The Best Casino Scenes In Film

The casinos we see in film are invariably different to those we lose our money at in real life.

 

Stakes are always high, fortune comes at the turn of a card and you can bet your last chip there’s a portly Texan wearing a giant cowboy hat stood behind a couple of newlyweds about to roll snake eyes. But of course we don't mind the cliche because, let's face it, this oft-used film location never fails to heighten the drama.

 

So join us as we visit 10 of the best...

You don’t cross Robert De Niro’s Ace Rothstein, loosely based on Frank ‘Lefty’ Rosenthal, the mob associate who ran a throng of Las Vegas casinos for the Chicago Outfit back in the '70s. Composed, level-headed, business-like, it’s easy to see why the mob favour Ace to front their operations, which he does so with a real mean streak when necessary. Just as one bootless cowboy finds to his detriment, resting his socks atop a casino table before being ejected from the venue head-first. It’s just one of the parts of Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film which makes it such a triumph.

 

Talk about breathless thrillers - it was knackering just watching the titular heroine dash across Berlin and gather a ransom in exchange for her boyfriend’s life. During one rare pause for breath in the film, Lola visits a stuffy casino, her unkempt appearance directly at odds with the well-tuxedoed table hosts whose sneering looks quickly turn to shock as she wins big. The shot of the ball gunning it around a roulette wheel as she emits an ear-piercing scream is brilliant - and don't worry about the lack of subtitles, it's all about the visuals for this one.