Best Films Featuring Card Games Except for Poker

By: Olena

Posted: April 20, 2020

Updated: April 20, 2020

There are many films about poker, but these 5 focus on other card games
Our top-5 includes brag, blackjack and unknown game by The Beatles
Don’t miss an article about the best poker games coming soon

Image via Flickr

Most films featuring card games show the main characters playing poker in luxurious casinos. Yes, poker is the most popular game, but let’s focus on other recognizable gambling activities in Hollywood movies. For example, what are the films with baccarat, brag or blackjack at the fore? Every movie fan can easily name at least five films featuring card games. You will be surprised by learning that all of them will have poker as a prima donna in the gambling world. It makes sense as poker and its variations are probably the most popular casino activities. However, there are plenty of other games worth your attention. Therefore, we ranked the best movies about card games you should watch at home these days. Not all films from our list focus on card games for a long time or show them as a constant plot generator. However, they include the most memorable moments of playing brag, twenty-one, blackjack or other popular choices. So, what is our top-5?

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a classic

Have you seen a lot of films featuring card games like brag? This British game isn’t as popular as poker or baccarat, but you will be interested in learning more about it. Brag gets its brush with fame in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, where it acts as a blow-off by the plot. This 1998 film by Guy Ritchie has already become classic. With a cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Jason Statham, and Dexter Fletcher, the movie is about a young gambler who lost money to a powerful crime boss and was forced to rob to pay his debts. However, this is not a crime drama film that gets on people’s nerves. This is a heist comedy that got positive feedback from critics as they named it one of the 100 Best British films. In addition, it entered the list of the best films about gambling of all time. The audience also liked Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as it’s rating at IMDB is 8,2/10.

21 is among the best films featuring card games

The most popular movie about the game of the same name tells everything about playing twenty-one. This is a 2008 film by Robert Luketic, who gave us such wonderful comedies as Legally Blonde and Monster-in-Law. The heist drama focuses on people who make up a plan to win money from a casino by playing blackjack. Surely, hitting the jackpot at a land-based casino requires many skills, while playing Intertops Casino is much easier. If only Jim Sturgess’s character knew about it, he wouldn’t risk so much to pay for his university. Although 21 wasn’t warmly welcomed by critics, most people liked it. The movie hit $130 million at the box office with a $35 million budget. It is still recommended for watching as one of the best films featuring card games. We all know that critics aren't always right and their marks for 21 prove that.

Cameo of baccarat in Rush Hour 3

A 2007 action-comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Rock is also on the list. It is a trilogy to the 1998 film about two policemen and their crazy adventures. If you have already watched Rush Hour 3, you could think that you have missed the moment of playing any card games. However, there is a remarkable cameo of a baccarat game, which appeared thanks to Jackie Chan. The actor is a big fan of this card game, that’s why a small episode in a casino was included in Rush Hour 3. In the second half of the movie, Chris Rock’s character tries to impress a beautiful female player with his baccarat skills. This small scene is so funny, that we won’t spoil it for you, just rewatch the movie while being at home and you will laugh at it.

A Hard Day’s Night: the Beatles playing cards

While online casinos in the US offer many real-life card games, The Beatles seem to invent their own. If you aren’t a fan of the legendary band, you probably don’t know about A Hard Day’s Night. This is a 1964 movie starring John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as themselves. The film shows a non-typical day of The Beatles during their attempts to prepare for a live performance in London. A Hard Day’s Night was very successful in the UK and even earned 2 nominations for the Oscars. What does it have to do with card games? The film includes a memorable scene of four musicians trying to play cards. Interestingly, neither The Beatles fans nor gambling pros didn’t recognize the game they were playing. Probably, the band was genius enough to invent their own kind of baccarat or something. All in all, the film is worth watching for its light comedy genre, old England spirit, and the most popular band ever.

The Gambler: an ultimate film guide through casinos

The newest of the films featuring card games is our next choice. The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg and Brie Larson was out in 2014. This is a remake to the 1974 movie of the same name. A gambler from Los Angeles played by Wahlberg is the title character, who struggles to cope with his addiction to casinos. Obviously, his frequent visits to gambling rooms lead to problems he has to solve.

The Gambler received a medium reception, but critics called it a great entertaining movie to watch at night. Moreover, it features a number of gambling activities, including cards, roulettes and other games. It also shows how carefully you should pick casinos both land-based and online as well as keep your head cooled. This is a good choice to watch from home, so add it to your list if you like movies about gambling.