Best Movies That Feature Betting or Gambling?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Soapbox
Dave65 — 8 months ago(July 29, 2025 10:47 PM)
Curious what everyone’s favorite movies involving betting or gambling are — not necessarily just casino heist stuff, but anything that realistically (or dramatically) portrays odds, risk, or even underground betting scenes.
Here are a few I’ve seen or rewatched lately:
Uncut Gems – Intense, anxiety-packed film with sports betting at the center
️ Rounders – Still one of the best poker movies out there
Casino – Classic Scorsese, not strictly betting-focused but soaked in gambling culture
Two for the Money – Sports betting, tipsters, and the mental game behind it
Let It Ride – A comedy about a guy who has the luckiest day at the horse track
Also low-key: some action movies or thrillers include betting subplots, like fight clubs, illegal racing, or even political outcomes.
What are your favorites?
Any underrated ones with good realism or creative twists on the betting theme? -
sheetsadam1 — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 02:27 AM)
Oooh… '70s American crime dramas? One of my favorites. Essentials imo (I'm assuming you've already seen Scorsese, De Palma and Coppola):
Klute
(1971; Alan J. Pakula)
Shaft
(1971; Gordon Parks)
Vanishing Point
(1971; Richard C. Sarafian)
The French Connection
(1971; William Friedkin)
Dirty Harry
(1971; Don Siegel - questionable message, but Andy Robinson gives one of my favorite performances ever)
The Getaway
(1972; Sam Peckinpah)
Superfly
(1972; Gordon Parks)
Badlands
(1973; Terrence Malick)
Serpico
(1973; Sidney Lumet)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
(1973; Peter Yates)
Coffy
(1973; Jack Hill)
Charley Varrick
(1973; Don Siegel)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia
(1974; Sam Peckinpah)
White Line Fever
(1974; Jonathan Kaplan)
Death Wish
(1974; Michael Winner)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three
(1974; Joseph Sargent)
Dog Day Afternoon
(1975; Sidney Lumet)
Night Moves
(1975; Arthur Penn)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
(1976; John Cassavetes)
Assault on Precinct 13
(1976; John Carpenter)
Rolling Thunder
(1977; John Flynn)
Sorcerer
(1977; William Friedkin)
The Driver
(1978; Walter Hill)
Hardcore
(1979; Paul Schrader)
The Warriors
(1979; Walter Hill)
Escape from Alcatre
(1979; Don Siegel)
The Lady in Red
(1979; Lewis Teague)
And an honorable mention to
Columbo
(1968-1978 and intermittently from 1989-2003), the greatest drama series produced for American TV prior to the recent Golden Age of Television.
Damn, just realized how long that list is
Draft Barron Trump -
Sophienoire — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 03:08 AM)
oh yes, a list
wanna see mine?
it's a bit long but here ya go
https://letterboxd.com/sofi_screwbb/list/american-crime-films-of-the-1970s/detail/
the sound of your racing heart -
sheetsadam1 — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 03:18 AM)
Wanda
is one of my favorites of all time! I guess I've never really thought of it as a crime drama though.
I'm surprised
The Moonshine War
was worth three stars because the novel was ****ing baaaad. Elmore Leonard is usually a brilliant writer, but not that one.
You have several biker movers there. That whole subgenre was mostly terrible except for
Easy Rider
,
The Wild Angels
and
The Born Losers
. Those are all '60s though.
The Gauntlet
rated higher than
Play Misty for Me
? Idk about that.
But yeah, I've seen a bunch of those. And it seems like you've already seen a lot of the ones I mentioned.
Draft Barron Trump -
Sophienoire — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 03:23 AM)
the guy Wanda teams up with is a criminal and they plan a robbery, so that's enough crime element for me to include it
but yeah, the biker movies were all terrible. they just tried to leech off Easy Rider's fame and success and FAILED
The Gauntlet is also a road movie which is an advantage to Play Misty bc i love road movies
the sound of your racing heart -
sheetsadam1 — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 03:30 AM)
Road movies!
Not a comprehensive list I'm putting any real thought into, just going off the top of my head of some that stand out to me.
Easy Rider
(obviously)
The Muppet Movie
(directly referenced in my work-in-progress btw
)
Paris, Texas
Five Easy Pieces
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
National Lampoon's Vacation
Thelma and Louise
Two-Lane Blacktop
(Warren Oates is amazing)
Dumb and Dumber
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
The Last Detail
Harry and Tonto
Draft Barron Trump
️ — 8 months ago(July 30, 2025 01:21 AM)