Rounders
Mainly worth watching for John Malkovich’s turn as Oreo-munching Russian mobster Teddy ‘KGB’, Roundersfollows Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) as a law student and budding poker player. The film begins with Mikelosing $30,000 dollars to KGB and renouncing gambling, a promise he keeps until Worm (Edward Norton)gets out of prison and convinces him to begin ‘rounding’ again. We won’t spoil the whole thingfor you, but it ends with two tense heads-up games that would have anycard playeron the edge of their seat. With great support acting from John Turturro and Martin Landau,this is one the best examples of the underground gambling genreCroupier
Croupier is a fantastic neo-noir that takes a look at gambling from a different perspective: that of someone who works in a casino. Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) is an aspiring writer who takes a job as a croupier to find inspiration for his novel and ends up being complicit in a robbery. It was directed by Mike Hodges of Get Carter fame and thanks to Owen’s moody monologues and the taut atmosphere it was very well received by critics. Best scene: watching Jack get taken through his paces when he starts at the casino
Owning Mahowny
Owning Mahowny is one of the few gambling films to bring to life convincingly the addictive nature ofthe game. This is due in no small part to Philip Seymour Hoffman’s skill as an actor, which promptedcritic Rogert Ebert to name it one of his Top 10 films of 2003. Based on a true story, the film followsan embezzling Canadian bank employee, Dan Mahowny, who uses the stolen money to fund his gambling addiction.When the police get wind o fhis criminal activity, Mahowny’s life quickly starts to unravel. The real-lifeprotagonist, Brian Molony, was sentenced to six years in prison for fraudIntacto