The romanticism, mystique, and lawlessness in the underbelly of the Nevada desert have made it a prime destination for filmmakers over the last 50 years. There are dozens of casino movies to choose from.
Some of the greatest films of all time have focused on Las Vegas casinos. Nowadays you can play online casino and even crypto jackpot slots from any location, but land-based casinos are still iconic because they offer more than just games. They offer experiences and a sort of fantasy world that was evidently the scene of many movies.
Las Vegas is considered a stellar setting for gritty, crime-based dramas and other genres, such as action and comedy. Today we will take a look at five of the best.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
A casino heist film with one of the biggest ensemble casts of the 21st Century. Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Julia Roberts all-star in this gripping film that has been turned into a series of films following the initial film’s success.
George Clooney’s character leads a team of criminals to perform a daring heist on one of the most securely protected vaults in Las Vegas. The film constructs its plan in great detail and details how they look to execute it successfully—a must-watch for casino film fans.
The Hangover (2009)
Is ‘The Hangover’ a casino film? We would say so. A Las Vegas stag weekend fuelled by drink and spearheaded by Bradley Cooper went down as one of the defining comedies of the 2000s.
Again, much like ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, it has spawned several spin-off films, and many of the lines crossed over into pop culture. There are enough scenes based in the casino for us to put this on our list, and it has enough quality to mix it with the other marquee films in this piece. Unfortunately for the trilogy fans, there won’t be a fourth movie.
Casino (1995)
A defining blockbuster in the diamond-studded filmography of Martin Scorsese. Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci team up in this stylish mob film about how the Mafia ran a casino in Las Vegas during the 1970s. Other huge names, such as Sharon Stone, put in fantastic performances in notable roles, and many critics regard ‘Casino’ as the top tier of Scorsese’s sensational career output.
With a blistering soundtrack to accompany the story that follows the brutal tale of how the Mafia funnelled their illicit profits through gigantic casinos out in the desert, it is no surprise this is considered one of his best films. We weren’t going to leave this movie off a list of the 5 best casino movies of all time, that’s for sure.
The Godfather (1969)
Although it is rightly considered much more than a mob film, it has plenty of casino-themed storylines. Widely considered the greatest movie ever made, the Corleone crime syndicate had various power struggles with other big Mafia families in New York during the 1950s.
The mob is so synonymous with the casino industry around this time that characters such as Moe Greene play a key role in developing the storyline. His character is widely credited in the film for growing many Las Vegas casinos from nothing into multi-million-dollar businesses.
Casino Royale (2006)
Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond was highly acclaimed and considered a massive box-office success. The most iconic scene from this blockbuster involved a showdown with the main villain at the poker table. The high-stakes game has tens of millions of dollars at stake, and although it is loosely based on a James Bond film from the 1960s, this version lives up to the billing as a redefining film in the legendary franchise.
Conclusion
It is a shame we could only settle on five movies today as several others we missed could have easily found their way onto this list. This is a brief introduction to the genre’s top films. If you are interested in discovering more, we recommend starting with any of these films in our article today.
