Directed by Robert Altman • 1974 • United States
Starring George Segal, Elliott Gould, Ann Prentiss
Robert Altman’s distinctive brand of loose-limbed naturalism reached sublime heights with this freewheeling buddy comedy. Elliott Gould and George Segal make for one of the most delightfully offbeat duos of the 1970s as Charlie Walters and Bill Denny, two compulsive gamblers with nothing in common except for incredibly bad luck. But after a chance meeting at an LA card parlor, these two losers find that together they make an unbeatable team. Embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime winning streak, Bill and Charlie bet their way from the tacky racetracks and bars of Los Angeles to the plush casino tables of Reno—but how long can their luck hold out?
Directed by Karel Reisz • 1974 • United States
Starring James Caan, Paul Sorvino, Lauren Hutton
James Caan delivers a brilliant performance in this gritty, unsparing portrait of a gambling addict caught in a relentless downward spiral. He stars as Axel Freed, a Harvard-educated New York City Eng...
Directed by John Cassavetes • 1976 • United States
Starring Ben Gazzara, Timothy Agoglia Carey, Seymour Cassel
John Cassavetes engages with film noir in his own inimitable style with THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE. Ben Gazzara brilliantly portrays a gentleman’s club owner, Cosmo Vitelli, desper...
Directed by Louis Malle • 1980 • France, Canada
Starring Burt Lancaster, Susan Sarandon, Michel Piccoli
Dreams die hard amid the boardwalks and casinos of the faded New Jersey gambling town where Sally (Susan Sarandon), a young waitress and aspiring blackjack dealer, meets Lou (Burt Lancaster), ...
