5 Best Blackjack Movies

Without a doubt, blackjack is the world’s most established table game ever. It features simple rules that anyone that has ever had so much as a fleeting interest in casino-style gambling knows. Its gameplay goal is the beat the dealer’s hand by having a card total that equals twenty-one or one closest to this number without going over it.

Games of chance, like blackjack, have built-in drama as they mainly rely on a player’s good fortune. Thus, they provide an excellent foundation to act as a cinematic plot device that adds suspense. While in the past, people had to walk to a land-based venue to enjoy the thrills provided by this table classic, nowadays, they can play it from home at a PayPal casino. Such platforms allow users to test their luck on blackjack playing the game in the live dealer format or going up against software. Those that do not wish to risk their hard-earned cash at tables that offer twenty-one action can take in some of its charms via the five movies discussed below.

Rain Man

Rain Man is a 1988 road drama written by Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, which Barry Levinson directed. It stars Tom Cruise as collectibles dealer Charlie Babbitt, who gets shocked to learn that his estranged father died and left his vast estate to an autistic brother, played by Dustin Hoffman, who Charlie was not aware he had. Rain Man premiered at the 39th Berlin International Film Festival, winning the competition’s main prize, the Golden bear. It also went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. The movie’s blackjack scene where Hoffman’s character Raymond counts cards at a casino is likely the game’s most memorable silver screen appearance.

21

The MIT Blackjack Team was a card counting outfit assembled by ex-students from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It operated from the late 1970s to the start of the 2000s, beating casino operators worldwide. Ben Mezrich’s book Bringing Down the House, released in 2003, served as the basis for two feature films that tell this story. The most famous of the pair is the 2008 Robert Luketic drama named 21. It stars Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, and Laurence Fishburne. 21 was a box office hit, garnering critical praise.

Croupier

Croupier is a little-known British neo-noir starring Clive Owen, which Mike Hodges directed. It got a limited theatrical release, but once Alliance Atlantis put the movie out on DVD, it instantly became a cult classic. Croupier revolves around Jack Manfred, an aspiring writer who has a casino background and takes a job as a dealer in a low-end venue to make ends meet. It is a terrific look into the inner workings of a gambling establishment and the people that visit such spots.

License to Kill

Everyone knows that James Bond’s favorite gambling game is baccarat, with 007 also loving roulette. However, in the 1989 License to Kill, the fictional MI6 agent, played by Timothy Dalton, enjoys blackjack at a casino with Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), an ex-Army pilot. Many consider License to Kill an average Bond film. Yet, despite this reputation, it is a fun flick with a young Benicio Del Toro in a minor role.

The Gambler

The Gambler was a 1974 film that starred James Can, which James Toback wrote. It got remade in 2014 with Mark Wahlberg in the title role as literature professor Jim Bennett who uses gambling as a method for self-destruction. While not as good as its predecessor, the 2014 version does feature a good blackjack scene.