May 9, 2008
By Theresa Smith
Though not a truly bad movie the one thing 21 doesn’t get right is to create that classic scene that embodies a moment in a casino that will live on in your memory long
after the screen image has faded. There’s something almost cinematic about taking a risk, and some movies come up trumps.
Ben (Jim Sturgess), in 21, isn't the only one counting cards. Though he may not quite have Ben's sharp dress sense, Dustin Hoffman's autistic Raymond, in Rain Man, almost cleans out the house at the blackjack table. Considering he and his brother, Charlie (Tom Cruise in a role that showed he can act), are about to be separated, the moment they leave the casino side by side (with the cash) is pretty poignant.
Of course, winning money is the main aim when you enter a casino, but scoring the comps is also a great feeling. Mikey (Jon Favreau) and Trent (Vince Vaughn) just can't get a break, or the girl, in Swingers
. To make matters worse, there's the old lady at the blackjack table who misplays, and voila!, wins a free breakfast!
The look on Terry's (Andy Garcia) face when he realises he's been robbed, in Oceans 11, is priceless, only surpassed by Tess (Julia Roberts) when she realises Terry prefers the money over her.
For a truly surreal moment, watch the impossibly stoned Johnny Depp and Benicio del Torro crabwalk across the road, in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
The re-invigoration of the Bond franchise hits a high point in Casino Royale, when Daniel Craig loses £10-million in one go at the poker table and stalks off to the bar for a vodka martini. "Shaken or stirred," asks the bartender, to which he relies irritably: "Do I look as if I give a damn?"
Money isn't always the biggest prize at stake in a poker game, just ask Demi Moore, in Indecent Proposal.
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