Whether you’ve been to Las Vegas before and want to reminisce about the wonderful time you had on the famous Strip, or you’re planning a visit and fancy watching Sin City in action on the big screen before you jet off, Netflix offers a number of Vegas-inspired flicks for its Canadian customers. Let’s take a look at the four stand-out casino movies regarded as the most popular among Canadian movie buffs.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
The 2001 remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original is still regarded as one of the most impressive casino-themed Hollywood movies of the post-millennium era. Directed by Steven Soderbergh, this star-studded cast featuring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon helped earn worldwide revenues of more than $450m at the box office.
Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney, is released from prison and is on a mission to get revenge on Vegas tycoon Terry Benedict, who stole Ocean’s former wife, Tess. Danny ropes in a crack team of crooks, including long-time friend Rusty Ryan, played by Brad Pitt, to pull off a heist at three of Benedict’s casinos: the Bellagio, The Mirage and the MGM Grand, at a cost of $160m. By hook or by crook, Ocean and his troops dupe Benedict and his posse and clear out the casino vaults for all of the money. It’s a film that’s got humour, intelligence and showbiz all wrapped in one fun package – a must see. Eonline.com has confirmed that the entire Ocean’s Eleven trilogy is coming to Netflix in February!
Lay the Favorite (2012)
The most recent of these five Vegas-inspired movies is Lay the Favorite, starring Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The film is based on the book Lay the Favorite: A Memoir of Gambling by Beth Raymer, which details her life story as she journeyed from Florida to Las Vegas as a young, free-spirited woman. Beth lived with a group of other young girls in her Vegas hotel, one of which introduced her to a man named Dink Heimowitz, a professional sports bettor who made a living trading the fast-moving odds on sports betting markets. Dink was looking for a new assistant to help him lay big-money bets and Beth offered her services. Little did she know that she would have a head for numbers and become Dink’s lucky charm!
It’s a film which will almost certainly pique your interest in the sports trading markets, which are becoming increasingly popular and viewed even by financial investors as a viable investment opportunity. Online-casinogames.ca lists all of the best Canadian-friendly online casinos and the best sign-up offers. Many of the casinos listed, such as Betway and 888, also have an online sports bookmaker arm to get involved with.
Rounders (1998)
This Matt Damon drama film has become something of a cult hit among card players many years after it actually reached our cinema screens. The $12m budget movie grossed $22.9m in the United States and although it more than made its money back on the production, its critical acclaim was somewhat low-key. The film also features Edward Norton and John Malkovich, with the latter performing as Teddy KGB, the Russian mobster that Mike McDermott (Matt Damon) loses his poker bankroll to and then challenges to a second heads-up game to try and pay off the debts of his friend “Worm” (Ed Norton).
Mike is a law student, with a very promising professional career ahead of him, but he opts against the norm and – with his poker bankroll restored having beaten Teddy KGB – he heads for Las Vegas harbouring ambitions to play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Last Vegas (2013)
The perfect heart-warming Sunday afternoon watch, Last Vegas is full of good, honest fun. The storyline surrounds three retired men who venture to Sin City to have a blow-out bachelor party in aid of the last remaining singleton in their social group getting married. Starring Hollywood legends such as Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Robert De Niro, it’s hard to disagree with rogerebert.com’s view that the film is nothing more than “sentimental shtick”, but that is its appeal: it’s uncomplicated, harmless comedy!
Billy (Michael Douglas) is a millionaire notorious for resisting commitment to women but is eventually won over by a 30-year-old woman – and his bachelor party is the perfect opportunity to bring his old pals together. The quartet of friends soon realize that times have changed in Vegas and they have to adjust to take over the Strip like they used to!
Hopefully, this quartet of flicks will whet the appetite for your next trip to Nevada. If you’ve got a Vegas-themed movie that you feel should have been on our list, let us know!
