No, Luo Tianguang definitely has other things on his mind, and this quick glance of what gambling can do to people seems to steel his resolve. I initially imagined that the tale might end up with Luo succumbing to the evils of gambling and ending up like this man he encounters at the start, but it isn’t like that at all. Luo is suave and well-dressed, but he watches the fleeing gambler with a knowing look.

On his way out of the casino, he runs into Luo Tianguang (Yueh Hua). He ultimately leaves with less than he came in with, as completely strapped for cash, the man offered up his hand as collateral for his final wager. The film opens in the titular casino, following the frustrations of a down-on-his-luck gambler (Wu Ma) as he attempts to win at the dice game. It’s definitely an unsung gem of this era of Hong Kong film, as prior to researching it for this review series, I had never heard of this one. At only 77 minutes, The Casino is jam-packed full of intense melodrama that never lets up. But don’t despair, that mix makes for some truly exciting, tense entertainment. It’s not a full-on gambling film, though, it’s more of a martial arts/gambling hybrid. The Casino was one of the earliest Hong Kong gambling movies. Starring Yueh Hua, Lily Ho Li-Li, Chin Feng, Chiang Nan, Fan Mei-Sheng, Tang Ti, Lee Pang-Fei, Chan Chan-Kong, Sek Kin, Ma Chien-Tang, Yee Kwan, Yi Fung, Wu Ma

Review of the movie casino