Tag Archive: Rain Man

In many ways, the movie Rain Man is typical of many Hollywood stories. Many feature what's known as the "Hero's Journey." In this case, the protagonist, Tom Cruise has to overcome selfishness in order to eventually emerge as a nicer and more complete human being. If you're a gambler, you'll know the film from its scenes of card counting in the table game of blackjack. These take place in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and allow the star to clear his debts, whilst appreciating his autistic brother.

Because gambling is mainly based on chance, it makes a great subject matter for directors the world over. Many characters involved with gambling are flawed in that they are relying on luck to turn their fortunes around. From the cheeky gunslingers to the mafia bosses, they all love the rush of the win and the passion of the loss. It's also possible to construct a great story around a sympathetic gambler, as elements of good or bad fortune play a central role in driving the narrative forwards.

Playing casino games can certainly be exciting, for some players that's just not enough. They want to up the ante by cheating the casino. Of course, today this is not easy. But over thirty years ago, the security technology was in its infancy, as so cheaters could go undetected for years. Some of them were only discovered because they outed themselves in books written years after the events in qestion. But for every cheater caught, there could well be others who fly completely under the radar.