There are some movies that you will never
be able to forget, because they’ve become real legends due to the
excitement they’ve shown around the gambling world. Here we offer
you brief reviews of some of the best casino films ever made.
California Split
This is one of Robert Altman’s least known films but it is
certainly among his best. The film - made in 1974 right in the middle
of Altman’s most prolific and outstanding period - is his a
buddy/gambling movie.
Like most of the genre films he made in that period he turned the
whole thing on it’s head in his own unique way. Elliott Gould
is Charlie and George Segal is Bill - two Southern California gamblers
who meet in a poker hall and become fast friends.
Right from the start of the film Robert Altman’s skill as a filmmaker
is evident. Particlarly his use of CinemaScope in tight spaces and the
way the camera (helmed by Paul Lohmann) freely floats and pans around
the room. And also his use of sound, which he uses to introduce the characters
and set the opening scene is very effective as well as innovative.
Altman revolutionized sound in the 1970's and with this film he used eight
track recording for the first time: Meaning he had eight seperate tracks
recording at once, which in the editing process he mixed together quite
effectively.
Like all Altman films the script - by Joseph Walsh - is a series of loosely
directed scenes which quickly become brilliant improvisations. Gould is
as good here as he was in M*A*S*H and The Long Goodbye as a free spirit
with a quick sarcastic wit and laid back attitude. Segal is also quite
good as an uptight gambler who has gambled his way into a huge debt and
must find a way to pay it back.
Both characters begin to hang out with a couple of call girls (played
by Ann Prentiss and Gwen Welles) and due to their witty attitude run into
a bit of trouble along the way. But mainly they have good luck with their
gambling habit. The question is will they continue to win? And if they
do will the thrill remain before burnout gets them?
Unlike most Altman films of the period this one isn't as cynical. It is
basically good fun from start to finish although there is an undertow
of resentment between the characters toward the end (especially Segal's
character who seems to be troubled) that says more about each character’s
gambling addictions than it does about their fate.
At 105 minutes California Split moves along quickly and even though the
plot takes a back seat to character and some of the storyline begins to
meander a bit Altman brings it all into focus when he needs to.
Ocean’s Eleven
Looking to have a little fun after his back-to-back successes of
"Erin Brokovich" and "Traffic," Steven Soderbergh
gathered a gang of his favorite actors who were willing to work cheap
and set his sights on a high-tech retooling of the forgettable Rat
Pack casino heist caper "Ocean's 11."
Made in 1960, the original starred Las Vegas habituates Frank Sinatra,
Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford, who just showed up,
said their lines and brought their joking, drinking and womanizing
personalities with them. The movie had character and style, of course,
but little else.
Soderbergh's snappy, considerably more resourceful rendition substitutes
George Clooney in the revamped Sinatra role as freshly paroled confidence
scammer Danny Ocean, who culls a crew of smooth criminal pals for a wildly
ambitious score: simultaneously knocking over three casinos on the Las
Vegas Strip.
Both incredibly complicated and deceptively simple, the scheme involves
a financier (Elliot Gould is brilliant as a flamboyant, bitterly faded
casino kingpin), elaborate reconnaissance, a tricky tap on casino surveillance
equipment, retired felon Carl Reiner posing as a high roller with an important
package he wants stored in a casino vault, a contortionist who fits inside
a casino change caddy, and most importantly an exact replica of the vault
that comes into play late in the movie.
While "Ocean's Eleven" (the title is spelled out for the remake)
is meant to be pure escapism, the near-impossibility of this complex heist
is the movie's only real downfall, in that how it's pulled off requires
a whole lot of suspension of disbelief. I'll buy into the way Ocean's
electronics snoop (Eddie Jemison) sneaks behind the scenes at a casino
and taps the closed-circuit security system. I'll even buy the sometimes
clever, sometimes vague machinations that get some of the crew past fingerprint
IDs, voice codes and motion detectors.
Also lending their talents in lively performances large and small are
Julia Roberts as Danny Ocean's defensively caustic ex-wife, Andy Garcia
as the iron-fisted casino owner and Robert's current flame, and Don Cheadle
as a Welsh crook who confuses everyone with his native rhyming slang (an
insider nod to Soderbergh's awesome 1999 crime flick "The Limey").
Casino
Based on a true story, Casino is the tale of Sam Rothstein (Robert
De Niro), the best of the old bookmakers, who is hand-picked by
his mob bosses "Back Home" to go to Las Vegas to run the
Tangiers Casino. Sam has to contend with managing the bosses' skim
going out the back door, cheats at the tables, the law breathing
down his neck, and strung-out hustler Ginger (Sharon Stone), whom
Sam falls for, and, despite his better judgment, eventually marries.
Add to the mix Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), who basically reprises
his role from GoodFellas as a "problem solver" with a
temper from hell, and it's pure chaos in the high-glamour world
of 1973 Las Vegas.
Scorsese directs with his characteristic style, creating a film that
is at once surreal and full of gritty realism, particularly when the violent
Nicky plies his trade. The film ranges from glued-to-the-screen sequences,
the best of which is when Sam and his crew bust a couple of blackjack
cheats, to a number of dull scenes, mainly about Sam fighting to get his
gaming license. If Scorsese had kept the best two hours of the film, it
would have been one of the best of the year. As it stands now, Casino
is still good, but just doesn't cut it as a long-term classic.
The best part of Casino is smart acting by the three principals as well
as the supporting characters (including Don Rickles, of all people, in
a memorable role). De Niro evokes real sympathy for Sam, and Stone's Ginger
is the consummate Bad Girl. You get a bad taste in your mouth just watching
her and Pesci on screen. Also watch for a smarmy James Woods as Ginger's
old pimp. The other saving grace is Casino's unexpected and frequent comic
relief, which is played up beautifully to ease the film's tension.
Gambling Lady
A high-minded GAMBLING LADY runs into trouble when she becomes
connected with a society family.
Breezy & entertaining, this was the sort of film which Warner
Brothers created with such ease. Blessed with good acting &
fine production values, these pictures were generally guaranteed
to be crowd pleasers.
As always, Barbara Stanwyck is utterly fascinating to watch. Not only
talented & lovely, Stanwyck's great forte was her utter believability
in any role she undertook. Here, she looks perfectly natural with a deck
of cards in her hand, playing & dealing. Her authenticity is matched
by the passion which she displayed with every performance.
Her leading men are two of the best: rich boy Joel McCrea & genial
crook Pat O'Brien - both do well by their roles. Given equal billing,
the viewer is left guessing for quite a while which one will finish the
film in Stanwyck's arms.
Excellent support is given by marvelous old Sir C. Aubrey Smith as a
kindly gentleman who befriends Stanwyck, Arthur Vinton as the head of
a notorious Gambling Syndicate & eccentric little Ferdinand Gottschalk
as Sir Aubrey's lawyer.
Movie mavens will recognize Willie Fung as a member of the Syndicate,
and Arthur Treacher & Louise Beaver as Sir Aubrey's butler & cook
- all uncredited.
