Living life on the edge and taking chances, both are often considered to be natural traits for many Australians, who are also renowned for their love of gambling. Indeed, based upon frequent surveys undertaken in recent years, polls indicated that more than a third of adults regularly spend money on some form of wagering.
Given that’s more than 6.8 million who participate in gambling activity, during any given month, we can hardly be surprised to find the topic featuring regularly in Australian cinematic productions. After all, Statista.com data indicates that AUS $17 billion was spent on gaming Down Under in 2022. People clearly have a solid grasp of the subject from personal experience, therefore scenes involving card games or casino activity can provide engaging drama.
Considering that gambling is widely accepted as part of the Aussie culture, many directors and producers have touched on the subject, while some projects have made the theme of gambling central to their movie productions. Let’s take a look at some of the best examples from Down Under, each featuring exciting action at the gaming tables or casino floors.
Poker Face
While the original project was intended to be located in the United States, no sooner was Australian screen icon Russell Crowe onboard with the project, he completely re-wrote the screenplay and opted to shoot the movie in his home country. The end result is Poker Face released in 2022, featuring Crowe himself in the leading role, playing a tech billionaire who invites old friends to a high-stakes poker night that could change their fortunes.
Aside from dramatic scenes featuring the card game, the title is also inspired by the host wanting participants to reveal their greatest lifelong secrets, hence the idea that some will show their “poker face” by seeking to hide their emotions. As if this wasn’t enough to create tension within the film, things take a more sinister turn, when the game is interrupted by an attempted robbery.
Despite negative reviews at RottenTomatoes.com and other American critic sites, the film received far more positive feedback from Australian audiences, who simply got what Crowe was attempting to portray in his production. This perhaps highlights that regardless of sharing the English language, both countries continue to have culturally diverging views on entertainment.
Oscar and Lucinda
Featuring a stellar cast of Australian and British acting talents, card games and gambling form the very heart of the narrative within 1997 release Oscar and Lucinda, which is otherwise a romantic drama. Based upon the Booker Prize-winning novel penned by Aussie author Peter Carey, the central characters are portrayed by Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchet, who form a relationship while playing cards on the boat journey from Britain to New South Wales.
The story follows their arrival in Australia, as Oscar played by Fiennes discovers his talent for gambling successfully, playing various games including blackjack, albeit in contrast with his dedication to the Anglican faith. Having received the confession that Blanchet’s character Lucinda also finds gambling appealing, their love grows amidst the difficulties of living in an entirely different and wild new country.
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Wagering inspires many cinematic productions
In some regards, investing money into movie productions can sometimes be regarded as a huge gamble itself, given that some films can flop at the box office while others can achieve unexpected success. For this reason it’s hardly surprising that gambling also remains a popular subject in cinematic releases, which often get the best reception amongst Australian audiences, given their uniquely inherent appreciation and understanding of gambling.
