Almost all films about bets, excitement and bookmakers are fascinating stories in the genre of detective, action, crime drama or action, and sometimes all at once. Some of these paintings become eternal classics, and some are suitable only for a single viewing. The list of the best films about betting is further in the article.
"Big jackpot"
The 2000 film "Big Jackpot", shot by the famous English director Guy Ritchie, opens the list of the best films on the theme of excitement and betting. The rating of this picture is 8.3 out of 10 on IMDb, 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.5 out of 10 on Kinopoisk. The plot revolves around several characters, each of whom strives to break his jackpot. A criminal businessman named Four-Toed Frankie was about to deliver a huge stolen diamond to his boss, but instead decided to take a chance and bet on an underground boxing match. At the same time, the host of the underground is about to arrange a fake match and contacts a cunning gypsy boxer named Mickey. In the course of the plot, unsuspecting heroes are interfered with this story. In "Big Kush" in 2000, stars such as Brad Pitt, Jason Stetham, Benicio del Toro and Vinnie Jones starred.
"Scam"
Fans of films about stakes, risk and game fraud should not miss the 1973 scam film. He was embodied by director George Roy Hill, and the leading roles were played by prominent Hollywood actors of the 70s - Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Robert Shaw. In the story, two scam friends trading in fraudulent bets and gambling accidentally cross the road to the boss of the Chicago mafia. Because of this, one of them dies, and the second - Jooni Hooker - decides to take revenge. He finds Henry Gondorrf - the second friend of his late workmate - and with it develops a plan for the most incredible scam in history. The ending of the story will delight even the most sophisticated viewers.
The 1973 scam is a cult film in its genre and has seven Oscars, including for the best picture. Rating 8.3 out of 10 on IMDb, 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1 out of 10 on “Movie Search”
"Player"
A decent film about betting is the tape "Player", filmed by director Karel Reish in 1974. The rating of this movie is 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb, 7 out of 10 on Kinopoisk and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. The director of the film of the same name, Fyodor Dostoevsky, who was repeatedly quoted by the main character of the film, Axel Fried, a college literature teacher, pushed to create the “Player”. The main plot unfolds around him and 44,000 dollars that Axel owed to bookmakers and opponents on the gambling table. Fridu is helped out of the situation by his professional basketball student. With its help, the main character manages to arrange a fake match and recoup. Famous actors James Caan, Paul Sorvino and actress Lauren Hatton starred in the film.
"Money for two"
The 2005 film “Money for Two” is primarily known for its star cast, as celebrities such as Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey have starred in it. The director was DJ Caruso. The plot tells the story of former successful footballer Brandon Lange and the bookmaker Walter Abrams. Walter often offered his services to Brandon, but he refused exactly until the moment he was injured and was forced to leave the big sport. But now these two risky guys have a plan on how to make money quickly, or rather, a very risky adventure, failure in which will mean one thing - certain death for Brandon Leng and Walter Abrams. They entered into a dangerous game with even more dangerous people, and therefore it will be exciting and interesting to watch the development of events. The 2005 Money for Two rating is 22% on Rotten Tomatoes, 6.2 on IMDb and 7.1 on Kinopoisk.
"Lucky number Slevin"
The very famous film "The Lucky Number of Slevin" of 2006 also tells about bets and risky games. The viewer meets with Slevin Kelevre in an unpleasant period of his life - the house is sealed, he was fired from work, and the girl left. He comes to New York to temporarily settle with a friend, but he is already robbed at the airport, leaving him with a broken nose and even without a wallet. Subsequently, it turns out that Slevin is the son of a gambler who was killed by the mafia for trying to dishonestly play on bets. A truly intricate plot awaits the viewer, filled with crime and the internal kitchen of bookmakers.
The director of the 2006 Lucky Number movie is Paul McGuigan, with Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Ben Kingsley starring in the film. The rating of the picture is 7.8 out of 10 on IMDb, 52% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1 out of 10 on "Movie Search".
