Neon lighting, constant clinks, and luxurious outfits always look good on the big screen. Admittedly, they look almost as good on the small screen. Funnily enough, this type of aesthetic has been at the forefront of a renaissance of nostalgia-core that has been present in pop music, cinema, and even fashion.
It’s cool to delve into the hopefulness of stabler times, promising tech that was merely getting out of the analogue days, and listen to the good music and steal some styling cues from the 80s and 90s.
It’s also quite interesting to see different portrayals of gambling and the surrounding culture. This is especially true if these pictures are before the monopolistic corporatization of Las Vegas, before the descent of Atlantic City, and before gambling moved most of its reach online. Nowadays, we see betting advertisements on every sports network, 400% bonus casino offers to go out like hotcakes, and the atmosphere is simply not the same. In addition to sports betting, you may also consider playing klik88 games for a chance to win exciting prizes.
That’s a valid reason why many of us return to motion pictures. The reality of gambling is complex and often uncomfortable. However, we can always benefit from a bit of help from the cinema to look toward different times when the casino atmosphere was different and, perhaps, more interesting than it is nowadays.
This article will remain within familiar territory and look into titles that have been at the forefront of the gambling microgenre of cinema. Naturally, we will do our due diligence and try to look at them with retroactive eyes and a modern perspective.
Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) is (Mostly) Straight Business
For many film critics and fans alike, Casino feels very closely tied to Goodfellas. It’s an exploration of the heights and pitfalls of operating within the underworld in an effort to maximize the opportunities of the American Dream. If the American Dream is to build an identity based on self-made success. However, by the time the events of both films unfold, it’s quite clear that the American way of success is a back-handed method of risk-taking.
The films are admittedly very similar, and the discourse is, in our estimation, somewhat two-fold: positive-minded critics find it an evolution of the Goodfellas model, while others see it as a rehash with a slightly different plot.
Joe Pesci is the same physically diminutive old-school gangster with an extreme propensity for violence. Robert De Niro is the same calculated, business-savvy, somewhat ruthless, bossy figure whose main pitfalls are those around him, especially those who he trusts too much.
One of the most interesting aspects that stands out to modern eyes is the idea of micromanagement. Ace Rothstein is an incredibly detail-oriented person whose acumen for this kind of concentration is what made his name a sports betting genius. Once he gets hold of the mob-owned Vegas assets, he basically becomes a helicopter of a person, hovering around every single detail of his business. From the famous scene with the two colluding cheaters to the absolutely notorious muffin scene, his reach is all about controlling every single operative aspect of his establishment.
This is particularly interesting because everything is the precursor of operational optimization and the hunt for squeezing every single drop of profit. However, instead of a trickling-down structure, it’s a one-man show all around. Aside from this personalization, the system is frighteningly efficient for the casino’s profits, and it’s only non-business, rogue elements that attract problems.
Casino may feel boring to some; the gambling stuff may feel like an unending exposition with some cool scenes here and there, while the gangster stuff may feel like yet another over-the-top Pesci performance. However, a point of view would be to think about the cynical, underhanded operations behind the glamorous atmosphere.
Yes, the crime is the overt bad side, but how about the over-your-shoulder reality that Scorsese showcases in the film?
Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s Eleven (2001) is the Ultimate Star-Studded Ensemble
Hollywood providing us with an elaborate, glitzy, absolutely packed cast, all in the context of taking revenge and (kind of) getting away with it? Pulling it off in the big 2001, AFTER that certain event in September? Attracting an immense audience via dynamic filmmaking, memorable characters, and an action-packed storyline based on a 1960 film? It’s simply Hollywood at its most efficient.
It’s almost impossible to think about Ocean’s Eleven without mentioning the reality of the American Dream after 9/11. In some ways, many have felt that the American Dream was over after the Towers fell. The enemy was at the gates, morale was down, and the nation was still in shock.
Enter Ocean’s Eleven. Its plot, message, and contextualization of its actions are incredibly interesting because the atmosphere of gambling almost feels like a wonderland. Yes, the evil mogul steals the protagonist’s wife and relishes in his hostile-takeover-obtained property, while those on the other side of the fence use intelligence and subversive maneuvers to destabilize Terry Benedict.
However, all of this happens in Las Vegas, where the glitz has never stopped (except for a few years at the start of the 2020s…), making the entire storyline feel more cinematic than the medium of cinema itself.
Did the American public feel this kind of story is redundant from its current events? No, it flocked to this kind of atmosphere like it was the outright epitome of escapism. It’s a very interesting way to ponder about what the people thought of the roles. Was Terry Benedict’s evil empire Saddam Hussein’s Iraq? Were the Eleven something akin to Special Operatives ready to take revenge?
Is the Casino atmosphere just a backdrop, or is it more? In this kind of context, we can look at it as a representation of a capitalist global society that is the result of petty machinations, only to be subverted by brave men, ready to sacrifice and take some heat.
Conclusion
The conclusion of this kind of short meditation on the meaning and role of the casino atmosphere is the fact that it’s the perfect setting for escapism. Its decorum and the entire methodology of creating an atmosphere that takes away the reality of unflattering circumstances.
The Tangiers does not let people know what happens behind the scenes once you’re inside – the press does. Ocean’s Eleven is so far removed from the reality it came in thanks to its high-octane atmosphere and backdrop that it ameliorates the reality of national tragedy.
If done right, the casino atmosphere is extremely efficient, even beyond the screen.