Not long ago, a movie called "Animal World" was released, in which the male protagonist of the film, Zheng Kaiji, boarded the ship "Destiny" and, under the control of a mysterious person, fought with the rest of the ship to fight with poker. Although on the surface this is just a bad taste of guessing boxing games, but in fact it is a gamble with the life of the family as a chip.
Elements such as life gambling, high seas gambling ships, gambling wars, rebellion against fate, money and human nature are also familiar, just like the "gambling films" we have watched in those years.
Poster for the movie Animal World
Zhou Runfa's "God of Gamblers" image has become a silver screen classic
When it comes to "gambling films", film fans will first think of the Hong Kong gambling films that were popular in the Chinese-speaking world in the 1980s and 1990s, especially the gambling series films directed by Wang Jing. In 1980, Wang Jing, who came from a film family, entered TVB as a screenwriter after graduation. At that time, the TV series "Grace of the Earth" of "Li's TV Station" was a hit, and the limelight was unparalleled. Wang Tianlin and Wang Jing's father and son directed and edited one by one, and launched "King of a Thousand Kings" to fight in the ring. It tells the story of Guangzhou in the 1930s, the "Southern God Eye" and the "Northern Thousand Hands" of the Thousand Kings of the North and the South went from being hostile to each other to cherishing each other, and then secretly killed by the adulterers for greed for money, and the two passed on their lifelong thousand skills to their disciples to avenge them. In the film, the two heroes compete for hegemony, the hero suffers, the teaching of divine skills, and revenge and hatred are all traditional routines of martial arts films, Wang Jing transforms the divine skills of chivalry into the gambling skills of "Thousand Kings", and the "gambling film" is just a martial arts film with a makeover. After the TV series aired, the ratings soared, and gambling dramas began to take the market by storm.
After the first victory, Wang Jing signed a contract with Shaw Company and put the "bet" on the big screen. In 1981, he released his first film "Thousand Kings Fighting Thousand Kings", which tells the story of the Shanghai Concession in the 1930s, when two generations of "Thousand Kings" joined forces with casino owners to defeat the Japanese "Thousand Kings". The film combines gambling, action, gunfights, comedy and other elements into one, and has achieved more than 5 million box office successes after its release. In 1989, Wang Jing continued to work hard and made two gambling films, "Supreme Supreme" and "God of Gamblers". The former focuses on showing the character's bumpy fate under the gangster vendetta, and the plot is slightly more complicated. The latter is simple and rude, entertainment first, telling the story of the gambling tycoon "God of Gamblers" Gao Jin (Chow Yun Fat) invited to compete with the sinister Singaporean "gambling king" Chen Jincheng, but unfortunately fell off a cliff and lost his memory and became stupid. The poor little gambling stick knife boy (Andy Lau) takes in Gao Jin, and the two form a friendship. In the end, Gao Jin regains his memory and defeats his opponent in the ultimate gambling battle on the high seas gambling ship.
Stills from the movie "God of Gamblers", in which Zhou Runfa combs his oily hair, wears an elaborate suit and trench coat, turns the jade ring on his little finger, and the image of the "God of Gamblers" who enters the casino with great spirit has become a classic on the screen
At that time, Hong Kong, which was ranked among the "Four Asian Tigers", had a soaring economy and a social atmosphere of optimism, self-confidence and heroism. In the film, Gao Jin won consecutive victories over American casinos and Japanese underworlds, and Lick singapore gambling king. Zhou Runfa combed his oily hair, wore an elaborate suit and trench coat, turned the jade ring on his little finger, and the image of the "God of Gamblers" who entered the casino with great vigor became a silver screen classic. All kinds of gambling tricks are wild: shuffling stunts, flying cards to kill people, erecting colors in the dice cup, and even adding high technology - using LCD glasses to see through the card face. The final gamble at the end of the film is played by a "stud" that is the size of the card face, and the "God of Gamblers" bets all the chips, plus the private property "30 million Swiss bank cashier's checks", and the desperate pride raises the gambling stimulation to the extreme, which makes people's hearts beat. In addition, just like the "God of Gamblers" in the film, which has become a fool in the folk, Wang Jing has filled the hero legend with grassroots fun: overheated farces, pornographic and vulgar jokes abound. The film sold well, with an investment of HK$10 million and a box office of HK$40 million, ranking first in the box office rankings of Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Wang Jing, the father of "gambling films"
