15 Films About What Happens in Vegas
Surprisingly, former punching bag Pamela Anderson is receiving rave reviews for her role in Gia Coppola’s The Last Dancer (out in theaters this weekend). She plays a seasoned Las Vegas performer who suddenly finds herself out of work because her once popular revue has become boring and outdated without her even realizing it. She is forced to face an uncertain future in a city unlike any other.
Visions of Las Vegas vary widely: a place for adventure in the sun, where anything is possible; a city of endless possibilities. It is also a home for vile degeneracy; a city that has never escaped its origins as a haven for east coast gangsters. It is both a Disneyland for adults and a desolate metropolis where sin goes unpunished, although not necessarily unpunished.
The real Las Vegas (which is my hometown) is a completely different matter, but strict adherence to boring reality is not the business of cinema. Frank Sinatra made his film debut in 1941’s Las Vegas Nights , celebrating the city even as it was just rising from the desert. Here are 15 films that helped shape our collective vision of Sin City.
Ocean’s 11 (1960)
Basically, it’s an excuse for the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop) to hang out and make a movie together. In the film, Danny Ocean and Jimmy Foster (Sinatra and Lawford) hatch a plot to recruit several of their old associates to rob five different Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. As a heist drama it’s just okay, but as a record of a bygone era, it doesn’t get any better. Not only are we talking about the peak package, but the film (shot on location, mostly after the actors had finished their club appearances) also captures Lost Vegas: Of the five major casinos the group robbed, only two survived. You can rent Ocean’s 11 on Prime Video .
From Above (1987)
Menahem Golan, the man behind some of the best cinematic cheeses of the 1980s ( The Apple , Masters of the Universe , Superman IV , Breaking & Breaking 2: The Electric Boogaloo ), produced and directed this sports drama that is perceived very seriously, while also talking about arm wrestling. Sylvester Stallone plays Lincoln Hawk, a truck driver seeking to win back the love of his estranged son while preparing for the World Arm Wrestling Championship (a real one, I’m told) in Las Vegas. Not much of the film was actually shot there, but we’re approaching Menahem Golan’s film not for verisimilitude, but for the stupid good time that comes with applying all the favorite 80s action and sports movie tropes to an arm wrestling movie. You can stream Over the Top on Tubi and Pluto TV or buy it on Prime Video .
Showgirls (1995)
One of the best and most misunderstood “bad” films ever . Las Vegas is the city of dreams and nightmares in Paul Verhoeven’s wild erotic satire (at least: I think it’s a satire) in this Vegas-set All About Eve . Elizabeth Berkley plays Nomi Malone, a small-town girl with dreams of becoming a Las Vegas showgirl who hitchhikes to Sin City only to pole dance in less reputable establishments than she imagined. As she progresses towards her goals, the drama escalates to uncomfortable yet entirely camp proportions. You can stream Showgirls on Tubi and Pluto TV.
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
One of the cutest encounters in movies occurs when swimming instructor Rusty Martin (Ann-Margaret) throws Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley) into the pool while he is trying to raise money to buy a new engine for his car. You see, his dream is to compete in the first Las Vegas Grand Prix race. I’m not the biggest Elvis fan in the world, but the chemistry between the two leads is amazing – Presley has never had a better love interest/opponent. The classic scene includes the Folies Bergère at the Tropicana Hotel, the longest-running show in the city’s history (it ran until 2009), and the climax takes place at the Little Church of the West, the city’s famous wedding chapel, which also happens to be the oldest surviving building on the Strip. You can stream Viva Las Vegas on Hoopla or rent it from Prime Video .
Indecent Proposal (1993)
With Demi Moore’s Renaissance approaching (if you’re not squeamish, see “Substance “), it’s time to revisit the triumphs of her classic era. Although this is clearly not one of those. But this is a charmingly silly erotic thriller from a master of the form, director Adrian Lyne, that feels like it couldn’t take place anywhere other than the seediest corners of Vegas. In it, Moore and Woody Harrelson play the role of a down-on-his-luck couple who are presented with the ultimate proposal: a slick businessman (Robert Redford) offers them $1 million to buy a night of passion with Demi, an idea that was extremely scandalous at the time. 1993 (I’d call it easy, but maybe that’s just me). It’s all pretty sexist and none of it makes much sense, but it was one of the highest-grossing films of its year and everyone was talking about it. You can stream Indecent Proposal on Paramount+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Given Bond’s penchant for gambling, it’s almost surprising that it took him so long to get to Las Vegas – perhaps the neon and kitsch don’t fit Bond’s whole aesthetic, nor the comparatively cool casinos of, say, Monte Carlo. This time, Sean Connery returned to the role for almost the last time (depending on whether you count the semi-unofficial part of ” Never Say Never Again “) to take revenge on arch-enemy Ernst Stavro Blofeld for killing his wife in the last (in which hero and villain played by different actors). Bond poses as a diamond smuggler in a scheme that lands him in several different casinos, including the Hilton in Las Vegas, as well as a fictitious gambling den called White House. You can rent Diamonds Are Forever on Prime Video .
