Take a gamble
The saying “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is not strictly true, is it? You probably had your first taste of gaming and glamour on the big screen. Today, if you’re heading into Las Vegas and are about to place a few rookie bets in its best casinos, you’re likely craving the quirky characters, immersive plots, and kick-ass endings that first captured your imagination in those A-list casino movies.
Casino
In running through those favorite movies of all time that are set in Las Vegas, you surely can’t omit Casino (Martin Scorsese, 1995), itself. The plot revolves around the enterprising mafia associate Sam “Ace” Rothstein, who is selected as the best candidate to run a chain of casinos “on the strip” and, before long, rises up the mafia ranks.
A timeless quote from Ace: “That’s the truth about Las Vegas. We’re the only winners. The players don’t stand a chance…” And, perhaps Ace is such a whizz at his job because he manages to remain immune to the glamour and sidestep the deceit that seems to suck in almost everybody else – from his best friend Nicky, with his expertise at losing his cool and burying bodies in the desert, to Ace’s wife, Ginger, who begins as the movie’s sweetheart (“She knew how to take care of people…”) but ends up succumbing to her drug and alcohol addictions. Ace, himself, emerges from every threatening situation unscathed – including a car bomb.
Rain Man
Next up in my reckoning is Rain Man (Barry Levinson, 1988), in which the self-involved Charlie Babbit learns that his father has died and the latter’s fortune has been put in trust for his autistic-savant older brother, Raymond. Charlie kidnaps Raymond for a road trip to Las Vegas, during which Charlie hopes to exploit Raymond’s amazing ability with numbers.
But Charlie’s love interest, Susannah, brings things to a head when she tells him, “You use me, you use Raymond, you use everybody.” This scene marks the point at which Charlie begins to reassess his former approach to life and inherent values.
Ocean’s Eleven
The smooth humor of Ocean’s Eleven (Steven Soderbergh, 2001) puts it up there on the list too, not to mention its incredible cast (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia). The complicated plot sees Danny Ocean and his talented cronies: 1) faking an earthquake; 2) removing the top floor of a gaming building; and 3) having Tess Ocean create a stir on the casino floor by pretending to be Julia Roberts.
The script is slicker than slick, with favorite lines including: “Apparently, he’s got a record longer than my… well, it’s long”. And, yes, Danny and co’s chequered past stands them in good stead because they make it in and out of three casinos, no security suspecting, and emerge with a stash of $150-million – a feat sure to upset owner Terry Benedict (played by Andy Garcia).
Leaving Las Vegas
United Artists/YouTube
And then, who could omit Leaving Las Vegas (Mike Figgis, 1995). It stars Oscar-winning Nicolas Cage as the melancholic Ben, an alcoholic scriptwriter who has come to Vegas to find his end; and the gorgeous Elizabeth Shue, who plays Sera, a prostitute who feels deep empathy – even admiration – for the courage with which Ben has accepted the path of his demise. Notably, Figgis shot the film on location, with a small 16mm camera, without attempting to gain the necessary permits or permissions usually required in Vegas. Contrary to its name, some folk, of their own choosing, never leave Las Vegas at all.
On a roll
Other dominating classics include Casino Royale (Martin Campbell, 2006), where the hottest James Bond to date (Daniel Craig) heads out on his first 00 mission in Montenegro (not Vegas) to beat the crooks at the poker table; the hilarious bachelor-party film, The Hangover (Todd Phillips, 2009), which is always a good choice unless you’re currently a nervous bride-to-be; and the emotional rollercoaster that is Molly’s Game (Aaron Sorkin, 2017). In the latter, an Olympic-level skier, Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), runs the world’s highest-stakes and most exclusive poker game for almost ten years until, one starry night, the FBI arrives to arrest her. Then, it is up to her attorney Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba) to defend her, whilst simultaneously uncovering who she is and what she really is all about.
Yeah, “taking a gamble” is an apt metaphor for how we should all probably aim to live our lives. You really cannot win unless you play, but it’s also important to decide three things up front, says professional poker player Phil Hellmuth. These are: “the rules of the game, the stakes and, most of all, the quitting time.”
