What happens in Vegas: 15 of the best films set in Sin City
Photo Illustration by Michael Flocker // Stacker // Getty Images
What happens in Vegas: 15 of the best films set in Sin City
A montage of Sharon Stone in “Casino,” Warren Beatty in “Bugsy” and Johny Depp in “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Hollywood may be the entertainment capital of the world, but not many places are as entertaining as Las Vegas. Sin City lives up to its name with 24-hour casinos, bars galore, and a dubious slogan: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Pair all that with bright lights, glitz, and glamourânot to mention the close proximity to Los Angelesâand it’s no wonder so many movies are set in Las Vegas.
Though the town was founded in 1905, it wasn’t until El Rancho Vegas opened in 1941 and set a precedent for today’s luxury hotel-casinos that Las Vegas was born. Right on the famed Strip, El Rancho Vegas featured air conditioning, a swimming pool, and a showroom. By the ’50s and ’60s, casinos started popping up, and a new era in Las Vegas history was born.
The ’60s brought an entertainment boom to Las Vegas, with both live acts and films set in Sin City, starting with the Rat Pack and the 1960 original “Ocean’s 11.” The suave group, consisting of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., focused on the city’s glamor and entertainment appeal. In the following decades, the cinematic focus shifted to casinos that epitomized high stakes and excess, represented in films like the Oscar-winning “Rain Man” and iconic “Casino.”
As Vegas continues to evolve, so does how it’s portrayed on film. The 2001 “Ocean’s Eleven” remake shows the sleek side of modern Vegas, while 2009’s “The Hangover” gave audiences an exaggerated look at the debauchery Vegas has come to be known for.
Sqore dove into film history to find every film set in Las Vegas and compiled a list of 15 of the best that take place in Sin City. You might be surprised not to see certain movies on the list, like the original “Ocean’s 11” or the 1997 comedy classic “Vegas Vacation.” Still, to qualify for this list, the film had to be primarily set in Vegas, have at least 1,000 IMDb user votes, and at least a 6.5 user rating or 70 Metascore.
Read on to learn more about the 15 best films set in Las Vegas.
Columbia/TriStar // Getty Images
Go (1999)
Jay Mohr and Scott Wolf in a scene from “Go.”
– Director: Doug Liman
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Metascore: 74
– Runtime: 1 hour, 42 minutes
The plot of “Go” revolves around the aftermath of a drug deal, following three different sets of characters and viewpoints. The dark comedy, often compared to “Pulp Fiction,” bounces between timelines, including one set in Las Vegas. In Sin City, we see drug dealer Simon Baines (Desmond Askew) get into a bit of debauchery with a pair of bridesmaids and set a hotel room on fire. The movie was filmed at the Riviera Hotel and Casino and New Frontier Hotel and Casino, neither of which still stand today.
Universal Studios/Courtesy of Getty Images
The Night Stalker (1972)
Darren McGavin and Carol Lynley in a scene from “The Noight Stalker.”
– Director: John Llewellyn Moxey
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 1 hour, 14 minutes
“The Night Stalker” follows a Las Vegas news reporter investigating murders committed by a vampire. The made-for-TV movie is set in Vegas, but only exterior shots of the city were used. The rest of it was filmed in studios.
Universal Pictures // Getty Images
Casino (1995)
Sharon Stone and Robert Deniro in a scene from “Casino.”
– Director: Martin Scorsese
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Metascore: 73
– Runtime: 2 hours, 58 minutes
With a name like “Casino,” it’s no surprise that Martin Scorsese’s 1995 classic was filmed entirely on location in Las Vegas. The movie follows a casino executive and a mafioso, two best friends competing for a gambling empire. The movie was shot at several hotels, casinos, and restaurants throughout Sin City.
TriStar Pictures // Getty Images
Bugsy (1991)
Warren Beatty and Annette Bening is a scene from “Bugsy.”
– Director: Barry Levinson
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Metascore: 80
– Runtime: 2 hours, 16 minutes
This movie’s namesake, Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel, is notoriousâas the man who built Las Vegas, but interestingly enough, none of “Bugsy” was actually filmed in the desert city. The story is set in the 1940s and revolves around the construction of the famous Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. However, because it’s a period piece, the film crew had to build a replica of the original building in the Southern California desert since the actual Flamingo looked much different in 1991 than when it first opened.
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One from the Heart (1981)
A dance scene being filmed on the set of “One from the Heart.”
– Director: Francis Ford Coppola
– IMDb user rating: 6.5
– Metascore: 57
– Runtime: 1 hour, 47 minutes
When Francis Ford Coppola set out to make “One from the Heart,” he wanted the story of dreamers taking a chance on love to be as bold and grandiose as possible. As a result, the movie wasn’t actually filmed in Las Vegas at all. Instead, the director insisted on building a full, flashy set on a soundstage.
Lumiere Pictures
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Elisabeth Shue and Nicolas Cage as seen in the “Leaving Las Vegas” movie poster.
– Director: Mike Figgis
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Metascore: 82
– Runtime: 1 hour, 51 minutes
When Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) loses everything and decides to drink himself to death in Las Vegas, the stage is set for this cult classic. Although the exterior shots are of the famed Las Vegas Strip, the casino interiors were actually filmed 90 miles south in Laughlin, Nevada, widely known as a “Mini Vegas.” Laughlin has small-scale versions of famous Sin City hotels and casinos; “Leaving Las Vegas” was actually filed at the Gold River Casino and Resort (now the Laughlin River Lodge Hotel & Casino).
The Geffen Company
Lost in America (1985)
The movie poster for “Lost in America.”
