Gambling has been around for centuries and has been sometimes loved and hated; but always present in society. It started off with betting on gladiators in Ancient Rome and card games to lavish horse racing in Dubai and mobile casinos gambling on sites like mFortune.
Therefore, it will come as no surprise that as movies and film reflect our society, we often see gambling portrayed in several Hollywood creations. In the past there have been several movies that have been hugely successful. However, there are many movies out there that are quite intriguing but are often over looked.
These movies are underrated and deserve more credit than what they are shown. Some of these have been listed below.
Owning Mahowny
This is a Canadian film which was produced in 2003. The movie is about a banker who embezzles up to ten million dollars in order to satisfy his gambling habit. Mahowny receives numerous chances from the casino manager to win back his money which he eventually does, only to lose it again.
The movie managed to earn 1 million dollars and it had a budget of 10 million dollars which proves how it’s been under appreciated. Although in recent years it has become quite the classic in terms of the gambling genre. This story is based on Brian Molony who really embezzled ten million dollars from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
Mr Lucky
Mr Lucky was produced in 1943, it based on a dirty gambler who attempts to scam a war relief charity by stealing the identity of a deceased gangster. Everything changes for him when he meets a wealthy socialite with whom he falls in love with. It might be a black and white film but it’s undoubtedly a movie that you should watch if you’re looking for an interesting movie about gambling and romance.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Despite this movie starring heart throb and brilliant actor Johnny Depp, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas never reached its full potential amongst the public. This comedy was produced in 1998, it was about Johnny Depp who plays as Raoul Duke and together with a psychotic lawyer they take a ride to Las Vegas in order to try to achieve the American Dream together.
This film has unfortunately been overlooked by many with their budget being 18.5 million dollars, they only managed to achieve a box office total of 13.7 million dollars
The Good Thief
This is a British French Irish crime thriller which is a remake of a movie from 1955 known as Bob Le Flambeur. The Good thief was filmed in 2002 and is based on a character known as Bob.
The film looks at Bob’s life and how he plans one more job even though he was a retired thief and previously a heroin addict.
Bob enjoyed gambling and heroin which played a huge part in his life. For this last job Bob planned to steal invaluable art work from a Monte Carlo casino. The Good Thief explores the gambling business while keeping you fascinated, but even so the movie only managed to reach 5.76 million dollars in box office while it had a budget of 30 million dollars.
