Hello and welcome to our blackjack top five movies you can watch, where you will find our top five blackjack movies handpicked and researched for you. For your convenience, we’ve decided to put some extra info so you can get acquainted with all the little details without watching the movie.
Whether you’re playing a game or your favourite movie character, it’s always exciting when money is on the table. Poker also holds a special place in people’s hearts and movies, but there are other games, like blackjack, that deserve recognition. Blackjack is a game of skill and pure chance, which is why many hit movies have gracefully portrayed this game. Well, players can now play online table games in a live casino without visiting a casino, but watching these games through the eyes of a filmmaker is a fantastic opportunity. So, we’ll introduce you to some of the best blackjack scenes depicted in the movie.
1. The Gambler (2014)
The big blackjack filmmaking of the past decade starring Mark Wahlberg. The movie wasn’t well-received by the public, but if you’re a gamer, you’ll love it. The film tells the story of Jim Bennet, a highly self-destructive literature professor who ends up owing more than $200,000 to a local underground gambling company. That’s not all. He also owes $50,000 to a lender called Neville Baraka. But now you’ll find out how it ended. Jim is a good professor with bad habits. One of his students, Amy, worked as a waiter at those mentioned local underground casinos. She keeps the professor a secret but also shows him interests he ignores.
After unsuccessfully trying to negotiate another loan with a third local lender, Jim made a desperate move to ask his wealthy mother to give him money. After all, she gave him the money, but the gambler…was a gambler…he didn’t pay the debt, he paid it back to her. Baraka kidnapped and tortured him, then offered him a deal. The deal required him to convince his student Lamar to win a college basketball game by seven points or less. Jim then goes to Frank and demands $260,000 to pay off his debt to Lee, but also tells him that if Jim doesn’t follow his rules, all of his loved ones will be in danger. Jim goes to Lee and asks him to bet $150,000, noting that this is the only way to repay Lee and Frank. Amazingly, Jim used the money to bribe Lamar while sending another of his students to bet the remaining $260,000 on the Las Vegas game. Lamar made it, and Jim managed to pay off all the debts he owed Frank and Lee.
2. The Cooler (2003)
This is the only romantic drama about love in our top 5 blackjack movies. The protagonist is Barnie Lootz, also known as Unlucky Barnie, who works as a cooler at the Shangri-La Casino. You might be wondering what a cooler is? Well, here’s a “luck” guy whose job is to make people lose money. The story behind his work is that a few years ago, he became addicted to gambling, and casino manager Sally saved his life by breaking his knee and putting him in a cooler for six years to pay off his debt. After defending a waitress, Natalie, Barney shows interest and starts dating him. This is how the love story begins.
Thanks to his enthusiasm and love, he felt the aura of happiness was gone. He told Natalie why he was working at the casino and would be leaving soon. Yes, but it seems Natalie was hired to keep him, but she fell in love with him. Shirley disagrees with her feelings and lets Natalie leave town, leaving Barney down, and he makes up for it by being the calm one. Natalie’s feelings are real, and she returns to pick up Barney, but Shirley goes to her motel room while packing. He punched Natalie in the face. In the end, Barney confronts Shirley, but since the story’s ending is so intense and tragic, we won’t reveal more.
3. Jinxed! (1982)
This blackjack movie will show you how crazy people are in casinos and how superstitious they are. Jinxed is a true gambling comedy starring Bette Midler. Her character’s name is Bonita Friml, and she’s a Las Vegas casual singer married to a gamer named Harold Benson. The entire film revolves around Harold’s luck at blackjack and the secret love life of his wife, Bonita. Harold played cards at a casino and beat a croupier named Willie Brodax. Even Willie couldn’t explain why Harold always won in blackjack while on duty.
He was even fired from this casino. He then moved to Reno for a fresh start. Yes, but Harold followed him because he thought it was his lucky charm. Meanwhile, Bonita and Willie fall in love and even consider killing Harold to break the curse and move on with their lives. Yes, but fate is a funny thing. When Harold was in the shower, he decided to stick his finger in the light bulb socket and electrocute himself.
Bonita and Willie panicked when they found him but later recalled that Bonita would not take any money from his life insurance if the death were ruled a suicide. So they put Harold behind the wheel of his truck and made it crash. Yes, but no money! The movie ends at the casino, and Bonita sits at Willie’s table and wins a fortune playing blackjack. Willis has fired again, and they leave town together. It’s a unique comedy and one of the best blackjack movies.
4. Casino (1995)
Casino 1995 is a film based on the life of the famous Frank Rosenthal, who ran the most famous casino in Las Vegas in the 1970s. Robert De Niro stars as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, a Chicago gangster who trusts him to take care of their Las Vegas casino business. There, he met the love of his life, Jiang. His best friend in Chicago, Nikki Santoro, is employed by the Mafia to keep Sam out of trouble and take care of the Las Vegas underground.
Everything was great in the beginning. Sam runs the casino well while his beloved Ginger takes care of the crew. Nicky, well, Nicky is doing what he does best, punching crabs out of people. Sam is a professional casino manager but has repeatedly clashed with local authorities over firing the wrong people. He fired the brother-in-law of the chairman of the Clark Country Council, which cost him his casino license, so the drama began.
At the film’s end, you get the classic betrayal scene where his best friend and girlfriend stab him in the back. Nikki was later killed by Chicago thugs, while Ginger died of a drug overdose in a hotel room. Sam and his daughter start a new life in San Diego.
5. Blackjack (1978)
Blackjack 1978 is an old movie, and you can still see and feel the discrimination against black people. The story isn’t too different from real life, but the film isn’t based on a true story. The plot follows a black inmate who contemplates robbing 5 of Las Vegas’ largest casinos with the help of his friends and local police. Since this is a classic movie, we won’t spoil any more spoilers; you must watch it!