Although I have never visited Las Vegas I have seen many movies and TV shows set there. People have always been fascinated by the golden slots-halls of the casinos and the atmosphere they are filled with, the amazingly elegant women and the excited crowd milling around roulette and blackjack tables. Even in the era of the popularization of gambling, where everybody can play every kind of casino game online (comfortably sitting at their homes), Las Vegas maintains a superior attraction. There are even slot games that have been dedicated to this wonderful city. Cinema, of course, offers an exciting look into its world of bright lights, glamour and gaming. Here is a list of the 5 most popular movies set in the capital of the gambling world that celebrates it and foster its myth.

5. Bugsy

The glamour of Las Vegas had to start somewhere and this 1991 movie shows how Benjamin Siegel, better known as Bugsy, was a driving force behind the development of Las Vegas, where people loved to go to have fun and spend some money playing poker, blackjack and slot machines.

4. The Hangover

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Although this movie spawned two very disappointing sequels, the one that started it all gained a lot of fans and for a good reason. The comedy in this movie was so out there and often shocking that people couldn’t help but laugh. Two of the most sparkling and luring Las Vegas casinos, the Riviera and the Caesars Palace, were the perfect setting for a bachelor party going a bit further than expected.

3. Ocean’s Eleven

With an all-star cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts (and many more) this remake of a 1960’s movie starring the “Rat Pack” it was no surprise that this movie franchise became so popular. The story about a big heist on the luxurious Bellagio as well as the breathtaking blackout in the “city of lights” was exciting to watch!

2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This probably is one of the weirdest movies on the list, but this Terry Gilliam directed movie starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro shows Vegas in a way you have not seen before. The desire of adrenaline and evasion that are usually related to this city are here revisited on the light of other excesses: the ones of drug abuse and hallucination. Based on Hunter S. Thompson’s
autobiography, it is mesmerizing to watch, partly thanks to the wonderful acting performances by the lead actors and partially to the “psychedelic” scenario that Vegas has to offer.

1. Casino

One of my favourite movies set in Vegas shows the rise of a gambling empire, lead by Sam Rothstein (Robert de Niro). With great performances by Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci and James Woods and Martin Scorcese in the director’s chair it is the ultimate Las Vegas film.