"God of Gamblers" achieved unprecedented success, attracting countless filmmakers to join the gambling sea and shooting a large number of similar works. Almost every red star has a gambling film: "Gambling Saint" Zhou Xingchi, "Gambler" Andy Lau, "Gambler" Wan Ziliang, "Gambler" Mei Yanfang, "Gambling Queen" Zheng Yuling and so on. In 1990, directed by Liu Zhenwei and starring Stephen Chow, the nonsense comedy "Gamble Saint" was the earliest follow-up work. With the help of the "qigong fever" Chinese mainland at that time, the thousand techniques of the divine skill were turned into special functions. The protagonist, Zhou Xingzu, comes to Hong Kong from the mainland, and he has special abilities that can see through points, change dice and change the face of the card. Xingzu was involved in a fight between two gambling kings in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and won the "International Gambling King Competition" on behalf of Taiwan. At that time, the foreign port market of Hong Kong films was mainly in Taiwan, and it was inevitable to be close to and please. The film blatantly takes pleasure in parody, and Xingzu imitates Zhou Runfa's "God of Gamblers" style with exaggerated and funny, full of jokes. Wang Jing did not want to show weakness after watching "Gamble Saint", immediately copied back, pulled Zhou Xingchi and Andy Lau partnered, and directed "Gambler". It is said that the disciple of the "God of Gamblers", Dao Zai, inherited the master's volunteers, and was known as the "Gambler". "Gambling Saint" Zhou Xingzu and "Gambler" did not fight and did not know each other and became friends, and finally joined forces on the high seas gambling ship to defeat the traitor who set up a gambling game to cheat money, as well as the special function master from the mainland, and won the "Card King Competition".
Movie "Gamble Saint"
At the end of "Gambler", the "God of Gamblers" played by Zhou Runfa returned, and Andy Lau and Chow Xingchi shouted in unison, "Master! Wang Jing declared that she was the father of the "gambling film". The plot of the film is copied from the previous work, and the nonsense comedy is extremely foolish, and it also imitates "A Laugh in the Sea" and Zhang Yimou's "Ancient and Modern Wars qin figurines". Since then, Wang Jing has continued to repeat herself, costume history, Hollywood science fiction, Korean romance, song and dance advertisements, Disney animation, and everything can be stuffed into the "gambling film". In 1991, "Gambler 2 Above the Beach Gambler" invited Gong Li to star, allowing "Gambler Saint" Zhou Xingchi to travel back to Shanghai in the 1930s and fight Yoshiko Kawashima with special functions. Chaos, vulgarity, violence, plagiarism, everything is used to the extreme. Wang Jing, who was despised by Hong Kong's cultural circles, called his films full of excrement and yellow jokes, without logic, without a bottom line, absurd, and stupid to the extreme, and gave him the title of director of and. But Wang Jing, who is firmly in the top position of "Hong Kong's highest cumulative box office director", does not think so, and laughs at herself. After playing a prostitute in "God of Gamblers", he made a cameo appearance in "Gambler", sticking his head out of the public toilet and calling himself "King Badou".
Wang Jing's "gambling films" represent the other side of the "golden age" of Hong Kong cinema during the boom of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He bet on the grassroots market in the city, concocted entertainment FMCG products to suit his wishes, and created a gambling world that was divorced from reality, had no taboos, was timely and happy, and was alive and exciting. The "gambling film" captured the mentality of Hong Kong's rapid economic development at that time, hot money everywhere, impetuous people's hearts, and wanting to get rich overnight.
In 1994, Zhou Runfa returned and sat in "God of Gamblers 2", and the plot was still old-fashioned. In 1996, "God of Gamblers 3: The Young God of Gamblers" starring Dawn tried to dig into the past of "God of Gamblers". In "Gamble Saint 2 Street Gamble Saint", "Gambler vs. Las Vegas" and "King of a Thousand Kings 2000", Wang Jing wants to make Ge Minhui and Zhang Jiahui a new generation of "gambling stars", but unfortunately, the tricks of a thousand tricks have been exhausted. After 2000, films such as "Que Sheng" and "Que Sheng 2 Touching The Queen of Heaven" changed the cards to mahjong, or used women as the protagonists, and the standard was still the same. Wang Jing's "gambling film" was filmed until 2014's "Macau Storm", which greatly reduced the "gambling" element. Chow Yun-fat's character is renamed "Magician", and he assists the mainland public security played by Jing Tian in arresting the leader of the International Money Laundering Organization, and at the end, the "God of Gamblers" in the oil-headed suit pushes the door and walks in. Although such a "gambling film" has been unrecognizable, and "Fa Ge" is also full of old fashion, the mainland audience who once grew up watching Wang Jing's films in the small video hall is still very popular. Including two sequels, the "Macau Storm" trilogy has a cumulative box office of more than 2.6 billion yuan, and Wang Jing can be said to have eaten the old book into a feeling.
