculture. The magnetic chemistry between Reynolds and Mendelsohn, as well as the compelling story of personal redemption, make this film an interesting entry in the genre.

The Color of Money

The Color of Money

Reprising his role as "Fast Eddie" Felson from The Hustler , Paul Newman delivers another powerhouse performance in Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money . The film focuses on an aging pool hustler mentoring a hot-headed young talent played by Tom Cruise, as they navigate the competitive and risky world of high-stakes pool games. With its exhilarating combination of intense competition, questionable ethics, and show-stopping pool skills, the film offers a compelling insight into the lives of those who risk it all in pursuit of their passions. The Color of Money  stands out as a gripping and masterfully executed addition to the gambling movie genre.

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The Sting

In this timeless classic, Robert Redford and Paul Newman join forces as two con men determined to pull off the ultimate scam against a mob boss responsible for their friend's death. Set against the backdrop of 1930s Chicago, The Sting  delves into the world of horse racing, poker, and high-stakes gambling, showcasing the clever deceptions and manipulations that drive the story. Featuring a masterful score by Marvin Hamlisch and a complex, engrossing plot, this Academy Award-winning film has earned its place among the best ever made. Its engaging blend of humor, suspense, and intrigue make The Sting  an unforgettable masterpiece in the realm of gambling movies.

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Rain Man

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman deliver memorable acting in Rain Man , a heartwarming and poignant film about two estranged brothers who reunite on a cross-country journey. With Hoffman's character, Raymond, possessing an extraordinary talent for counting cards, the movie explores the world of blackjack and the powerful impact of gambling on lives and relationships. This critically acclaimed masterpiece not only highlights the intricacies of card counting but also delves into themes of family, love, and acceptance. The combination of impeccable acting and a touching story ensures Rain Man  remains an iconic entry in the world of gambling films.

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21

Based on the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team, 21  follows a group of brilliant students who use their mathematical skills to beat casinos at blackjack and earn millions of dollars. Starring Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Bosworth, the film offers a unique insight into the world of card counting and the dazzling fortunes that can be won - or lost - in Vegas. With its intelligent plot and gripping acting, 21 has become a beloved entry in the gambling movie canon. The thrilling journey of these young gamblers makes this film a compelling and unforgettable experience.

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The Cincinnati Kid

The Cincinnati Kid

Starring Steve McQueen and Edward G. Robinson, The Cincinnati Kid  tells the captivating tale of a talented young poker player seeking to dethrone an aging champion in a high-stakes game. Set in the sultry backdrop of New Orleans, the film explores the intricate strategies and psychological warfare inherent in the world of poker, delivering an interesting and suspenseful experience. With its memorable acting and authentic portrayal of high-stakes gambling, The Cincinnati Kid  remains a must-watch for fans of the genre. The electrifying tension and gritty atmosphere make this film a standout in the world of gambling films.

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Uncut Gems

In this intense crime thriller, Adam Sandler delivers a tour de force performance as Howard Ratner, a charismatic jeweler with a high-risk gambling addiction. As he makes increasingly dangerous bets and struggles to stay one step ahead of his numerous adversaries, the film delves into themes of greed, ambition, and desperation. Directed by the Safdie brothers, Uncut Gems offers a nerve-wracking glimpse into the chaotic world of high-stakes gambling and the human cost of obsession. With its gripping storyline and powerhouse acting, this film cements its status as one of the best in the gambling genre.

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Lucky Number Slevin

Lucky Number Slevin

Featuring an all-star cast including Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, and Lucy Liu, Lucky Number Slevin  is a dark, stylish crime thriller that revolves around gambling, mistaken identity, and a powerful criminal organization. With its intricate and fast-paced plot, the movie keeps viewers guessing at every turn, showcasing the various characters' motivations and machinations in the world of horse racing and illegal betting. The combination of engaging dialogue, stunning visuals, and a complex narrative ensure that Lucky Number Slevin  remains a memorable and thrilling addition to the gambling movie genre. The suspenseful twists and turns throughout the film make it an unforgettable experience for viewers.

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Vegas Vacation

Vegas Vacation

The Griswold family returns for another hilarious adventure in Vegas Vacation , as they head to Sin City for a memorable trip filled with gambling, mishaps, and outrageous antics. Featuring a charismatic performance from Chevy Chase, this comedy offers a light-hearted and entertaining look at the temptations and challenges of gambling in Las Vegas. Although it may not delve as deeply into the darker aspects of gambling as other entries on the list, Vegas Vacation  nevertheless provides a fun and comedic take on the genre. Its amusing portrayal of the classic family vacation gone awry makes this film a humorous and enjoyable addition to the world of gambling movies.

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Ocean's Twelve

Ocean's Twelve

In this highly-anticipated sequel to Ocean's Eleven , director Steven Soderbergh reunites the star-studded cast for another thrilling adventure in the world of high-stakes thievery and gambling. As the team faces new challenges and navigates treacherous European landscapes, Ocean's Twelve  delves further into the characters' relationships and motivations, providing additional depth to the already compelling story. Maintaining the wit, style, and intrigue synonymous with the series, this film solidifies its place as a worthy addition to the gambling movie genre. Its fresh and engaging plot ensures that Ocean's Twelve  remains a riveting continuation of the franchise.

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Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Directed by Guy Ritchie, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels  is a British crime comedy that follows a group of friends who become involved in a high-stakes poker game and subsequent heist. The film's unique blend of humor, violence, and unforgettable characters has made it an enduring cult classic. Showcasing the intricate connections between organized crime, gambling, and dark humor, this movie has earned its place among the best gambling films available. Its distinctive style and interesting narrative make Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels  an entertaining and memorable viewing experience.

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Snatch

Guy Ritchie's fast-paced crime comedy Snatch  boasts an ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, and Benicio Del Toro, as it showcases the interconnected lives of various criminals involved in illegal boxing matches and underground gambling. Brimming with dark humor, clever dialogue, and memorable characters, the film effortlessly captures the tension and excitement that often accompany high-stakes wagers. Its intricate plot and energetic pacing have made Snatch  a beloved favorite among fans of gambling movies and crime comedies alike. The film's unforgettable characters and exhilarating storylines make it a standout in the genre.

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Owning Mahowny

Owning Mahowny

Based on a true story, Owning Mahowny  stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a bank employee who embezzles millions to fuel his gambling addiction. The film offers an intimate look into the life of a compulsive gambler and the devastating effects of addiction on both personal and professional relationships. With its gripping narrative and an outstanding performance from Hoffman, Owning Mahowny  serves as a poignant and memorable entry in the gambling movie genre. The powerful depiction of a life consumed by addiction makes this film an essential viewing experience.

