Tag Archive: Martin Scorsese

Gambling movies remain as popular today as they did back in the 1960s. This is because the basic premise of gambling appeals to everyone thanks to its overarching depiction of the importance of luck in life. The idea is that, for the audience, chance could change their trajectory. There's the thrilling anticipation of waiting for the roulette ball to fall or the next turn of a card. Also, many protagonists are somehow flawed characters, which in many ways makes them more real and accessible.

They say that gambling is almost as old as time itself. With luck playing such a major role in the turn of a card or spin of the dice, then many authors, poets and singers have used gambling as a metaphor for life. After all, there is risk in many day-to-day activities. And none of us knows when we will shuffle off this mortal coil. So, whilst we wait, we can amuse ourselves with famous gambling quotes to help us feel better about ourselves and our recognition that life itself is but a game.

Going back to 1992, we can find the strange tale of Akio Kashiwagi. He was a mysterious Japanese businessman who would descend on the casino baccarat tables of Atlantic City and Las Vegas, and proceed to take them to the cleaners. He did this by simply getting big at the baccarat games. Because baccarat has such a low house edge, by betting over $100,000 per hand, he was bound to strike it lucky. But all good things come to an end. In this case, on the end of a murderer's samurai sword!

Many of Hollywood's gambling movies tend to focus on the glamour and glitz of the casino, whether this means ripping them off as in "Ocean's 11" or how they function, as seen in Martin Scorsese's "Casino." But Paul Schrader's The Card Counter is a totally different kettle of fish. It tells the story of a quiet broken man, who's trying to do the right thing for others. The movie is certainly a slow burn and many viewers might find this frustrating. But the story arch builds drama gradually.

Thanks to the house edge, the casino will always win in the long run. That's the nature of its business. But for some gamblers, that's unacceptable. They spend considerable time and effort in designing methods by which they can beat the house. Of course, these tactics are not fair, legal or sportsmanlike. The idea is to take as much money from the casino, without getting caught. Some use sleight of hand, others develop tiny computers or put together expert blackjack card counting teams.