Let's Gamble!
by masandaglinus123 | created - 12 Dec 2014 | updated - 17 Dec 2014 | PublicMark Wahlberg's new movie, The Gambler is being released on Christmas Day.
If you've seen many gambling movies, you know that gambling is bad. Based on their great storylines and tremendous acting, which of these films did you enjoy watching the characters gamble in?
Discuss the list here
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1. The Hustler (1961)
Not Rated | 134 min | Drama, Sport
An up-and-coming pool player plays a long-time champion in a single high-stakes match.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Paul Newman, Jackie Gleason, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott
Votes: 86,761 | Gross: $8.28M
2. The Cooler (2003)
R | 101 min | Drama, Romance
In an old school Las Vegas casino, its top gambling jinx breaks his curse when he falls in love, much to his boss' consternation.
Director: Wayne Kramer | Stars: William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin, Shawn Hatosy
Votes: 35,493 | Gross: $8.24M
3. Rounders (1998)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama
A young, reformed gambler must return to playing high stakes poker to help a friend pay off loan sharks, while balancing his relationship with his girlfriend and his commitments to law school.
Director: John Dahl | Stars: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Gretchen Mol, John Malkovich
Votes: 160,112 | Gross: $22.91M
4. The Gambler (1974)
R | 111 min | Crime, Drama
Axel Freed is a literature professor. He has the gambling vice. When he has lost all of his money, he borrows from his girlfriend, then his mother, and finally some bad guys that chase him. Despite all of this, he cannot stop gambling.
Director: Karel Reisz | Stars: James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton, Morris Carnovsky
Votes: 6,561 | Gross: $1.31M
5. Owning Mahowny (2003)
R | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A bank manager with: (a) a gambling problem and (b) access to a multimillion dollar account gets into a messy situation. Based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history.
Director: Richard Kwietniowski | Stars: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, John Hurt, Maury Chaykin
Votes: 14,336 | Gross: $1.01M
6. Croupier (1998)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama
An aspiring writer is hired as a croupier at a casino, where he realizes that his life as a croupier would make a great novel.
Director: Mike Hodges | Stars: Clive Owen, Nick Reding, Nicholas Ball, Alexander Morton
Votes: 23,506 | Gross: $6.20M
7. 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: 93,227 | Gross: $52.29M
8. 21 (2008)
PG-13 | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Inspired by real events and people, 21 is about six MIT students who become trained to be experts in card counting in Black Jack and subsequently took Vegas casinos for millions in winnings.
Director: Robert Luketic | Stars: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Aaron Yoo
Votes: 266,383 | Gross: $81.16M
9. The Sting (1973)
PG | 129 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning
Votes: 279,713 | Gross: $159.60M
10. Maverick (1994)
PG | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Bret Maverick, needing money for a poker tournament, faces various comic mishaps and challenges, including a charming woman thief.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, Graham Greene
Votes: 118,985 | Gross: $101.63M
11. Two for the Money (2005)
R | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
After suffering a career-ending knee injury, a former college football star aligns himself with one of the most renowned touts in the sports-gambling business.
Director: D.J. Caruso | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Al Pacino, Rene Russo, Armand Assante
Votes: 48,574 | Gross: $22.86M
12. The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
TV-14 | 102 min | Drama
An up-and-coming poker player tries to prove himself in a high-stakes match against a long-time master of the game.
Directors: Norman Jewison, Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Steve McQueen, Ann-Margret, Edward G. Robinson, Karl Malden
Votes: 18,222 | Gross: $15.26M
13. Let It Ride (1989)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Action
A nosy cab driver gets a hot tip on a race horse and wins big, but he can't seem to stop gambling. Will he go broke or walk home with a pretty penny?
Director: Joe Pytka | Stars: Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, David Johansen, Jennifer Tilly
Votes: 6,879 | Gross: $4.97M
14. Vegas Vacation (1997)
PG | 93 min | Comedy
In the fourth outing for the vacation franchise, the Griswolds have to survive Vegas fever when they go to Las Vegas for a fun family vacation.
Director: Stephen Kessler | Stars: Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, Ethan Embry
Votes: 53,109 | Gross: $36.43M
15. Hard Eight (1996)
R | 101 min | Crime, Drama
Professional gambler Sydney teaches John the tricks of the trade. John does well until he falls for cocktail waitress Clementine.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly, Gwyneth Paltrow, Samuel L. Jackson
Votes: 54,859 | Gross: $0.22M
16. Casino Royale (2006)
PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
After earning 00 status and a licence to kill, secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007. Bond must defeat a private banker funding terrorists in a high-stakes game of poker at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Director: Martin Campbell | Stars: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Judi Dench, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 694,278 | Gross: $167.45M
17. Casino (1995)
R | 178 min | Crime, Drama
In Las Vegas, two best friends - a casino executive and a mafia enforcer - compete for a gambling empire and a fast-living, fast-loving socialite.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods
Votes: 563,536 | Gross: $42.44M
18. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
PG-13 | 116 min | Crime, Thriller
Danny Ocean and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.
Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon
Votes: 618,721 | Gross: $183.42M
19. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Eddy persuades his three pals to pool money for a vital poker game against a powerful local mobster, Hatchet Harry. Eddy loses, after which Harry gives him a week to pay back 500,000 pounds.
Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham
Votes: 615,990 | Gross: $3.90M
20. California Split (1974)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
When a casual gambler (George Segal as Bill) befriends a professional one (Elliott Gould as Charlie), he begins to mirror his life, sending both deeper into the sleazy gambling world where the stakes keep getting bigger.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss, Gwen Welles
Votes: 8,415 | Gross: $10.90M
21. Runner Runner (2013)
R | 88 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When a poor college student who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie
Votes: 65,685 | Gross: $19.32M
22. Bob the Gambler (1956)
PG | 98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
After losing big, an aging gambler decides to assemble a team to rob a casino.
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville | Stars: Roger Duchesne, Isabelle Corey, Daniel Cauchy, Guy Decomble
Votes: 13,352 | Gross: $0.02M
23. Bugsy (1991)
R | 136 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of how Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel started Las Vegas.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley
Votes: 30,981 | Gross: $49.11M
24. House of Games (1987)
R | 102 min | Crime, Thriller
A psychiatrist comes to the aid of a compulsive gambler and is led by a smooth-talking grifter into the shadowy but compelling world of stings, scams, and con men.
Director: David Mamet | Stars: Lindsay Crouse, Joe Mantegna, Mike Nussbaum, Lilia Skala
Votes: 24,034 | Gross: $2.59M
25. The Killing (1956)
Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Crook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen
Votes: 97,424
26. Guys and Dolls (1955)
Not Rated | 150 min | Comedy, Crime, Musical
In New York, a gambler is challenged to take a cold female missionary to Havana, but they fall for each other, and the bet has a hidden motive to finance a crap game.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, Frank Sinatra, Vivian Blaine
Votes: 19,347 | Gross: $13.00M
27. It Could Happen to You (1994)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A police officer promises to share his lottery ticket with a waitress in lieu of a tip.
Director: Andrew Bergman | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Bridget Fonda, Rosie Perez, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 44,609 | Gross: $37.80M
28. The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984)
R | 121 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two cousins unknowingly rob the mob and face the dangerous consequences.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Eric Roberts, Mickey Rourke, Daryl Hannah, Geraldine Page
Votes: 9,818 | Gross: $6.14M
29. Lucky Numbers (2000)
R | 105 min | Comedy, Crime
A television weatherman scams a local lottery.
Director: Nora Ephron | Stars: John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth, Ed O'Neill
Votes: 10,940 | Gross: $10.01M
30. Lucky You (2007)
PG-13 | 124 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A hotshot poker player tries to win a tournament in Vegas, but is fighting a losing battle with his personal problems.
Director: Curtis Hanson | Stars: Eric Bana, Drew Barrymore, Robert Duvall, Phyllis Somerville
Votes: 21,177 | Gross: $5.76M
31. 29th Street (1991)
R | 101 min | Comedy, Drama
Frank's been lucky from the day, he was born. So why's he throwing rocks at a church after winning $6,200,000 in 1976 NYC lottery? He tells his story at the police station.
Director: George Gallo | Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Danny Aiello, Lainie Kazan, Frank Pesce
Votes: 3,234 | Gross: $2.12M
32. Turn the River (2007)
R | 92 min | Drama
A pool shark takes the ultimate gamble when she kidnaps her own son and flees her ex-husband.
Director: Chris Eigeman | Stars: Famke Janssen, Jaymie Dornan, Rip Torn, Matt Ross
Votes: 1,923
33. Poolhall Junkies (2002)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A talented pool hustler who has stayed out of the game for years must return to his old ways when his little brother gets involved with his enemy--the very man who held him back from greatness.
Director: Mars Callahan | Stars: Mars Callahan, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Rosenbaum, Ricky Schroder
Votes: 10,841 | Gross: $0.56M
34. The Lady Gambles (1949)
Approved | 99 min | Drama, Film-Noir
A desperate husband tries to find help for his wife suffering from addictive gambling.
Director: Michael Gordon | Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, Stephen McNally, Edith Barrett
Votes: 1,055
35. Run Lola Run (1998)
R | 80 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
After a botched money delivery, Lola has 20 minutes to come up with 100,000 Deutschmarks.
Director: Tom Tykwer | Stars: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri
Votes: 206,912 | Gross: $7.27M
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