Stills from the movie "Macau Storm", which greatly reduced the "gambling" element, Chow Yun-fat's role was renamed "Magic Hand", assisting the police played by Jing Tian to arrest the leader of the International Money Laundering Organization. Although such a "gambling film" is beyond recognition, and "Fa Ge" is also full of old fashion, the mainland audience is still very popular
Hollywood gambling films
Compared with the popular entertainment farce of Hong Kong gambling films and the strange and chaotic gambling techniques, Hollywood gambling films take the realistic route. Gamblers do not rely on thousands, high technology and special functions, but rely on card skills, wisdom and psychological qualities to prove themselves. The charm of gambling lies in the fact that there is no high or low on the table, and penniless people can develop overnight, from slaves to masters of the money society. Films often write that small people are eager to break the established rules, to gamble against the big people who are high above and destined for fate, but after the reversal of life, they are corrupted and degenerated by money, and finally make life choices and return to the theme of the right way.
In 1995, the great director Martin Scorsese's "Casino Storm" was the last part of the "gangster trilogy", writing an epic of the rise and fall of the world casino city of Las Vegas in the 1970s. This paradise in the western desert was created by gangsters, and the casino was their cash machine. Robert De Niro's Ace was originally a lowly gambler who was appreciated by the Italian gangsters as a casino regulator, "For people like me, Las Vegas can wash away my sins". Relying on his gambling talents, Ace became the maker and manager of casino rules, and made gambling a thriving business. But with the explosion of operating income, everyone wants to make more money, the brotherhood and mutual trust in the gang are no longer there, and the gambling empire has collapsed.
In "Casino Storm", Ace became the casino manager and called the casino a "fair place", no one can make money by cheating and cheating, almost forgetting that this is an illegal place with a gangster background, "every hole in the desert is buried with dead people". Finally, the police intervened, and the gangsters cleaned their men of the lost guards and protected the car. At the end of the film, the elderly Ace laments that the times are gone, the human touch and legend of the traditional gangster family are no longer there, and now Las Vegas has become a Disneyland. Once outlaws pioneered in the western desert, there was a cruel and bloody inside behind the prosperous face, and finally the casino was legalized, the results were taken away by the government and the guys who engaged in financial bonds, and everything became a tasteless utilitarian - this is like the history of the United States.
Movie "Casino Storm"
1994's "Gambler Ma Huali" combines gambling, western and comedy, adapted from the 1950 American drama of the same name. In the film, there are many Western elements such as horse-drawn carriages out of control, tavern gun battles, and bank bombings and robberies. The wild Westworld is full of adventurers of all stripes, including Russian crooks and Chinese gold diggers. There are tricks everywhere, and everyone wants to make a windfall. Some of them won the first pot of gold and became the industrial giants of the future, the model of the "American Dream". Mel Gibson plays Ma Huali, a gambler who has gone through various adventures to win the "Poker of the Century" on steamships and win $500,000.
The protagonist of 2007's "Lucky Player" Is haq, a professional gambler living in Las Vegas, whose father is a "two-time World Series of Poker Champions". Because of the divorce of his gambling parents, his mother died early. The title is a complete irony, Huck gambled bad luck, he wanted to make up enough money to participate in the "2003 World Series of Poker" but repeatedly lost. The film is a very realistic reflection of the lives of players, and the scenes in the film are taken from the real competition in 2003, including the two-time champion Johnnychan, and several world-class players are invited to play him. The poker competition in the film is not so much a thrilling gamble as a sports competition such as bridge and Go, not relying on luck, but on wisdom, psychology, experience and endurance. But the peculiarity of gambling is that gambling is about playing money, and the excitement of gambling is also the price. In the film, Huck sits in an empty room with no normal life. Once he becomes a gambler, winning or losing becomes all, no matter how beautiful it was, in the end he will have nothing, and gambling on his old father is his future. In the final stud final, Huck automatically exited and started his life again.
