Blackjack game in movies: Every card player’s dream
Blackjack is one of the few games of chance where strategic thinking, attention to detail and discipline count for more than simple luck. There has always been an inherent drama surrounding the classic card game of blackjack.
The game is exceptionally popular in casinos, and lots of people choose to play blackjack online as well. Blackjack’s risk-reward charisma has often played an important role in films, from developing character and relationships to propelling the plot and injecting potent tension.
Throughout the years the game has featured both as an opportunity to develop character and propel the plot and as a more specific way to inject tension and drama into proceedings. Blackjack’s combination of skill and chance appears to be more cinematic as its appearances in the film have shown. In this list, we check out some of the great movies featuring blackjack.
Rain Man (Levinson, 1988)
Card-counting is a way to triumph at blackjack if you can do it. It’s alleged Ben Affleck has become so good at it, he’s been kicked out of casinos for winning too much. In Rain Man, Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman) has an advanced ability to memorize numbers and carry out fast calculations as a consequence of his autism and brother Ray (Tom Cruise) uses that talent to win in the casino.
Licence To Kill (Glen, 1989)
James Bond might favor other types of card games such as poker and baccarat so when he sits down for blackjack in John Glen’s Licence To Kill, it’s a striking scene for more than one reason.
Swingers (Liman, 1996)
Jon Favreau wrote an incredibly entertaining script which gives Swingers an edgy, endearing hook that just so happens to feature some great blackjack scenes. Heading to the gambling capital of America, a pair of friends try to fix their current dilemmas in life with a few days in Las Vegas.
Austin Powers (Roach, 1997)
Anyone who has played blackjack has felt like this at one time or another as Number Two (Robert Wagner) courageously ignores his dealer’s advice and hits on 17.
Croupier (Hodges, 1999)
For blackjack players, this film provides entertainment, as well as a sneak, peek inside the dealer’s perspective when playing blackjack. Clive Owen plays Jack Manfred, a man trying to make it as a writer, who takes on a new job as a croupier in a posh casino to make ends meet but discovers the vulnerabilities of gambling.
The Cooler (Kramer, 2003)
Depicted in Wayne Kramer’s 2003 film, The Cooler is a character who the casino uses to cool a player’s hot streak. It is a real role that casinos employ to help limit their risk. William H. Macy, in one of his best performances, played the eponymous “cooler” of the film’s title.
The Last Casino (Gill, 2004)
This 2004 Canadian film from director Pierre Gill focuses on card counting and is based on the same story that inspired Robert Luketic 21, namely the MIT Blackjack Team’s efforts to strategise card counting and develop sophisticated methods for winning at blackjack.
21 (Luketic, 2008)
21 is a thrilling expose of morality and ethics at the blackjack table with its inspiration taken from the real-life exploits of the MIT Blackjack Team as detailed in Bringing Down the House, the best-selling book by Ben Mezrich. The scenes in which the professor (played by Kevin Spacey) leads his talented bunch of students in the pursuit of a jackpot are compelling.
The Gambler (2014)
The Gambler was released and received rave reviews from gamblers and critics. The narrative involves a professor who needs money to get rid of a loan shark so turns to the bank of mum, which they then gamble with at underground casinos. Their two games of choice include blackjack.