The Gambler

The Gambler

In this compelling drama, Mark Wahlberg stars as a literature professor with a destructive gambling addiction that continually jeopardizes his relationships and career. Capturing the dangerous allure of high-stakes gambling, The Gambler  explores the psychological turmoil experienced by those who can't resist the thrill of risking it all. With powerful acting from its talented cast, the film presents an engrossing and thought-provoking portrayal of addiction, redemption, and self-discovery. The intense exploration of the protagonist's inner turmoil and his struggle for control make The Gambler  a must-watch for fans of the genre.

Hard Eight

In this riveting crime thriller, director Paul Thomas Anderson delves into the world of professional gambling, as a seasoned gambler (Philip Baker Hall) mentors a young man (John C. Reilly) in the art of winning at the casino. With its stylish visuals, engrossing characters, and intense atmosphere, Hard Eight  provides an unforgettable look into the risks and rewards of high-stakes gambling. The film's captivating acting, coupled with Anderson's masterful storytelling, make it a standout entry in the genre. The suspenseful twists and turns throughout the narrative ensure that Hard Eight  remains an engaging and thrilling experience for viewers.

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Let It Ride

Let It Ride

Starring Richard Dreyfuss as a down-on-his-luck taxi driver who finds himself on a hot streak at the racetrack, Let It Ride  is a comedic exploration of the all-consuming nature of gambling. As the protagonist defies the odds and continues winning, the film showcases the infectious excitement and joy that can accompany betting on longshots. With its unique blend of humor, optimism, and larger-than-life characters, Let It Ride  distinguishes itself as an entertaining and heartwarming entry in the gambling movie genre. The film's uplifting message and delightful acting ensure its status as a beloved classic.

Eight Men Out

Eight Men Out

Based on the true story of the 1919 Chicago White Sox, Eight Men Out  dramatizes the infamous Black Sox Scandal, in which eight players were accused of intentionally losing games in exchange for money from gamblers. Offering a fascinating look into the corruption and deceit that can accompany sports gambling, the film features standout acting from John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, and D.B. Sweeney. Its engrossing historical context and powerful character portrayals solidify Eight Men Out  as a masterful entry in the gambling movie genre. The film's exploration of the darker side of sports and the human cost of greed make it an essential viewing experience.

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White Men Can't Jump

White Men Can't Jump

In this beloved sports comedy, Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes star as two street basketball players who form an unlikely partnership to hustle their way through Los Angeles. As they navigate the challenges of the high-stakes gambling world, the film delivers both heartwarming moments and side-splitting humor. White Men Can't Jump  offers a unique look at the world of street gambling, showcasing the competitive nature and spirit of camaraderie that drives these players to risk it all on the court. Its entertaining blend of sharp dialogue, memorable characters, and exhilarating sports action make this film a beloved classic in the gambling genre.

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The Cooler

William H. Macy delivers a poignant performance in The Cooler , a film that explores the myth of the "cooler" – a casino employee with such bad luck that they're employed to reverse the fortunes of winning gamblers. As Macy's character falls in love and his luck begins to change, the film delves into themes of fate, fortune, and redemption. With its unforgettable acting, unique premise, and gripping story, The Cooler  has earned its place among the best films in the gambling genre. The film's exploration of whether luck is a matter of chance or destiny makes it an enthralling and thought-provoking watch.

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Croupier

In this British neo-noir film, Clive Owen stars as a writer who takes a job as a croupier in a London casino, becoming embroiled in the seedy underworld of gambling and crime. Croupier offers a unique perspective on the world of casinos, focusing on the employees who enable gamblers to indulge in their passions. The film's captivating story and stylish visuals have earned it a loyal following among fans of the genre. Its engrossing exploration of the darker side of gambling and human nature make Croupier  a compelling and unforgettable entry in the world of gambling movies.

House of Games

House of Games

Directed by David Mamet, House of Games  is a psychological thriller that delves into the world of confidence tricksters, card sharks, and high-stakes poker. The film follows a psychiatrist who becomes embroiled in the seductive and dangerous world of her patient, played by Joe Mantegna. With its carefully crafted narrative and engaging acting, House of Games  serves as a gripping exploration of deception, manipulation, and human nature. Its captivating portrayal of the hidden depths and complexities of the gambling underworld make this film a must-watch for fans of the genre.

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Casino Royale

Casino Royale

Daniel Craig's debut as James Bond, Casino Royale , showcases the iconic British spy at his most cunning and resourceful in a high-stakes poker game against the villainous Le Chiffre. The film delivers an adrenaline-pumping blend of action, suspense, and gambling intrigue, as it explores the intense world of international espionage and high-stakes poker. With its thrilling set pieces, gripping plot, and memorable characters, Casino Royale  has become an instant classic among fans of both the Bond franchise and the gambling movie genre. The intense poker showdowns and high-stakes action make this film a standout in the world of gambling films.

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Two for the Money

Two for the Money

In this intense drama, Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey star as a seasoned sports betting advisor and his protégé, respectively, as they navigate the high-pressure world of sports gambling. Exploring themes of greed, loyalty, and ambition, Two for the Money  offers a compelling glimpse into the risks, rewards, and consequences of betting on sports. The film's powerful acting and engaging story make it a noteworthy addition to the gambling movie canon. The enthralling dynamics between the lead characters and the thrilling world of sports betting combine to create an unforgettable cinematic experience.

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Lay the Favorite

Lay the Favorite

Starring Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lay the Favorite  tells the story of a young woman who enters the world of sports betting and quickly becomes entangled in the high-stakes game. The film offers a unique perspective on the world of gambling, exploring the intricacies of sports betting and the colorful characters that populate this often-overlooked niche. With its entertaining plot and engaging acting, Lay the Favorite  serves as an enjoyable and insightful addition to the genre. Its interesting depiction of an underdog triumphing in the competitive world of sports gambling makes it a memorable and enjoyable watch.

California Split

California Split

Directed by Robert Altman, California Split  stars Elliott Gould and George Segal as two gamblers who form an unlikely friendship and embark on a series of high-stakes adventures. Delving into themes of addiction, camaraderie, and the pursuit of happiness, the film offers a unique perspective on the gambling lifestyle. By capturing the highs and lows of their shared experiences, California Split  provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of professional gambling. The compelling character dynamics and Altman's distinctive storytelling style make this film an essential entry in the gambling movie genre.

The Card Counter

The Card Counter

In this tense and atmospheric thriller, Oscar Isaac stars as a former military interrogator turned gambler, who uses his unique skills to excel at playing blackjack and other card games. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Schrader, The Card Counter  offers a captivating exploration of redemption, obsession, and the transformative power of chance encounters. The film's nuanced storytelling, powerful acting, and striking visuals ensure its status as a noteworthy entry in the gambling movie genre. The dark and brooding atmosphere created by Schrader's masterful direction makes The Card Counter  an unforgettable viewing experience.

