4 Iconic Las Vegas Movies

 Las Vegas Movies

Las Vegas has to be the most popular and most filmed city in Nevada. Movies featuring the bright lights and the sinful nightlife of the gambling capital of America amidst the rustic desert surroundings make a lasting impression on the audience. These iconic films capture the blood and soul of Las Vegas and make travelers want to indulge in a night of blackjack and poker while downing a glass of vodka. So what are these four iconic Las Vegas movies that everyone should watch before taking a trip to Sin City?

1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

For those who are too young to know, this movie was actually a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack favorite starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, the legends of that era. George Clooney stepped into Sinatra’s titular role as Danny Ocean and teams up with Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt) to conspire a heist on an underground vault that serves three of Las Vegas’ biggest casinos.
WHY IT’S A WINNER: Since we are law-abiding citizens, we can only dream of robbing Las Vegas casinos and we channel that far-fetched dream to the characters of the movie. Besides, Clooney and Pitt make thieves look good.

2. 21 (2008)

The movie 21 is adapted from a bestseller book by Ben Mezrich titled, Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions. When we say M.I.T., we speak of geniuses who use their gifted skills in math to count the cards and beat the odds at blackjack. Of course, these students are recruited and trained by their very own teacher Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey). But how long they can put up the show and evade the Sin City security chief poses the big question.
WHY IT’S A WINNER: “Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” Winning is everything in Las Vegas and the movie shows that there is a chance to win it all—if you’re good at math. This movie will make you wish you were that brilliant like the characters so you can take home that chicken dinner.  Is this cheating? Or just strategy? Well, you better ask the security chief Cole Williams, played by Laurence Fishburne.

3. Vegas Vacation (1997)

Who said that Las Vegas is merely for gamblers and scammers? Vegas Vacation makes an impression on moviegoers because it’s a family movie set in Las Vegas. Headed by Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase), he takes his family for another round of vacation and starts to blow all his money at the blackjack table. His wife and two teenagers also have their own unimaginable adventures exploring the city.
WHY IT’S A WINNER: The movie centers on the cheap thrills and temptations surrounding Sin City, but at the end, the story successfully draws the theme about family values and the importance of being together.

4. The Hangover (2009)

Las Vegas is certainly a place for unforgettable bachelor parties, where men celebrate the groom’s ending singlehood through a night of drinking, flirting, and well, being a man. Besides the hangover, what would have been the “coolest night ever” is interrupted when the friends realize that the groom is missing and he is scheduled to walk down the aisle in 48 hours. The story gets thrown into a whirlwind search for Doug (Justin Bartha) as the three groomsmen realize how the night’s drunken debauchery has turned into a puzzling mystery.
WHY IT’S A WINNER: The movie didn’t win the Golden Globe Award for best musical or comedy for no reason. The movie is an epitome of every man’s dream to experience something fun and exciting in Las Vegas as long as there’s a happy ending.

About Kayla

Besides watching movies when she has spare time, Kayla Dunmar is a travel enthusiast and contributing blogger for America by Rail. Plan your train vacations and trips with America by Rail, a leader in the rail travel industry.

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