“God of Gamblers Returns” Chinese Theatrical Poster
They say that tension and conflict’s at the heart of drama so it’s not surprising that the confrontational nature of gambling has featured so heavily in many Hollywood films. After all, it’s also an industry that represents some of the biggest gambles of all with millions dollars being invested in even the lowest budget movies.
Films with gambling in them range from ones in which it’s at the heart of the action like Scorsese’s Casino to more surprising ones like Toy Story 3 that even includes a fun roulette scene. But the one game that really works well on the screen is poker – and these five classic examples show the many different ways that it can be used to create real highs, and lows, for the characters.
Best Bond scene
Gambling’s an essential element in virtually every Bond film ever made as he makes his way round many of the world’s most exclusive casinos. In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig’s first outing as the super spy, he takes on his nemesis Le Chiffre in a high stakes game of poker. Despite being poisoned and made to go into cardiac arrest mid-game he manages to re-start his heart with a handy in-car defibrillator and go on to win millions.
Most tense scene
Rounders was released 1998 starring the relatively unknown Matt Damon as a maths genius on a mission to repay huge debts with poker winnings. To do this he has to take on the sinister and scary Teddy KGB played with maximum menace by John Malkovich. It’s looking bad for Damon till he spots a “tell” and goes on to clear out KGB with style.
Poker for laughs
In the 2001 remake of the classic 1960 movie Ocean’s 11 George Clooney puts together a team to defraud some of the biggest casinos in Vegas – but first he has to get Brad Pitt to teach many hapless team members how to play. Hilarity ensues as they fail to get the idea at all including believing a hand of “all reds” is the best you can get. Needless to say, Pitt is far from amused!
The king of cool
For a masterclass in poker-faced genius look no further that Paul Newman’s performance in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke. In a key scene which takes place in the penitentiary where he is a prisoner a frantic game of poker’s going on around him while Luke is impassive. Naturally he goes on to win with ease delivering the killer line, “sometimes nothing can beat a real cool hand.”
Best drunk scene
Poker and drinking don’t make a good combination but it can have its uses – as Paul Newman also displayed in the highly acclaimed follow-up to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting. The whole film is about the attempt to cheat the gangster Doyle Lonegan, played by Robert Shaw, out of his money and in this scene Newman pretends to be drunk to get him to lower his guard – and it works like a dream.
Of course, there are lots of other examples of poker in the movies that we just don’t have space to mention here and you’ve probably got some favourites of your own. There are also likely to be many more in films not yet made or released – so make sure you also look out for the classics of the future.