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Movies About Blackjack (List)

Movies About Blackjack (List)

Welcome to our curated list of the best blackjack movies ! If you’re a fan of the thrilling game of blackjack, these films are a must-watch. Each movie offers a unique perspective on the world of gambling and the excitement that comes with playing blackjack. From intense dramas to hilarious comedies, these films have it all. So sit back, relax, and prepare to be entertained by these top blackjack movies!

Key Takeaways:

  • Discover the world of gambling through these captivating blackjack-themed movies.
  • Experience the adrenaline rush of card counting and high-stakes blackjack.
  • Explore the challenges and triumphs of characters immersed in the casino world.
  • Laugh along with comedic blackjack moments in films like “The Hangover”.
  • Immerse yourself in the glamorous and dangerous world of Las Vegas casinos.

Table of Contents

1. 21 (2008)

21 is a captivating film that delves into the world of blackjack and the remarkable true story of the MIT Blackjack Team . The movie revolves around a group of brilliant students who develop a sophisticated system for card counting , an advanced blackjack strategy that gives them an edge over the casinos.

21 takes viewers on a thrilling journey as the team puts their skills to the test in various casinos across the country. With high-stakes gambling, intense strategy sessions, and the constant pursuit of beating the house, the film offers an exciting glimpse into the world of blackjack and the risks involved in card counting .

21 highlights the MIT Blackjack Team’s innovation and dedication as they push the boundaries of the game. The movie showcases the team’s careful planning, teamwork, and ability to stay one step ahead of the casinos’ watchful eyes. It also explores the moral and ethical dilemmas they face along the way.

The film’s compelling storyline, coupled with its accurate portrayal of card counting techniques, make 21 a must-watch for fans of blackjack and those intrigued by the world of gambling. It gives viewers a glimpse into the intriguing world of card counting and the intense thrill that comes with it.

2. Rain Man (1988)

“Rain Man” is a critically acclaimed film that captivates audiences with its remarkable portrayal of card counting and the unique challenges faced by individuals with extraordinary abilities. The movie stars Tom Cruise as a self-centered man who embarks on a transformative journey when he discovers his autistic brother, played by Dustin Hoffman , possesses an incredible talent for card counting.

The film beautifully depicts the bond that develops between the two brothers as they venture into the world of blackjack. Through their extraordinary skills, they seize the opportunity to win significant amounts of money at the blackjack tables, drawing both admiration and suspicion from the casino staff. Rain Man offers viewers a compelling narrative that explores the complexities of brotherhood, the power of human connection, and the inherent risks and rewards of card counting in the exhilarating realm of gambling.

Cast and Crew of Rain Man

3. casino (1995).

Directed by Martin Scorsese , Casino takes viewers on a captivating journey into the glamorous yet dangerous world of Las Vegas casinos. Starring Robert De Niro , Sharon Stone , and Joe Pesci, this film explores the intricate operations, power struggles, and corruption within the gambling industry.

Throughout the movie, audiences are treated to intense gambling scenes, including riveting moments at the blackjack tables. Scorsese’s masterful direction and the stellar performances by the cast bring the high-stakes action and authentic casino atmosphere to life.

In Casino , De Niro plays Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a mafia-associated casino executive determined to run a successful establishment. Stone delivers a riveting performance as Ginger, a captivating and complex character whose involvement with Rothstein sparks emotional and dangerous consequences. Pesci’s portrayal of Nicky Santoro, a violent and unpredictable enforcer, adds another layer of tension to the narrative.

As the story unfolds, viewers are exposed to the dark side of the gambling world, including corruption, betrayal, and the relentless pursuit of wealth and power. Scorsese’s meticulous attention to detail and the film’s gritty realism make Casino a must-watch for fans of crime dramas and Las Vegas enthusiasts alike.

4. The Hangover (2009)

“The Hangover” is a blackjack comedy that takes place in the vibrant city of Las Vegas. The movie follows a group of friends who embark on a wild bachelor party weekend, only to wake up the next morning with no memory of the previous night and a missing groom. As they retrace their steps, they encounter hilarious and outrageous situations that lead them to unexpected places and unforgettable experiences.

Although blackjack is not the central focus of the plot, it does make an appearance in one of the comedic scenes. The Hangover blends humor, adventure, and the lively atmosphere of Las Vegas, providing audiences with an entertaining and memorable movie-going experience.

By showcasing the unpredictable nature of a Las Vegas adventure, “The Hangover” captures the essence of this iconic destination and the excitement it offers. The movie’s blend of comedy and blackjack elements adds an extra layer of entertainment, making it a must-watch for fans of both blackjack and comedy films.

These movies about blackjack offer a captivating glimpse into the world of gambling. From intense dramas to hilarious comedies, each film presents a unique perspective on the excitement and risks associated with playing blackjack. Whether you’re a devoted fan of the game or simply enjoy compelling movies, these blackjack-themed films are a must-watch for any cinema enthusiast.

Through thrilling storylines and memorable characters, these movies showcase the allure and challenges of the blackjack table. From the true story of the MIT Blackjack Team in “21” to the captivating journey of two brothers in “Rain Man,” these films shed light on the complexities of card counting and the high-stakes nature of the game.

For those who crave a dose of adrenaline, Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” offers a gritty and realistic portrayal of the gambling industry, complete with intense blackjack scenes. And if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted comedy, “The Hangover” delivers a hilarious Las Vegas adventure that includes a memorable blackjack moment.

So grab some popcorn, gather your friends or family, and prepare to be entertained by these must-watch blackjack movies . With their thrilling narratives and unique perspectives on the game, these films are sure to keep you on the edge of your seat and provide a memorable movie-watching experience.

What are some popular movies about blackjack?

Which movie is based on a true story about a group of students who developed a system for card counting, what does the movie “21” explore, which movie follows the story of a self-centered man who discovers his autistic brother has incredible card counting abilities, what does the movie “rain man” offer, who directed the movie “casino”, what does the movie “casino” feature, which comedy movie features blackjack in one of its comedic scenes, what can viewers expect from “the hangover”, what makes these movies about blackjack worth watching, related posts.

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Iconic Films with The Best Blackjack Moments Image

Iconic Films with The Best Blackjack Moments

By Film Threat Staff | November 7, 2023

For many, cinema is a getaway, a place where life’s problems fade away for a few hours. When blackjack is portrayed on the big screen, how does it compare to the beloved game many play off-screen? This game, with its intoxicating mix of skill, luck, and drama, often finds its way into the heart of unforgettable movie scenes. Whether you’re a film enthusiast or a blackjack fan, the fusion of this classic card game with cinematic storylines can be simply irresistible. Let’s dive deep into some iconic films that beautifully capture the essence of blackjack.

