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Las Vegas and the Movies

By Victoria Myerscough @thebookthefilm · On January 31, 2017


The glitz, the glamour, the big money stakes, the Elvis impersonators. Everyone loves the high rolling and high stakes world of the casino. We play online games, have Vegas themed parties and last year almost half a million Brits holidayed there.

So, in the midst of this, it is no surprise that the Las Vegas is being used as themes for different games, including online casino games. Yes you heard it right, Las Vegas fans can taste the same thrills from their own couch on sites like Casino.com. They keep up with the trends and offer some popular games like online blackjack and the rest assure you won’t feel any difference because you’ll be amazed by the excellent graphics and sound effects offered.

On the other hand, Hollywood’s love affair with Vegas continues to this day and worth mentioning that Vegas and the movies have gone hand in hand since Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack made Vegas cool, it’s movies mirroring the very best (and worst) that Vegas has to offer.

The mob

Before the US government legalised gambling, American’s had to go all the way to Cuba to get their gambling kicks. The Mafia moved into Vegas early, earning money from construction, Union pension fund scams, skim operations and enforcement. Mobsters like Bugsy Siegel are synonymous with Vegas and today, tourists can go on Mob Tours to view the shadier history of Sin City.

Warren Beatty directed and starred in the eponymous Bugsy (1991), chronicling the mob’s move out west. Perhaps the most gripping example of the darker side of Vegas is Martin Scorsese’s gritty, Oscar-winning, Casino (1995).

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

The ultimate party town in which to get up to hijinks and debauchery. None have been funnier than The Hangover (2009) in which Bradley Cooper and his friends have the ultimate bachelor party, wake up in a trashed hotel suite with a tiger and a baby, but can’t find the groom. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Very Bad Things (1998) and Swingers (1996) are also greats of the Vegas party scene.

The heist

Frank Sinatra is credited with making Vegas great again, so it’s only right that he should have starred in one of the best heist movies about it. The original Ocean’s 11 featured Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy David Jnr as WWII buddies who plan and rob five of the largest casinos in one night. It was later brought up to date and given the star treatment by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 glossy remake.

Show me the money

Did you know that Derren Brown is banned from many UK casinos? His ability to card count earned him a reputation amongst casino bosses who didn’t want him in their establishments. You’ve got to play fair after all.

Movie characters have tried to beat the odds on many occasions, the most famous being Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (1989). His savant abilities are used by his estranged brother (played by Tom Cruise) to net them a fortune at the casino. More recently, the movie 21 (2008) starring Kevin Spacey, depicted the true story of six brilliant MIT students who became card counting experts and took casinos for millions.

 The show must go on

People rarely go to Vegas without taking in a show. Over the years greats such as the Rat Pack, David Copperfield, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Blue Man Group, Siegfried and Roy have all had residencies in Vegas. Now You See Me (2013) followed a group of magicians delighting the crowds and Paul Verhoeven’s infamous Showgirls (1995) showcased the less family friendly entertainment on offer.

You may now kiss the bride

The quickie Vegas wedding, often themed (think Elvis) is another iconic facet. Even Britney Spears got married in Vegas to her friend on a wild weekend there. Sounds better that Gretna Green right? Viva Las Vegas (1964), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), Fools Rush In (1997) and What Happens in Vegas (2008) all feature couples tying the knot in one of the city’s little chapels of love.

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Victoria Myerscough

Vikki is the Editor of The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt. She created it as a way to put her opinions out there before family and friends stopped speaking to her. She has a love of classic Hollywood Cinema, Sci-Fi and an inexplicable need to watch anything with Keanu Reeves in it, no matter how terrible. You can also find her incoherent ramblings on life, the universe and everything over on her lifestyle blog www.semicharmedlife.co.uk

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