Movies are recorded in different settings and often times they have offered a glimpse into the casino world. The most common scene is the movie actors going to Las Vegas to entertain themselves and in such cases, we were able to see those big casinos of the city from the inside. This, I’d say, is a core memory for many of us who grew up watching Hollywood movies.
Usually, we’d get scenes of the actor playing in one of the big casinos. However, more recently in the 2000s, with the rise of online casinos there have also appeared scenes featuring online casinos. That being said, casinos scenes are a way of incorporating entertainment in the movie, along with all the rest of the plot that is going around.
We’ve often heard and read about casino movies of the late 90s, like Rounders starring Matt Damon, but today we will have a look at more recent ones, those that were released in the 2000s. Without further ado, let’s get going!
1. Runner Runner (2013)
Runner Runner is a movie that was first aired on October 4th, 2013. It was directed by Brad Furman and had many producers, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Arnon Milchan, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher and Scot Steindorff.
Genre
Thriller, Crime
Cast
Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Gemma Arterton, Anthony Mackie
Plot
The plot revolves around a young boy called Richie (role played by Justin Timberlake). Richie goes to college and has to pay a crazy significant amount for his tuition. However, he has found a way on how to do this and that is: online gambling. During the movie, there are many scenes where Richie is shown playing online roulette, poker, blackjack and so forth. Later on, in the movie Richie flies out to Costa Rica where he goes to meet up the owner of the online gambling site, Ivan (role played by Ben Affleck). He offers him a job and so they start working together.
Opinion
The coolest thing about this movie is that it keeps you on the edge at all times. This is something that we should expect taking into consideration that the movie’s genre is thriller and crime. This movie perfectly embodies what this genre stands for and if you are also a fan, we definitely recommend it!
2. Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale was launched on November 16, 2006. It is a James Bond movie, and honestly that alone says a lot about the movie. It was directed by Martin Campbell and produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
Genre
Action, Adventure
Cast
Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Caterina Murino
Plot
The movie is set in Casino Royale in Montenegro. James Bond (played by Daniel Craig) goes there to play poker against the antagonist of the movie Le Chiffre (played by Mads Mikkelsen). Bond borrows the money to play from Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green) and later on falls in love with her. Le Chiffre kidnaps Vesper Lynd in an attempt to take revenge against Bond, but Bond finally manages to release her. However, in order for Bond to live, Vesper Lyn sacrifices her own life, and the movie ends with Bond being alone again as he started.
Opinion
Casino Royale is often considered as being Bond’s best movie of all time and that is absolutely justified. This movie is full of action and suspense and if we are honest about it, there are few actors who can play such roles as good as Bond does. That aside, the movie in general is thrilling from the beginning to the end and the romance scenes make it even more fulfilling as such.
3. 21 (2008)
21 is a movie that came out on 28th of March 2008. The movie is directed by Robert Luketic and produced by Kevin Spacey, Peter Steinfeld, Russell Carpenter, Dave Sardy and Michael DeLuca.
Genre
Crime, Action
Cast
Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, Jim Sturgess, Jeff Ma
Plot
This movie is based in the USA, with a group of MIT students who come up with an idea on how to win more money in casinos. They are particularly good at math and have the support and guidance of their professor on this. By using their math skills, they are able to count cards and as a result, they end up winning a lot of money. This, however, doesn’t go unnoticed. The group is then discovered and in the end Ben Campbell (played by Kevin Spacey) has to either choose his friends or walkway.
Opinion
21 has been regarded as a well-made movie by the critics. The movie explores the themes of greed and loyalty and raises this question as to “what would one do if they had the chance to win a crazy amount of money and disregard their moral compass?”. In real life, as we know, most people go on about winning, however that doesn’t usually end up very well.