It’s one thing to dream about hitting it big at the casinos. However, it is something else entirely to pull off beating the house by taking the house itself. Hollywood has played an immeasurable role in glamorizing and glorifying the casino industry. From Vegas, Atlantic City, and International casinos, the movies listed below are some of the most daring thefts, sometimes in broad daylight, from casinos.
1. Ocean’s Eleven
The 1960s film Ocean’s Eleven stars Frank Sinatra and his rat pack buddies, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. Angie Dickenson, the star of the groundbreaking television series Police Woman, also stars in Ocean’s Eleven as Tess, Frank Ocean’s estranged wife who wants Danny Ocean to change his criminal ways.
Frank Sinatra stars as Danny Ocean, the charismatic leader of a group of sophisticated criminals. Looking to get out of the game, Danny Ocean has an ambitious plan to rob five of the biggest casinos on New Year’s Eve. Pulling off the job is the first part, but can Danny Ocean and his gang actually get away with the money?
2. The Sting
The Sting, in 1973, marked yet another successful collaboration between the late Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Newman stars as Johnny Hooker, an aging con man, and Robert Redford as Henry Gandorff, Hooker’s young protege. Robert Shaw also stars as Doyle Lonnegan, a dangerous mobster who killed Hooker’s former partner.
Set during prohibition and looking for revenge and to make one more big score, Hooker takes Gandorff under his wing and shows him the ropes of the con game. To take down Lonnegan, Hooker and Gandorff set up a fake underground casino to rob Lonnegan blind.
3. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Ocean’s Eleven, released in 2001, is a remake of the iconic 1960s film. This time, George Clooney stars as Danny Ocean, an ex-convict who wants to pull off the biggest casino heist in history. Danny Ocean is also desperate to win back his ex-wife, Tess Ocean, played by Julia Roberts, who is engaged to Terry Benedict, one of the largest casino owners in Las Vegas.
Danny assembles a team of sophisticated thieves and con men. The original 1960s film starred Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, Matt Damon, and others. The remake offers a whole list of twists and excitement compared to the original.
4. Ocean’s Thirteen
Ocean’s Thirteen is the second sequel to the landmark 2001 remake. Unlike Ocean’s Twelve, which focuses on stealing art and jewels from European museums, Ocean’s Thirteen returns to stealing from high-profile casinos. Looking to help avenge their friend Rubin, who is bed-written after getting ripped off from a casino deal gone wrong, Danny Ocean once again assembles a team of high-profile con men.
The goal this time is to take down Bank, a powerful casino barren in Las Vegas that ripped off Rubin and made him bedridden. However, to take down Bank and rob over $160 million from his casinos, Danny and the gang must work a deal with Benedict, the casino owner they robbed in the first film, to finance the project. Can Danny and the gang trust Benedict, and can they pull off robbing Mr. Bank?
5. 21
The film 21 is based on the real life story and tragedy of a group of MIT students who plan to rob land based casinos by playing Blackjack. Unlike films like Ocean’s Eleven, which centers on robbing the casinos of cash by breaking into the vaults, film 21 focuses on card-counting techniques to legitimately win the money at Las Vegas casinos. Because card counting is frowned upon, the MIT team must be especially careful if they are going to pull off this quiet heist in plain sight.
6. The Last Casino
Similar to 21, The Last Casino focuses on a college professor, Richard, starring David Kaye, who loses his job. Desperate for money, Richard takes his exceptional knowledge of card counting and devises a strategy with some of his students to rob the casinos playing Blackjack. For fans of complex mathematical equations, The Last Casino puts them on display as Richard’s team looks to continue to rack up the money.
7. The Casino Job
Deep into debt, a small group of thieves plan to rob a casino to settle debts and get heat off their backs. The buildup to the casino heist is the meticulous planning and the details leading up to the big-time job. The Casino Job also focuses on the character development and backstories of the crew leading up to the heist.
Conclusion
Like gangster films, pulling off the big score by robbing casinos has fascinated Americans for decades. Besides these films, other notable casino heist films include Now You See Me, an intriguing and groundbreaking film of the heist genre. Now You See Me introduces magic and illusion to pull off mega heists and casino robberies.