The number of films dedicated to bookmakers and sports betting is not as high as casino films. Perhaps this is due, among other things, to the fact that a betting office or betting shop cannot be as luxurious as a casino. Or are they perhaps simply less well-known than “James Bond 007: Casino Royale”?
“Two for Money”, 2005
This drama with a brilliant cast (Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey) is even partly based on true events. McConaughey plays Brandon Lang, an ambitious professional footballer who, like many other athletes, has to leave the sport due to injury. However, he has an interesting alternative, as he is a good tipster and knows the world of sports very well. Lang starts a career as a bettor, and very successfully: his tips are correct.
Lang’s growing popularity in the world of gamblers caught the attention of the head of the large sports betting company Walter Abrams (Al Pacino). Abrams makes Brandon an offer he couldn’t refuse. The drama is based on true events from the life of former basketball player Brandon Lang. In American states where gambling is prohibited, bookmakers work under the guise of consultants and earn their money by predicting the outcome of games. Walter doesn’t want Brandon to bet, but believes that he has the ability to determine the winners of games. This would make him an asset to the bookmaker business, as he helps others place bets.
The character of Abrams was inspired by a real person, Stu Feiner, a renowned sports betting expert with more than 20 years of experience in the sports betting field. This film is not only about betting, but also about the ability to face new challenges and fight against circumstances. From the point of view of the bettors, the film shows the working mechanisms of a large sports betting company, whose main character is a tipster. A man whose decision decides the fate of millions of dollars of his clients.
“The Gambler” (original title: “The Gambler”, 1974)
A cult drama about gambling that tells the story of a literature teacher, Axel Freed, who has a passion for sports betting. After taking some ideas from Dostoyevsky’s novel The Gambler, Freed (James Caan) becomes obsessed with his desire to make money from gambling and soon loses his fortune. After collecting the last of his money, the former teacher goes to Las Vegas to win it back, but even greater disappointments and blows of fate await him there.One day he loses a considerable sum of money. Reputable people demand that the teacher pay back the debt of $10,000, otherwise they would first break all his hands, then his toes, and then just watch him suffer. Time passes, the amount of debt increases. If Axel has not paid back the 44 thousand dollars in a few days, they will kill him.
After a series of coincidences, Fried does get his debt back still back, but this adventure changes his life completely. In 2014, a remake of the original film was shot with Mark Wahlberg in the lead role. The drama is dedicated to psychological problems and crises that a gambling addict tipster and casino player can have. James Caan received a Golden Globe nomination for the role of Axel Freed, who leads a double life. The psychological drama is a good choice for a movie night if you are looking for a psychological masterpiece. There is not so much action, but a lot to think about.
And what films about bookmakers and sports betting do you know yourself? Can you think of something on the topic?