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
While Bond (James Bond) feels awkward in sunny, kitschy Vegas, Austin Powers (Mike Meyers) fits in perfectly. Most of the scenes in Sin City were filmed on the now-destroyed Riviera. You can rent Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery on Prime Video .
The Hangover (2009)
A triumph of the bad weekend genre, The Hangover stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis as three friends who take their buddy Doug (soon-to-be-married Justin Bartha) on a trip to Vegas to find some jokes at Caesars. Palace, starting with a few shots on the roof. The next morning, they all wake up with no memory of what happened the night before. The clues are tricky: a missing tooth, a tiger in the bathroom, a child in the toilet, and a mattress pierced from the outside. Heather Graham joins the trio as Jade, an escort who helps them recover their lost night. You can stream The Hangover on Max or rent it on Prime Video .
Army of the Dead (2021)
My favorite Zack Snyder movie (which, okay, isn’t much) takes place in the near future where Las Vegas is overrun by zombies and cut off from the rest of the world. The government is planning a nuclear strike, intending to wipe the city off the map and be done with it, but the former casino owner has a plan in the meantime: he hired a group of mercenaries led by Dave Bautista to infiltrate the abandoned areas (except the zombies) of the city and come out with With $200 million left in the vault, the zombie heist action movie is absolutely unbeatable in its premise, and the resulting film is a lot of fun. You can watch Army of the Dead on.Netflix .
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
While it’s hard to compete with the original for its light-hearted Rat Pack scope, Steven Soderbergh’s version of the concept is an extremely rare remake that surpasses the original in almost every way. While the 1960 version was mostly an excuse for Sinatra and company to make some money while already working in Vegas, here we have a superb heist movie with an all-star ensemble cast (George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Elliot Gould, Bernie Mac and Carl Reiner). Danny Ocean and Rusty Ryan (Clooney and Pitt) assemble a team to rob three casinos simultaneously: the Bellagio, the Mirage (closed in 2024) and the MGM Grand. It’s as funny as it is smart, and is endlessly rewatchable . You can rent Ocean’s Eleven on Prime Video .
Bugsy (1991)
Las Vegas has never been particularly enamored with its history, as evidenced by the excitement that usually accompanies the failure of outdated casinos and hotels, no matter how venerable they may be. But here we have a film that tells the (heavily embellished) story of the birth of Sin City through the life of gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (Warren Beatty), who moved west with other mobsters in the 1930s in search of new opportunities and less interference from law enforcement. After leaving Hollywood for an obscure stretch of desert, Siegel played a key role in the development of Flamingo, his visionary dream of a future Vegas becoming so passionate that he was eventually killed. Beatty’s real-life future wife, Annette Bening, plays his lover and confidante Virginia Hill. You can stream Bugsy on MGM+ or rent it on Prime Video .
Casino (1995)
Here, Marin Scorsese also talks about the real history of Las Vegas, moving the timeline to the 1970s. The names have been changed, but the film chronicles the final days of the mafia’s heyday in the city, beginning with the arrival of low-level gangster Ace Rothstein (played by Robert De Niro and based on the real-life Lefty Rosenthal) and his takeover of the Tangier casino operation (which you might be better off known as “Stardust”). During his tenure, Sam’s job becomes increasingly unstable, thanks in large part to his temperamental mercenary (Joe Pesci) and his former con artist (Sharon Stone). Before this is all over, we will witness the birth of today’s slightly more respectable corporate Vegas. You can stream Casino on Starz or rent it from Prime Video .
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Based on the gonzo journalistic narrative of Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing sends Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp, honing the hackneyed cinematic trope that would become his signature) and Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) to the titular city, where the first the Mint 400 desert motorcycle race, and then the district attorney convention. Both real and hallucinated Vegas serve as the backdrop for all their drug-fueled shenanigans. Your enjoyment of the film will vary depending on your tolerance for psychedelic weirdness over plot, but director Terry Gilliam certainly sells the visuals—and that’s not to say that no one has ever visited Vegas while as high as Duke and Gonzo. You can rent Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas from Prime Video .
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
No film captures the darker side of Las Vegas quite like Mike Figgis’ acclaimed but infamous drama . “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” is a slogan that suggests unbridled fun, but it also suggests something darker: a liminal space where nothing (and no one) matters. Nicolas Cage gives a phenomenal performance as Ben, an alcoholic screenwriter with nothing to lose whose only remaining goal in life is to drink himself to death in Sin City. On this journey, he meets Serah (Elisabeth Shue), a sex worker whose prospects aren’t much better. While the film is by no means enjoyable, the essential decency of these two characters, regardless of their circumstances, makes it hard to look away from them. You can stream Leaving Las Vegas on Max or rent it on Prime Video .
Go (1999)
By far the best Tarantino imitator since the late ’90s Pulp Fiction , Go features an impressive cast (Taye Diggs , Sarah Polley, Jane Krakowski, Timothy Olyphant, etc.) and a smart, sly script that tells intersecting stories. about a holiday drug deal gone wrong. Only one of the stories actually centers around the town in question, but it’s a stunning one: Simon (Desmond Askew) crashes a wedding, sleeps with two bridesmaids, sets a hotel room on fire and shoots a strip club bouncer. You know: a typical night in Vegas. You can rent Go from Prime Video .