2 Great Gambling Movies from the Turning of the Century
The late 90s and the early 2000s have brought us some of the best gambling movies of all time. It’s time to check out two of them.
Hard Eight, 1996
Hard Eight is a brilliantly crafted tale created and directed by the gifted Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Philip Baker Hall, Gwyneth Paltrow and John C. Riley.
Hard Eight hit more than 220,000 dollars in the box office.
The movie follows Sydney, a man in his sixties who spends his days at casinos and has been gambling for decades. At one casino, he meets John, a broke gambler who Sydney starts seeing as a son.
Sydney begins mentoring John on all the best gambling tactics and moves. He even helps him find a girlfriend, Clementine, who curiously works at the casino.
John’s life finally seems to get back on track when something unexpected happens that can damage all characters.
Ocean’s 11, 2001
Who hasn’t heard about the Ocean’s franchise, and particularly the fabulous Ocean’s 11? The movie is directed by Steven Soderbergh and stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, among several other Hollywood heavyweights.
The storyline pulls you in immediately. Before being released from prison, Daniel Ocean had already designed the plan for a new hit. On his target list are three massive casinos operated by Terry Benedict.
However, Ocean won’t do it all by himself. And so, he starts recruiting professional thieves from across the country, as well as other helpers with useful skills.
Reuben Tishkoff enters the story as the man who offers the money for the operation. Tishkoff lost a casino to Benedict and is naturally happy to contribute to his downfall.
Finally, Daniel Ocean gets employed at the casino where he starts observing every routine. Ocean’s 11 has it all to be a perfect gambling movie. Amazing cast, intriguing plot, extravagant scenes, lively action and even romance.
You know the drill! Catch up on these masterpieces. You won’t be disappointed.