The Thrill of ’21’

tom cruise blackjack movie

Released in 2008, “21” is perhaps the most recognized film that revolves around blackjack. Based on a true story, the film presents the journey of a group of talented students from MIT. With their brilliant mathematical minds, they take Vegas casinos for millions. While many engage in online blackjack with real money , this movie captures the allure of the traditional casino setting, showcasing the adrenaline, the signals, and the art of card counting. Kevin Spacey’s riveting performance as the mentor and the emotional roller-coasters faced by the young team make it a must-watch.

Beyond the glitter of Las Vegas, “21” also explores the ethical quandaries these young people are facing. The seduction of easy money, the strain on personal relationships, and the risks of playing with fire in the casino world make this film both thrilling and thought-provoking.

The Classic ‘Rain Man’

tom cruise blackjack movie

Who can forget the charm of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in this 1988 classic? While “Rain Man” is not solely about blackjack, the game plays a pivotal role in the film. Hoffman’s character, Raymond, an autistic savant, has an extraordinary ability to count cards. The iconic scene at the blackjack table where Raymond helps his brother (played by Cruise) win big is both entertaining and touching. This film sheds light on the raw talent that some individuals possess, which can easily overshadow even the most seasoned blackjack players.

This movie not only celebrates the game’s excitement but also delves into the complexities of family ties and understanding unique abilities. The bond between the brothers, tested and strengthened at the blackjack table, is proof of the film’s emotional depth and enduring appeal.

The Laughs in ‘The Hangover’

tom cruise blackjack movie

When talking about blackjack in movies, it’s hard to overlook the hilarious adventures of “The Hangover.” In one of the most memorable scenes, Alan, portrayed by Zach Galifianakis, employs card counting to win big at a casino. The scene is a brilliant blend of humor and tension, offering a lighter take on the game. For those used to serious portrayals of blackjack, this is a fresh and comical perspective.

Beyond the laughs, the film subtly highlights the allure of Las Vegas and its captivating casino culture. Alan’s unexpected blackjack prowess symbolizes the city’s unpredictability, where fortunes can change in a heartbeat. It reminds viewers that sometimes, against all odds, the underdog can have their moment of triumph.

Bond’s Elegant Stakes in ‘Lience to Kill’

tom cruise blackjack movie

James Bond films are synonymous for casinos, luxury, and high stakes. In “Licence to Kill,” Timothy Dalton as Bond engages in a tense game of blackjack against the movie’s antagonist. The elegance and sophistication with which the game is played here are unmatched. The setting, the interactions, and the silent battle of wits remind us why blackjack is often seen as a game for the suave and the skilled.

These iconic films have shown the beauty of blackjack at its best, capturing its suspense, strategy, and thrills in unique ways. They have taken us from the comfort of our own living rooms into the glittery world of casinos, drawing us closer together through celebration of an underdog win or laughter at unexpected twists. It is making us cheer for an underdog, laugh at what may appear out of nowhere, and sometimes wish we could count cards. If you have never played blackjack before, these films might just provide the stimulus to try your hand at it, whether in an actual casino or on the online platform. So next movie night make sure that this selection of films is on your agenda to provide both entertainment and a bit of blackjack-related inspiration.

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Entertainment Focus

The best blackjack movies of all-time

Pip Ellwood-Hughes

Blackjack is the most popular card game in the world.

The casino table game is instantly recognisable, even by those who don’t play it regularly. This familiarity, along with the excitement associated with it, is the reason why blackjack has been depicted in cinema on numerous occasions over the years.

Here are some of the most memorable movies to have included iconic blackjack scenes.

Robert Luketic’s 21 is one of the only blockbuster Hollywood films ever created to focus solely on blackjack. The film was based on the Ben Mezrich book, Bringing Down the House, which told the true story of the famous MIT Blackjack Team who won big in the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

The blackjack team, which was led by Kevin Spacey in the 2008 picture, operated way before online gambling became such a big thing. Nowadays, blackjack aficionados can find a range of sites to play online using references like www.BestOnlineBlackjack.com , but in those days the casinos were the main places to get a game. 21 is exciting and intense, and earned $159.8 million at the box office.

Rain Man won Best Picture at the www.Oscars.org in 1989, along with a number of other esteemed accolades including Best Director for Barry Levinson. The classic film which starred Tom Cruise, who you can read more about at www.entertainment-focus.com , and Dustin Hoffman was primarily a tale of a bourgeoning relationship between two estranged brothers. There were a number of classic scenes in the film, but one of the highlights was when the two characters went to play blackjack at a casino.

Cruise’s Charlie realised that Hoffman’s Ray was a human calculator and also highly adroit at memorisation. This put him at a distinct advantage at blackjack and allowed the pair to rack up a large stack of winnings.

Martin Scorsese recently released his latest film, The Irishman, on Netflix in 2019 and you can read our thoughts about it at www.entertainment-focus.com . But many years before that, in his 1995 he directed the gangster epic, Casino, which could be the quintessential film about gambling houses. It was described as dazzling in the www.nytimes.com , and is considered among the esteemed director’s best offerings. The picture delves into great detail about the ins and outs of running a casino, and also shows some of the top games on offer there. Table games like blackjack were often seen in the background, but the game also came to the forefront in one of the most iconic moments.

In the memorable scene, Joe Pesci’s psychopathic Nicky Santoro keeps throwing cards back at the dealer when he isn’t happy with them. It results in Robert De Niro’s Sam Rothstein having to boot him out of the casino.

Blackjack scenes are always a good way to add some thrills to a film. Some other worthy mentions of appearances of the card game include The Hangover and The Cooler.

Pip Ellwood-Hughes

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TV News, Previews, Spoilers and Reviews

Top 5 Blackjack Movies of All Time

July 6, 2022 By theTVaddict Leave a Comment

Before we examine each blackjack movie in detail individually, we thought it would be best to put together the entirety of the top 5 blackjack movies in one list. Some of them are classic movies from the 80s. The quality is not very good, so that it may be a bit ugly, but it is worth it in the end.

On the other hand, others were made after significant technological developments after the turn of the century, guaranteeing you the highest possible video quality and high-resolution options. We bet you didn’t know all the blackjack movies on our list. It’s about time you found out. If you’re looking for a place to play, we can show you the best live casino to enjoy online while you might watch one of these great movies:

1. 21 (2008)

21 is a suspenseful crime drama based on the true story of a young and talented student who cannot afford his scholarship. Ben Campbell was an MIT student accepted into the most prestigious Harvard Medical School, but the place was totally over budget, or in other words, $300,000 in tuition. He has incredible math skills, so his MIT professor Micky Rosa invited him to join his secret blackjack team.