Stills from the movie Lucky Player
When "gambling film" meets youth
Many Hollywood "gambling films" combine with the themes of youth, dreams, growth and life choices, and talented young people are proud of their intelligence and want to "take shortcuts" and re-examine life and ideals after failure. At the beginning of "The King of Gamblers" in 1998, Mike, a law student played by Matt Damon, is eager to become a professional player, and he uses his gambling talent to cross the casino, "Half of my tuition for law school comes from this way, if I am too careful, I will have to do hard work in this life." 」 Overconfident, he lost the game against the Russian gangsters and has since quit gambling on trucks to pay off his debts. At the end of the film, Mike returns to the Russian underground casino, wins back the money he once lost, and earns the bet of las Vegas to participate in the "World Series of Poker". The original English title of the film "Rounders" comes from the Texas Hold'em term, which means loop. Mike, who was once young and impulsive, returned to the beginning after experiencing gains and losses, and had a deeper understanding of life. Take youth as a bet to bravely pursue dreams, then we must admit to gambling and lose, and pay the price for the ideal.
In "The King of The Gambler", the American guy defeats the Russian casino owner and accidentally wins the Chinese "gambling king" John Chen, which gives him confidence. Good mathematics, good at skill, scheming Chinese have always been leading the world gambling world, Hollywood "gambling films", in addition to Italian and Russian gangsters, Chinese elements are indispensable. The 2008 box office blockbuster "Blackjack" is adapted from the true story of Ma Kaiwen, a Chinese student at MIT, and the popular phrase "big luck, eat chicken tonight" in the online game comes from this film. The story tells of MIT C.I.A. Student Ben Campbell, who is about to be admitted to Harvard Medical School, but faces a hefty $300,000 tuition fee. Math professor Miki Rosa (Kevin Spacey) sets up a card counting group to specialize in blackjack gambling, and the mathematical genius Ben is pulled into the group and becomes the central figure. Under the direction of Professor Rosa, the group members went to Las Vegas every weekend to easily win hundreds of thousands. Ben gradually learned to enjoy luxury, alienated friends, delayed his studies, and went from a young student to a self-interested gambler, and was also targeted by casino supervision. In the end, Ben returned the winning money and took the initiative to cooperate with the casino to capture Rosa.
Movie "The King of Gamblers"
At the beginning of "Decisive Blackjack", the protagonist Ben, who has gone through twists and turns, applies for a scholarship and confronts the Harvard professor in charge of admissions, "What dazzling experience do you have?" He replied, "I joined the group in my senior year to learn the skills, went to Las Vegas 17 times to apply it, made hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then went to nothing. "Ben once gained a huge wealth unimaginable to ordinary people with his mathematical ability, walked out of the ivory tower to understand the sinister complexity of society, and experienced ups and downs to enrich his life experience. In the film, Professor Rosa is ostensibly a mathematician with fame and fortune, behind which he is a gambler who manipulates his students to profit for himself. In the game between morality, law and money and desire, Ben made the right choice and brought to justice the corrupt and depraved big man in a high position. He proved that he was worthy of being a good talent, both intellectually and morally.
Carrying gambling debts also means redeeming others
2017's "Jasmine Hand" is based on the true experience of Jasmine Bloom. Jasmine is a top student who excels in both learning and sports, and at the beginning of the film, she participates in the North American women's stunt skiing competition, sketching her life "to win the competition, become an Olympian, and then enter Harvard Law School and grow into a female entrepreneur.". Unexpectedly, he was seriously injured in an accident during the game and has since withdrawn from the ski stage. During her sabbatical, Jasmine coincidentally became the host of the gambling game, and gradually grew into the "poker princess" who controlled the biggest gambling game in Los Angeles and New York, earning millions of dollars, while drug addiction, gangsters and lawsuits also entangled her.
Stills from the movie "Jasmine Poker Game"
The film is deeply feminine, Jasmine has been independent and strong since childhood, rebellious against her father, and is not willing to be despised and teased by male bosses after stepping into society. As Jasmine's father says in the film, "You choose this path because you can control people with power." Jasmine broke into the male-controlled high society by herself and established a gambling empire, with gamblers including Hollywood superstars, big directors, real estate giants, European aristocrats, Middle Eastern billionaires and so on. Jasmine herself doesn't gamble, nor does she fall in love with any of them, manipulating the desires of these men who control the world and earning their money. As the gamble grew bigger and bigger, Jasmine could not resist the temptation of great wealth and went from tipping to taking a lottery, thus breaking the law. The judge at the end of the film said, "The elites on Wall Street next door have committed more crimes than you during lunch, and I don't understand how it is justice to put you in prison." "Sympathize with this female rebel in a patriarchal society and change to a light sentence."