– Director: Albert Brooks
– IMDb user rating: 7
– Metascore: 78
– Runtime: 1 hour, 31 minutes
“Lost in America” tells the story of a husband and wife who quit their jobs and leave responsibility behind to travel the country in a Winnebago. Though it takes place throughout the United States, one of its most famous scenes occurs at a Vegas hotel. Linda Howard (Julie Hagerty) loses most of the nest egg she and her husband, David Howard (Albert Brooks), saved for their adventure on roulette at the Desert Inn. Everything filmed at the Vegas hotel was shot on location, including the casino, lobby, and coffee shop. The Desert Inn ended up closing in 2000, and the Wynn & Encore Resorts now take their place on the Strip.
Universal // Getty Images
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro in a scene from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
– Director: Terry Gilliam
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Metascore: 41
– Runtime: 1 hour, 58 minutes
Before “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” was a movie about Hunter S. Thompson’s drug-fueled road trip from Los Angeles to Nevada, it was a novel, and after reading that novel, the famed Circus Circus casino not only refused to let the film crew shoot on location but didn’t even want their name to be mentioned. Instead, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) go to a fictional casino called Bazooko Circus that was shot in the now-imploded Stardust and Riviera hotels. The Flamingo did let the crew shoot on-site, which resulted in a hilarious scene where the drug-addled duo trash Gonzo’s hotel suite.
Chris Hyde // Getty Images
Elvis (2022)
Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge, Baz Luhrmann and Tom Hanks attend a screening of “Elvis” in 2022.
– Director: Baz Luhrmann
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 64
– Runtime: 2 hours, 39 minutes
Elvis is essential to Las Vegasâthe famed singer had a residency at the International Hotel for several years, and Elvis impersonators are still popular on the Strip âbut none of the Vegas scenes in the 2022 biopic were filmed on-site. In fact, the entire movie was filmed in Queensland, Australia, because of COVID-19 restrictions and tax credits.
Department of Motion Pictures . XTR
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets (2020)
The movie poster for Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
– Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross
– IMDb user rating: 7.2
– Metascore: 83
– Runtime: 1 hour, 38 minutes
“Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” plays like a documentary about the last night of a seedy dive bar in Vegas called The Roaring 20s, only it’s not actually a documentary, and it wasn’t filmed in Vegas. There is one thing real about the docu-realist film, though: the customers. Except for one professional actor, everyone is a real patron of the bar (an actual bar called The Roaring 20s in New Orleans that’s still doing business). The patrons were consuming real alcoholic drinks (and apparently acid) while filming.
Gareth Cattermole // Getty Images
Behind the Candelabra (2013)
Screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, Michael Douglas, producer Greg Jacobs, director Steven Soderbergh, producer Jerry Weintraub and Matt Damon attend the ‘Behind The Candelabra’ premiere.
– Director: Steven Soderbergh
– IMDb user rating: 7
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 1 hour, 58 minutes
“Behind the Candelabra” tells the complex love story of Liberace (Michael Douglas) and Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). Much of the movie occurs in the megastar’s homes in Las Vegas; Palm Springs, California; and Los Angeles. However, even though the late entertainer’s abandoned Vegas home is still intact the production team chose to film in Los Angeles. The infamous adult bookstore scene was also filmed in Los Angeles, not Vegas, but the show scenes were filmed at LVH (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton), where Liberace performed frequently in the 1970s.
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The Lady Gambles (1949)
Barbara Stanwyck in a scene from “The Lady Gambles.”
– Director: Michael Gordon
– IMDb user rating: 6.6
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes
“The Lady Gambles” offers a brutally realistic depiction of gambling addiction. Joan Boothe (Barbara Stanwyck) transforms from a reporter trying to catch a story in Las Vegas to a gambler who gets beaten for rigging dice in an alley. Filmed in Vegas as well as other parts of Nevada and California, the movie accurately depicts her addiction as an illness rather than a weakness.
Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images
Rain Man (1988)
The movie poster for “Rain Man.”
– Director: Barry Levinson
– IMDb user rating: 8
– Metascore: 65
– Runtime: 2 hours, 13 minutes
There are a lot of memorable scenes in Barry Levinson’s Oscar-winning “Rain Man.” Still, one standout is when Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) brings his autistic-savant brother, Raymond Babbitt (Dustin Hoffman), to Las Vegas after realizing his unique ability to count cards. The scheme works at the blackjack table, and the brothers win big. The iconic casino scene was filmed on location at Caesars Palace.
Dave Benett/Getty Images
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Andy Garcia attend a screening of “Ocean’s Eleven.”
– Director: Steven Soderbergh
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Metascore: 74
– Runtime: 1 hour, 56 minutes
Steven Soderbergh’s remake of the 1960s Rat Pack classic “Ocean’s 11” follows gangster Danny Ocean’s (George Clooney) elaborate plot to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously: the Bellagio, the Mirage, and MGM Grand. The properties, all owned by Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), share an underground vault; however, only the Bellagio was used for filming.
Dave Hogan // Getty Images
The Hangover (2009)
Bradley Cooper, director Todd Phillips, Justin Bartha, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis attend a screening of ‘The Hangover.”
– Director: Todd Phillips
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Metascore: 73
– Runtime: 1 hour, 40 minutes
“The Hangover” is a hilarious account of everything that could go wrong during a bachelor party in Vegas. Four friends begin the night at Caesars Palace; then, the morning after, the groom is missing, and no one remembers what happened the night before. The movie was filmed in the Caesars Palace lobby, corridors, and rooftop, but the trashed villa was actually created on a soundstage in Burbank, California.
Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Michael Flocker.
This story originally appeared on Sqore and was produced and
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