It seems that the professor gathers bright minds and teaches them how to count the cards so they can win as many times as possible at the Las Vegas blackjack game. At first, it all seemed like a dream for Ben as they successfully used card counting and another cover signal trick, increasing their odds of winning and making them rich. With money comes a new way of life. It all falls apart at the movie’s end, but you must see the ending yourself.

2. Swingers (1996)

The film is fictional, but it depicts the typical life of an unemployed Hollywood actor in the ’90s when the swing dance revival. The main cast is a name now considered a movie legend. The film revolves around the struggles of Mike Peters, one of many who came to Los Angeles in search of happiness. Yes, but Mike’s girl breaks his heart, and that’s what friends help. His best friend Trent invited him to take a trip to Las Vegas, and Mike, of course, agreed.

Sin City offers many temptations for these two fun-hungry young gentlemen. They play blackjack, drink, and meet girls, but nothing goes as expected. When they returned to Hollywood, Mike naturally fell in love with a new girl, and we had a happy ending.

3. Rain Man (1988)

One of the best blackjack movies of the decade, the film stars Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, two brothers who were naturally very different. A movie that ends at blackjack. The main cast is a young Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, who imports Lamborghinis to America and sells them to millionaires there. Chalie has changed a lot since his father died. To his shock, he had a crazy brother who inherited $3 million from his father, while Charlie got an old Buick Roadmaster.

Raymon is autistic and has his routine, and it’s not always easy being around him. Amid his turmoil, Charlie’s career hasn’t been entirely smooth either. The Lamborghini he was supposed to import no longer meets emissions regulations. This caused creditors to withdraw his money, leaving Charlie with $80,000 in debt. That was when he decided to go to Las Vegas, but this time with his brother, who could count more cards than anyone because of his mental state. They made over $86,000 to pay off their debt and move back to Los Angeles. At the movie’s end, the psychiatric doctor gives Charlie $250,000 to get Raymond out of the hospital, but you can guess the movie is over now, right?

4. Croupier (1998)

Fourth on our list of the 5 Best Blackjack Movies, Clive Owen plays the role of Jack Manfred, a young writer for who There are no promising careers in movie dealers. With the help of his dad, who was a punk, he started working as a dealer in a casino. It wasn’t long before Jack made a mess. The casino has specific policies that Jack decides to break, and he suffers the consequences. First, he slept with one of his co-workers, Bella, which the casino forbade him to do, which was fatal to his relationship with his girlfriend Marion. At the same time, he had more trouble at work because he broke another casino rule – not befriending players.

Jani plays well, but her real intentions are not that noble. She convinced him to participate in a casino heist; his job was to sound the alarm if a player at his table cheated. Marion finds out he’s involved in criminal activity, and she pays for it. The night after the robbery, the police came to Jack and told him that a car had been hit and killed. You should see the ending for yourself.

5. The Last Casino (2004)

This is another classic blackjack movie that can also be considered the best blackjack movie ever made. It is made in Canada and has its French name “La Mise Finale”. The film is about math professor Doug Barnes using card counting to beat the casino. But casino manager Wilson slapped Barnes in the face and blacklisted him from the casino. After that, he met Orr, who came to find out how he would pay back the lost money. The professor then suggested forming a group of students and teaching them to count cards. After some research, his three candidates, George, Scott and Alice, all have incredible memories.

Orr was persuaded to invest in and support the new team of blackjack players and receive 75% of the 50% cut applicable to Professor Barnes. All was well, but with the money came a new way of life, and that’s what the movie shows. Shortly after the initial allegations that they were card counters became true, Orr decided to withdraw his endorsement and told Barnes that he had a week to pay off his $100,000 debt. On the other hand, Barnes told his team of students they needed to raise $500,000. They broke up and travelled to Ottawa and Quebec, hoping the casinos still didn’t recognise their faces. Yes, but things didn’t go well as Scott and George were arrested and taken to the back room of the casino for a quick chat. They eventually got the money back but also ensured Orr would be present at her meeting with Barnes to ensure the debt was paid in full.

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The Top 5 Famous Blackjack Movie Scenes

Blackjack has long been one of the most played card games because it’s simple and it’s fun.

Although it is generally agreed that Blackjack originated in France, known as Vingt-et-Un, or 21, in the 1700 – it is a globally enjoyed game.

The first American rules for Blackjack came into play in 1825, yet it wasn’t renamed Blackjack until 1899.

Since then, along with other popular casino games, Blackjack has graced our screens many times. Becoming ingrained in pop culture in a way that only casino games can be.

The rush of the win or watching a crippling loss has given us some of the most memorable movie scenes of all time.

From gangster mob movies to hilarious and messy comedies, Blackjack manages to feature with ease.

To whet your appetite, ready to go to online-casinos.com and enjoy some Blackjack of your own, here are the best five Blackjack movie scenes around.

Licence to Kill

Would it be a James Bond movie if there wasn’t a high-stake casino scene? Not really.

Although we know James Bond to prefer baccarat in the books, in Licence to Kill, he takes an unusual step.

Mr. Bond challenged the lead villain and the casino owner to a game of Blackjack.

007 doubles down on two 5s, splits on 8s, and has three great hands. The splitting of 8s is a classic Blackjack movie, so it is doubling on 10. Wise decision made in both cases, and true to a winning Blackjack strategy.

Of course, the hero walks away with £250,000 in true Bond style.

The scene is incredibly shot and gives all of the style and anticipation you need from a Blackjack game and a Bond movie.

The whole film is based on Blackjack, so it isn’t about just one scene. 21 also shines a light on exposing the ethics and the morality of the Blackjack tables in Vegas.

The movie is gripping from start to finish and is tipped to be one of the most realistic casino movies around.

What makes 21 particularly interesting is that it is a fact-based story—taking the story of six MIT students, highly trained to become card counting geniuses.

One unorthodox math teacher and students who have crippling student debt and a mind for numbers make for enticing viewing.

The final Blackjack scene is one of the essential parts of the movie. We move between slow motion and sped up card delivery, and suddenly the game is on.

Wearing disguises, the group hustles other players and tables. Of course, it’s not all easy.

Greed, corruption, and a rise and fall give 21 an easy-to-follow storyline with some intense moments.

The Hangover

The internet is awash with a gif of Alan counting cards, and that is taken from the short but brilliant Blackjack scene in The Hangover.

What starts as a small bachelor weekend turns into a messy booze-fuelled casino adventure.

Alan, a quirky and funny character, reads a book on card-counting, and before you know it, his friends are making win after win.

Incredible! Of course, you shouldn’t be card counting, so once they will 80k (the amount they owe a gangster), it’s time to leave.

The Blackjack scene from The Hangover is an homage to the original scene in Rain Man.

Note: Card counting isn’t cool, and if you do it in a casino, you’ll be asked to leave, or perhaps ‘blackballed’ and unwelcome in the future. 

Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise star in one of the most well-known movies around.

Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom, has some money worries, and his business isn’t going well.

After his father dies, he finds that any money he had hoped for was given to an institution – where is estranged brother lives.

Charlie, with rotten motives, takes responsibility for his brother, Raymond.

Raymond has an affinity with numbers, and Charlie uses this to his advantage. Raymond’s incredible talent allows him to count the cards at a Blackjack table and help Charlie win a massive $86,000.

The opening line as they hit the table is “Rain Man, let’s play some cards,” and for the next few minutes, we get some to see Raymond put his amazing brain into action.

The chips stack up thick and fast, a crowd gathers, and it isn’t long before they get noticed.

As it turns out, Raymond is counting six decks!

An enjoyable film, with one of the most memorable Blackjack scenes around.

The Gambler

You can watch the original 1974 or the 2014 Mark Wahlberg remark – either way; it’s a great movie.

It’s a true story of a university professor whose borrowing and self-destructive nature gets out of control.

Jim Bennett, the main character, is a high-stakes gambler and is in it for the thrill.

Although bright, Jim gets himself in plenty of hot water. He pits loan sharks against gambling rings and trying to play his way out of it.

His loved ones come under threat, and he has over $250,000 to pay back.

The Blackjack scene sees Jim hit the table with $10,000 while his love interest watches for a moment.

Jim calls the first card, the music kicks in, and you watch as he stacks the chips only to run out of luck and lose it all. He immediately asks for another $10,000.

It is one of the most interesting Blackjack scenes you’ll even see, it’s shot beautifully and the music is perfect.

Of course, you’ll have to watch the film to see how it all plays out.

When it comes to casinos, poker, and Blackjack, they give us some of the most exciting and intense film scenes.

Blackjack is a timeless classic and perfect for movies because it has simple rules and the audience can follow it with ease.

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How accurate are blackjack movies compared with the reality of card counters?

Blackjack is a game that inspired many movie scenes and twisted film plots. But as Hollywood romanticizes what it’s like to be a professional card counter. One can wonder if the life of professional gamblers is like what the big screen shows us. Read more – how accurate are Blackjack movies?

In our experience, it isn’t. And we’ve recently stumbled on 2 advantage players who commented on popular TV and movies scenes with their expertise. Plus, they’ve compared them with their personal experience as card counters.

While the glitz and glam of Vegas make for a terrific backdrop for an exciting storyline, one can wonder, will you end up in a backroom in a casino somewhere eating a knuckle sandwich because you’ve used your brain in a beatable game? Possibly not…

But are there any other scenes in Blackjack movies far from reality? Let’s find out what other blackjack players think about iconic blackjack films.

Rain Man

Rain man – the classic blackjack movie

When it comes to iconic blackjack movies, few can rival the 1988 film Rain man. Nevertheless, there’s no denying that Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are making a killing when visiting Las Vegas’ blackjack tables.

Now when professional card counters commented on Rain man’s casino scenes. It started well. However, one could not help but point out that the script makes it sound like professional players know it all in this movie, which is inaccurate. Indeed, as an advantage player. Your goal is to maximize your bet spread when the deck or the odds are in your favor. Rare are those blackjack players who’ll know when the cards will come out and how. And for this reason, everyone agrees that Rain Man is an excellent film. But it does not match the reality of card counters today.

The Hangover – Is the world’s greatest blackjack book that good?

In the movie The Hangover, one of the leading characters grabs the book “The world’s greatest blackjack” and reads it on its way to Vegas. After studying for a bit, the fortunate player wins a $20,000 bet. Lucky or talented?

Well, possibly luck or a dramatization of what could happen. In fact, most advantage players would tell you they’d had to study an entire weekend to master basic blackjack strategy. After that, there are deviations, including hi-low count and deck penetration. For the latter, you can estimate that the savviest player amongst the savvy ones would take around 1 month if fully dedicated to learning.

However, most card counters would tell you they were in a position to test their games in a land-based casino after 3 or 4 months at best. So what the Hangover shows is very improbable to happen to anyone.

21 – the MIT crew that inspired many Blackjack movies

MIT’s team success is very well documented indeed. However, when advantage players looked at it, they couldn’t stop laughing. To start with, there’s the spotter who signals the better by crossing her arms. Then it’s followed by a huge smile making it evident these 2 are a pair to watch out for.

Then, on the leading character’s first hand, he sits at the table with a running count of 16. “Sweet, too sweet,” remember? Then cards slowly hit the table as Jim Sturgess adjusts the count. The pros’ reactions? “Wow, that guy needs to speed up his counting skills; otherwise, he’ll never make it.”

Dark Matter – a Blackjack movies too cool to be true?

Yes, of course, the neon blue blackjack table in Dark Matter is fantastic. Yet, it puzzled pro players. “A glass blackjack table? That I’ve never seen anywhere in the world,” one said.

But props aside, Dark Matter is more a fantasy than reality. Take a look at the player’s first move. Splitting 10s (against an 8) and not re-splitting when another 10 value card hits the table, hum? That got the expert questioning the movie script as it is not a basic blackjack strategy recommended play. However, one admitted they are times where you’ll do that if you master deviations. But what got the expert cracking up was when the movie star laid another bet on the table after no re-splitting. The pros’ final comment about this screen was, “it’s like someone did some research, but not enough to be accurate”.

To conclude

Now, of course, errors in movies happen from time to time. And it’s always fun to spot them. But if it were not for this article, could you have spotted these errors? If you’ve said yes, congrats. You’re ready to visit a casino. If you said no, you might need to practice a little more before visiting an online casino or offline one. Because in life, it’s real money on the table, and you’ll want to put the best chances you have to win more if you’re serious about blackjack.

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Tom Cruise Movies List

  • Movies or TV
  • IMDb Rating
  • In Theaters
  • Release Year

1. Endless Love (1981)

R | 116 min | Drama, Romance

Parental disapproval of a passionate romance between two teenagers leads to arguments, circumstance, insanity and tragedy.

Director: Franco Zeffirelli | Stars: Brooke Shields , Martin Hewitt , Shirley Knight , Don Murray

Votes: 9,521 | Gross: $31.18M

2. Taps (I) (1981)

PG | 126 min | Drama

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

Director: Harold Becker | Stars: George C. Scott , Timothy Hutton , Ronny Cox , Sean Penn

Votes: 20,023 | Gross: $35.86M

3. The Outsiders (1983)

PG | 91 min | Crime, Drama

In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: C. Thomas Howell , Matt Dillon , Ralph Macchio , Patrick Swayze

Votes: 96,953 | Gross: $25.60M

4. Losin' It (1982)

R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama

Set in 1965, four rowdy teenage guys travel to Tijuana, Mexico for a night of partying when they are joined by a heartbroken housewife who is in town seeking a quick divorce.

Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jackie Earle Haley , John Stockwell , John P. Navin Jr.

Votes: 5,199 | Gross: $1.25M

5. All the Right Moves (1983)

R | 91 min | Drama, Romance, Sport

An ambitious young football star is trapped in a dying mill town--unless his gridiron skills can win him a way out.

Director: Michael Chapman | Stars: Tom Cruise , Lea Thompson , Craig T. Nelson , Charles Cioffi

Votes: 20,341 | Gross: $17.23M

6. Risky Business (1983)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.

Director: Paul Brickman | Stars: Tom Cruise , Rebecca De Mornay , Joe Pantoliano , Richard Masur

Votes: 99,428 | Gross: $63.50M

7. Legend (1985)

PG | 94 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Romance

A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise , Mia Sara , Tim Curry , David Bennent

Votes: 72,173 | Gross: $15.50M

8. Top Gun (1986)

PG | 109 min | Action, Drama

As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise , Tim Robbins , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer

Votes: 499,923 | Gross: $179.80M

9. The Color of Money (1986)

R | 119 min | Drama, Sport

Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.

Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Paul Newman , Tom Cruise , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Helen Shaver

Votes: 92,958 | Gross: $52.29M

10. Cocktail (1988)

R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.

Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Tom Cruise , Bryan Brown , Elisabeth Shue , Lisa Banes

Votes: 91,524 | Gross: $78.22M

11. Rain Man (1988)

R | 133 min | Drama

After a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.

Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman , Tom Cruise , Valeria Golino , Gerald R. Molen

Votes: 544,938 | Gross: $178.80M

12. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

R | 145 min | Biography, Drama, War

The biography of Ron Kovic . Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country for which he fought.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Tom Cruise , Bryan Larkin , Raymond J. Barry , Caroline Kava

Votes: 115,459 | Gross: $70.00M

13. Days of Thunder (1990)

PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sport

A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.

Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise , Nicole Kidman , Robert Duvall , Randy Quaid

Votes: 96,075 | Gross: $82.67M

14. A Few Good Men (1992)

R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller

Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.

Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jack Nicholson , Demi Moore , Kevin Bacon

Votes: 286,199 | Gross: $141.34M

15. The Firm (1993)

R | 154 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.

Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jeanne Tripplehorn , Gene Hackman , Hal Holbrook

Votes: 147,197 | Gross: $158.35M

16. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

R | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.

Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Brad Pitt , Tom Cruise , Antonio Banderas , Kirsten Dunst

Votes: 346,079 | Gross: $105.26M

17. Mission: Impossible (1996)

PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jon Voight , Emmanuelle Béart , Henry Czerny

Votes: 468,816 | Gross: $180.98M

18. Jerry Maguire (1996)

R | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.

Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise , Cuba Gooding Jr. , Renée Zellweger , Kelly Preston

Votes: 286,051 | Gross: $153.95M

19. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

R | 159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Tom Cruise , Nicole Kidman , Todd Field , Sydney Pollack

Votes: 373,444 | Gross: $55.69M

20. Magnolia (1999)

R | 188 min | Drama

An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jason Robards , Julianne Moore , Philip Seymour Hoffman

Votes: 327,572 | Gross: $22.46M

21. Mission: Impossible II (2000)

PG-13 | 123 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called "Chimera".

Director: John Woo | Stars: Tom Cruise , Dougray Scott , Thandiwe Newton , Ving Rhames

Votes: 376,530 | Gross: $215.41M

22. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)

Not Rated | 142 min | Documentary, Biography

The career and life of Stanley Kubrick is explored through pictures, clips from his films, his old home movies, comments from his colleagues and a narration by Tom Cruise .

Director: Jan Harlan | Stars: Katharina Kubrick , Malcolm McDowell , Stanley Kubrick , Barbara Kroner

Votes: 12,194

23. Vanilla Sky (2001)

R | 136 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Romance

A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.

Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise , Penélope Cruz , Cameron Diaz , Kurt Russell

Votes: 284,918 | Gross: $100.61M

24. Space Station 3D (2002)

Not Rated | 47 min | Documentary

From outer space countries don't exist.

Director: Toni Myers | Stars: Tom Cruise , James Arnold , Michael J. Bloomfield , Robert D. Cabana

Votes: 1,745 | Gross: $93.37M

25. Minority Report (2002)

PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery

John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise , Colin Farrell , Samantha Morton , Max von Sydow

Votes: 582,661 | Gross: $132.07M

26. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

PG-13 | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the aptly named villain Goldmember, who is working with Dr. Evil.

Director: Jay Roach | Stars: Mike Myers , Beyoncé , Seth Green , Michael York

Votes: 222,279 | Gross: $213.31M

27. The Last Samurai (2003)

R | 154 min | Action, Drama

Nathan Algren, a US army veteran, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Nathan finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.

Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Tom Cruise , Ken Watanabe , Billy Connolly , William Atherton

Votes: 469,222 | Gross: $111.11M

28. Collateral (2004)

R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.

Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jamie Foxx , Jada Pinkett Smith , Mark Ruffalo

Votes: 431,733 | Gross: $101.01M

29. War of the Worlds (2005)

PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise , Dakota Fanning , Tim Robbins , Miranda Otto

Votes: 473,755 | Gross: $234.28M

30. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.

Director: J.J. Abrams | Stars: Tom Cruise , Michelle Monaghan , Ving Rhames , Philip Seymour Hoffman

Votes: 389,552 | Gross: $134.03M

31. Lions for Lambs (2007)

R | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Injuries sustained by two Army rangers behind enemy lines in Afghanistan set off a sequence of events involving a congressman, a journalist and a professor.

Director: Robert Redford | Stars: Tom Cruise , Meryl Streep , Robert Redford , Michael Peña

Votes: 52,533 | Gross: $15.00M

32. Valkyrie (2008)

PG-13 | 121 min | Drama, History, Thriller

A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.

Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Tom Cruise , Bill Nighy , Carice van Houten , Kenneth Branagh

Votes: 258,574 | Gross: $83.08M

33. Tropic Thunder (2008)

R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, War

Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller , Jack Black , Robert Downey Jr. , Jeff Kahn

Votes: 446,433 | Gross: $110.52M

34. Knight and Day (2010)

PG-13 | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

A young woman gets mixed up with a disgraced spy who is trying to clear his name.

Director: James Mangold | Stars: Tom Cruise , Cameron Diaz , Peter Sarsgaard , Jordi Mollà

Votes: 209,914 | Gross: $76.42M

35. Takers (2010)

PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A group of bank robbers find their multi-million dollar plan interrupted by a hard-boiled detective.