"Fortune Vegas"
You should not think that all films about bookmakers and bets are dramatic. A striking representative of the comedy on this subject is the 2012 Fortune Vegas movie, directed by Stephen Frears. The star of this humorous film was Bruce Willis, and Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn starred in it. The plot tells the story of a former stripper named Bette, who comes to Las Vegas and gets a job in an underground bookmaker. Unbeknownst to this, the girl becomes a happy talisman in the business of the owner of the office, Dink Khaimovitz and his two partners, Frank and Scott. But suddenly Tulip Haimowitz, Dink’s wife, appears on the horizon, and things are changing dramatically - both at him and at the whole office, including Bette. The 2012 Fortune Vegas movie rating is 4.8 out of 10 on IMDb, 5.1 out of 10 on Cinema Search and 18% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Bookmakers
One of the best films about sports betting and betting shops is the 2003 picture with the eloquent title of “Bookmakers”, whose rating is 6 out of 10 on IMDb, 6.2 out of 10 on “Movie Search” and 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot tells about college friends Toby, Jude and Casey, who one day come up with a fresh scheme of bookmaking fraud. The plan works, and in a matter of days ordinary students become rich. However, they did not take into account that easy money almost always brings misfortune, and also that the mafia does not like the self-confident newcomers working in their territory. Now friends need to work hard to not only save their money, but also their lives - as a bonus. The director of this film is Mark Illsley, starring starring actors Nick Stahl, Johnny Galecki, Lucas Haas and Rachel Lee Cook.
"Driver for the night"
Another interesting film about the bookmakers is the 2014 crime drama "Driver for the Night," directed by Joe Carnahan. The plot tells the story of Kevin - a limousine driver who owes a large sum to bookmakers. He has only one night to return the money, and he hopes to earn it by completing the order of the eccentric billionaire who hired a limousine for his personal, very strange and even terrible adventures. Meanwhile, Kevin learns about the setup against him, gets into a few alterations, but still manages to get dry out of the water, at the same time paying with everyone, and even meeting the love of his life. Starring famous actors: Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Chris Pine and Jessica Alba. Drivers at night ranked 6.5 out of 10 on IMDb, 6.2 out of 10 on Movie Search, and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Big bet
One of the best films about sports betting is the 2005 film called "Big Bet." The director of the film was Mark Rydell, and the producer was well-known to everyone Denny DeVito, who also played one of the leading roles in the film. In addition to him, Kim Bessinger, Ray Liotta, Tim Roth and Carl Gugino appeared in the Big Bet. The film is a kind of movie almanac and shows several unrelated stories about people who are similar to each other with a passion for gambling, betting and money risk. The viewer will see the story of Carolyn addicted to slot machines; bookmakers Ogie and Murphy caught in a match; Detective Brunner, who is investigating a series of bookmaker killings, and the invisible boss of the game mafia Ivan. The rating of this film is 5.9 out of 10 on IMDb, 6.3 out of 10 on “Movie Search” and 24% on Rotten Tomatoes.
"White people can't jump"
Another comedy about betting and dummy matches is “White people can't jump.” This film was directed by Ron Shelton in 1992, starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. The comedy rating is 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb, 7.4 out of 10 on Kinopoisk, and 76% on Rotten Tomatoes. The plot of the film tells the story of two Los Angeles basketball scammers. Billy is a white guy, and he bets those who believe that basketball is only for blacks. And Sydney, the black one, in turn, is trying hard to confirm the myth that “white people don’t know how to jump,” although in fact, as it turns out later, he works with Billy. Meanwhile, Billy owes a large sum to some individuals and asks Sydney to help collect her in the usual way.
"Player 5150"
The list of the best films about betting is completed by the 2008 crime drama "Player 5150." The director of the picture was David Michael O'Neill, starring Christopher MacDonald, Ethan Embry, Kathleen Robertson and Bob Ganton. The plot tells about a character named Joe - he works as a stockbroker, successfully married and lives in abundance. But all of a sudden, he becomes involved in gambling through reckless player Brian Vicks. Soon, Joe, like other people associated with Brian, is faced with a series of setbacks. At first, he worries about all his accumulations, elements of a happy and comfortable life. But soon the events develop in such a way that only one thing is wanted - to survive, and at what cost - it does not matter. Can any of the heroes get out of a similar story? The film’s rating on IMDb was 5.1 out of 10 and 5.8 out of 10 on Kinopoisk. There is no rating on the Rotten Tomatoes site for this film.