A good script can grab the audience’s attention no matter the genre. However, there’s usually some sort of suspense or thrill factor that’s portrayed and expressed through these movies. This all comes naturally with most gambling environments and experiences. Additionally, these movies can also be educated about the rules of games and even legal aspects of gambling.
These Asian films are some of the best ones about gambling dating back to 1989 up until 2014. This is not limited as there are many more great films about the thrill of gambling that can be watched and enjoyed.
God of Gamblers (Director Wong Jing, 1989)
There’s a sense of humour in God of Gamblers, a 1989 film directed by Wong Jing. It’s about a gambler named Ko Chun who has some special abilities when it comes to gambling, and he is known to enjoy a piece of chocolate while he gambles. One day he went to Tokyo for a competition against a high-ranking gambler, Tanaka. Tanaka ended up losing the competition, but he still asked for Ko Chun’s help with some revenge. Ko Chun agreed in exchange for a box of chocolates. He ended up having an accident from a robber which caused him to lose his memory and start acting like a child.
The Conman (Director Wong Jing, 1998)
In The Conman film from 1998, a man named King, who happens to be a huge conman that doesn’t respect much of anything. When a card game goes wrong, King ends up killing a man and goes colour blind. He is then sent to prison for a five-year sentence, and during that time, he has no idea what has happened to his wife and son. Throughout his five years in prison, he picked up some horse racing skills. Once released, he is met by a man named Dragon. King can only think about finding his family, but during his search to find them, he becomes partners with Dragon and makes some money from horse racing.
Tazza: The High Rollers (Director Choi Dong-hoon, 2006)
Another thrilling movie is Tazza: The High Rollers released in 2006 which is a Korean gambling drama about a skilled gambler who goes by the name, Goni. He has a gambling problem, especially when it comes to an old-school Korean card game, hwatu. Goni happens to be terrible at this game, which ends up clearing out all of his savings. Then, he steals some money from his family and loses that too. He then realizes that he had been set up and so he goes on an adventure of tracking them down and getting some payback. First, he meets with a hwatu master to up-level his skills.
Poker King (Directors Chan Hing-Ka, Janet Chun, 2009)
Poker King, released in 2009, is about a family that’s involved with the casino business. There’s Jack who was never really interested in gambling until he played Texas Hold’em online. He’s good at online poker but not that great when it comes to table poker until he meets his lucky charm. Then there’s Uno, a poker guru, who is the manager at the rival casino, Randy’s Casino. To win back Jack’s casino, he learns the ins and outs of Texas Hold’em (table form) and challenges his enemy, Uno to a showdown at the Asian Poker King Championships, where these two enemies go head-to-head once and for all.
From Vegas to Macau (Directors Wong Jing, Andrew Lau, Aman Chang, 2014)
From Vegas to Macau is about a family of con-artists (Benz, Cool and Karl), who think of themselves as heroes. They head to Macau for a birthday party for Benz’s old friend, Ken. On the other side, Cool’s stepbrother Lionel is in Hong Kong secretly undercover trying to get evidence against a money-laundering association run by Ko. Another detective, who has also invaded Ko’s operation, asks Ken to challenge Ko to a card game to try and expose him. While they go head-to-head on the card table, Ko’s assistant attempts to recover evidence.
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Conclusion
Apart from these five must-see Asian gambling movies, we assure you that there are plenty more out there to enjoy. There’s just something about the excitement and thrill that comes along with movies that have a gambling-related plot. Whether the storyline is heavily relying on crime, or it has just the right amount of action with a little hint of comedy, these films always do a great job of getting the attention of their viewers. These movies can be enjoyed by gamblers as well as those that don’t know a thing about a game of Poker. But once the reels start rolling, they learn a thing or two about the game.