Director: John Luessenhop | Stars: Chris Brown , Hayden Christensen , Matt Dillon , Michael Ealy

Votes: 65,652 | Gross: $57.74M

36. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

Director: Brad Bird | Stars: Tom Cruise , Jeremy Renner , Simon Pegg , Paula Patton

Votes: 527,144 | Gross: $209.40M

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COMMENTS

  1. Rain Man (1988)

    Rain Man: Directed by Barry Levinson. With Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen. After a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.

  2. Rain Man

    Rain Man is a 1988 American road comedy - drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive, selfish, young wheeler-dealer Charlie Babbitt ( Tom Cruise ), who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed virtually all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other ...

  3. The Best Blackjack Movies That Will Change Your Perspective

    This film, starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman as two completely different personality brothers, is among the finest blackjack films of its era. Blackjack is the central theme of a film. Charlie Babbitt, played by a fresh faced Tom Cruise, is the primary character. 21 (2008)

  4. The 26 Best Movies About Gambling and Poker, Ranked.

    The 1961 original is less concerned with a swaggering Tom Cruise-Paul Newman movie-star face-off and more focused on loyalty and integrity and ambition. Newman's Fast Eddie Felson is like a ...

  5. The Best Blackjack Movies You Must Watch

    The Best Blackjack Movies You Must Watch. ... Rain Man is a classic movie starring Tom Cruise as the selfish and unscrupulous Charlie Babbitt and his estranged brother Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant, who reconnect after their father's death when Charlie is settling his estate. One of the movie highlights is when Charlie ...

  6. The 75+ Best Movies About Gambling

    Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman deliver memorable acting in Rain Man, a heartwarming and poignant film about two estranged brothers who reunite on a cross-country journey. With Hoffman's character, Raymond, possessing an extraordinary talent for counting cards, the movie explores the world of blackjack and the powerful impact of gambling on lives ...

  7. Movies About Blackjack (List)

    Get dealt into excitement with our curated Movies About Blackjack (List), your ultimate guide to the best blackjack-themed films for fans of the game. ... The movie stars Tom Cruise as a self-centered man who embarks on a transformative journey when he discovers his autistic brother, played by Dustin Hoffman, possesses an incredible talent for ...

  8. Iconic Films with The Best Blackjack Moments

    Who can forget the charm of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in this 1988 classic? While "Rain Man" is not solely about blackjack, the game plays a pivotal role in the film. ... and high stakes. In "Licence to Kill," Timothy Dalton as Bond engages in a tense game of blackjack against the movie's antagonist. The elegance and ...

  9. The Best Blackjack Movies of All Time

    It was helmed by Barry Levinson and starred Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, who won an Oscar for his mesmerizing performance. The story centers on Charlie (Cruise), who learns that Raymond (Hoffman) is an autistic savant with a remarkable memory for details—a skill that comes in handy at the blackjack tables.

  10. The best blackjack movies of all-time

    Here are some of the most memorable movies to have included iconic blackjack scenes. ... The classic film which starred Tom Cruise, ... Cruise's Charlie realised that Hoffman's Ray was a human ...

  11. Top 5 Blackjack Movies of All Time

    3. Rain Man (1988) One of the best blackjack movies of the decade, the film stars Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, two brothers who were naturally very different. A movie that ends at blackjack. The main cast is a young Tom Cruise as Charlie Babbitt, who imports Lamborghinis to America and sells them to millionaires there.

  12. The Top 5 Famous Blackjack Movie Scenes

    The splitting of 8s is a classic Blackjack movie, so it is doubling on 10. Wise decision made in both cases, and true to a winning Blackjack strategy. Of course, the hero walks away with £250,000 in true Bond style. ... Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise star in one of the most well-known movies around. Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom, has some ...

  13. Best Blackjack Movies

    This movie is one of the best blackjack movies of its decade where Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are playing two entirely different by nature brothers. A film which end revolves around blackjack. The main character is the young Tom Cruise in the role of Charlie Babbitt, who is importing Lamborghinis in the USA and re-selling them to the local millionaires.

  14. Jack Reacher (2012)

    Jack Reacher: Directed by Christopher McQuarrie. With Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo. A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper responsible for a mass shooting.

  15. Tom Cruise filmography

    Tom Cruise filmography. Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer who made his film debut with a minor role in the 1981 romantic drama Endless Love. [1] [2] Two years later he made his breakthrough by starring in the romantic comedy Risky Business (1983), [3] [4] which garnered his first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor ...

  16. Top 10 best blackjack movies of all time

    This is an iconic movie starring two iconic co-stars in Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman. Cruise discovers his deceased father has left his millions to a brother he knew nothing about - the autistic Hoffman. Spotting an opportunity, the pair head to the blackjack tables where Hoffman's amazing powers of recall help with card counting.

  17. Blackjack Movies

    Starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman - The movie tells the story of the two brothers, in which Dustin is autistic, with a great memory ability - especially with numbers. Tom takes Dustin to the casinos to play some blackjack and finds great success at counting cards - until they get busted.

  18. Blackjack movies

    Rain man - the classic blackjack movie. When it comes to iconic blackjack movies, few can rival the 1988 film Rain man. Nevertheless, there's no denying that Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman are making a killing when visiting Las Vegas' blackjack tables. Now when professional card counters commented on Rain man's casino scenes. It started ...

  19. Top 5 Greatest Blackjack Movies of All Time

    21. Robert Luketic's "21" is a gripping drama, inspired by famous real-life events involving the MIT Blackjack Team. Back in the 1980s, this was a team of MIT students and mathematics masterminds who used covert signalling and card counting to beat the casinos while playing blackjack. In 2008's "21," Jim Sturgess plays Ben, the ...

  20. American Made (film)

    American Made is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Doug Liman, written by Gary Spinelli, and starring Tom Cruise, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejía, Caleb Landry Jones, and Jesse Plemons. It is inspired by the life of Barry Seal, a former TWA pilot who flew missions for the CIA, and became a drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel in the 1980s.

  21. Blackjack Movies and Books

    Another good blackjack movie is Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise. Hoffman plays Raymond an autistic savant and older brother to Tom Cruise's character. Due to Raymond's autism, he has a rare talent of being able to count almost anything to a staggering degree.

  22. Blackjack In Movies

    Starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman, the film is best known for the scenes within the casino and the iconic escalator shot. The card counting scene was later spoofed in The Hangover and Zach Galifianakis becoming a celebrated meme. 3. Stacy's Knights

  23. Tom Cruise Movies List

    Tom Cruise Movies List. Menu. Movies. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India ... Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jackie Earle Haley, John Stockwell, John P. Navin Jr. Votes: 5,194 | Gross: $1.25M. 5. All the Right Moves (1983) R | 91 min | Drama ...