INSIGHT POPULAR CULTURE AND GAMBLING
nightmare, and all the people we met along the way felt genuine and looked real. Tis movie has a taste in its mouth like stale air-conditioning, and no matter what time it seems to be, it's always five in the morning in a second-rate casino.”
One of the best recent films about gambling is one that intentionally evokes the low key nature of Altman’s masterpiece. Mississippi Grind (2015) tells the story of a down on his luck gambling addict Gerry (Ben Mendelsohn) teaming up with younger charismatic poker player, Curtis (Ryan Reynolds) in an attempt to change his luck. Te two set off on a road trip down south to a New Orleans poker game.
A more recent example is frenetically paced Uncut Gems (2019) starring Adam Sandler. Sandler is a hopeless sports betting addict who owes money to just about everyone and is unable to stop until he destroys himself.
Films focusing on the demise of gambling addicts on a downward spiral invariably use dreary, shabby locations to reflect the deterioration in the protagonists’ lives. In stark contrast to this of course are the Bond films where the locations couldn’t be more glamorous. In Ian Fleming’s first novel Casino Royal Bond plays against bankrupt Le Chiffre, in a high-stakes baccarat game (the Casino Royale is a fictional casino based in the French coastal resort of Royale-les-Eaux). Bond also plays his favourite card game On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) GoldenEye (1995) and Tunderball (1965). In Diamonds Are Forever (1971) Bond travels to Las Vegas where he plays blackjack. He plays Backgammon in India in Octopussy (1983) and Blackjack again In Licence To Kill (1989). In Never Say Never Again (1983) Bond even plays a super advanced 1980's video game against the movie's villain in a private room in a casino. Reflecting a changing trend in player habits Bond played the popular Texas hold’em in a very tense and well shot scene in the Casino Royale (2006) film and later roulette in Macau in Skyfall (2012).
Te house does of course not only provide a great backdrop but also an ideal villain at the same time. It’s been 20 years since Ocean’s Eleven first hit theatres. Oceans 11 was shot at the Bellagio, Mirage, and MGM Grand hotels in Las Vegas. Te Bellagio Casino featured once again in the filming of Oceans 13.
Casinos and gambling have also been portrayed on TV and streaming services. Fast paced NBC drama Las Vegas, again starring James Caan, focused on a team of people working at the Montecito, a fictional hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Te show premiered in 2003, and ran for five seasons on NBC. Images of Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch were sometimes used to represent the resort.
More recently OZARK has kept fans gripped with the story of the Byrdes' money-laundering operation on behalf of the Navarro Cartel. In the show, Marty and Wendy work to gain enough senate votes to pass a bill so that the state will
P36 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Casinos and gambling have also been portrayed on TV and streaming services. Fast paced NBC drama Las Vegas, again starring James Caan, focused on a team of people working at the Montecito, a fictional hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The show premiered in 2003, and ran for five seasons on NBC. Images of Mandalay Bay and Green Valley Ranch were sometimes used to represent the resort.
allow 14 casinos to be open at one time, instead of the previous 13 as part of their shady deals to develop a casino on the Lake. As in real life all 13 of the real life casinos in Missouri are riverboats or built on barges and there is indeed a 13 limit to the number of casinos permitted in the state. In addition the Lake does have a rumoured history of illegal gambling tied to politics.
Many films and TV programmes have shown the negative aspects of the industry. For viewers who may go to the casino from time to time these films may be fun entertainment but for players where playing has become much more than that they may well see a reflection of things to come in their own lives. Indeed perhaps the really good films about gambling revolve around a part of the business that the industry has taken great steps to try and reduce – namely gambling addiction. Te industry no longer overlooks illegal behaviour in order to maximise profit and tries to ensure that gamblers do not gamble beyond their means.
Films dealing with addiction explore very much the same emotional territory. As such they don’t really teach us anything new or change our perception of gambling in any significant way. In addition the reality of gambling today is so different to many of these films which in some cases date back decades.
Casinos and other gambling establishments may still have a seedier side but overall they have cleaned up their act and not just their carpets. In so doing the industry may have lost some of its romantic charm for many filmmakers. Maybe today is a bit like “Disneyland” as Rothstein laments as the fictional Tangiers is demolished for a safer, theme park-like experience at the end of Casino. And for better of for worse maybe that isn’t such a bad thing.
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