Sin City’s finest: The best Las Vegas movies

Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world. What draws most people to the city, is the developed and world famous gambling culture that permeates the city. Some of the grandest, most luxurious casinos in the world can be found in Vegas, which makes it a safe haven for gamblers, experienced and wet behind the ears, alike.

But casinos are not all that Vegas has to offer. For sport-minded people, some of the best hiking destinations in the country can be found in Las Vegas, for history buffs and fans of mafia-films, the Museum of Crime is one of the biggest draws, and for those looking a little bit of titillation, Las Vegas is home to some of the most exciting burlesque shows in the world.

The iconic nature of the city has made it a popular setting for many films and television shows. In this article, we are going to take a look at a few of the best 90s films set in the City of Sin. Irish casinos are a little like Las Vegas.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is an adaptation of one of the most important books in American culture. Written by Hunter S. Thompson, the creator of gonzo journalism, and one of America’s greatest journalists, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas tells the story about his trip to the City of Sin, where he and his lawyer / friend go on a drug-fuelled bender, get into a series of fights and end up committing a litany of crimes. The film stars Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro in the leading roles, and both perfectly capture the characters with which we are introduced to in the book.

Casino

It is the casino that Las Vegas is most known for. However, in recent years, online casinos have begun to replace the brick-and-mortar establishments. These websites make playing your favorite games a lot easier, and a lot more accessible, as they include many depositing options, including Interac, and are available through any electronic device.

However, despite the rise of online casinos, a lot of people are still enamoured by the grandeur and splendour of the land-based casino. It was from this sense of infatuation that the film Casino came about. Starring Robert de Niro, Casino tells the story of a casino manager’s rise to power and ultimate fall from grace. It is a masterpiece in the genre of mafia films, directed by one of Hollywood’s greats, Martin Scorsese.

Showgirls

In 1995, Paul Verhoeven, one of the masters of satirical action films, came out with the erotic drama film, Showgirls. Set in Las Vegas, the film is the story of Nomi Malone, a young runaway, and drifter who makes her way to Las Vegas, with the goal of becoming a dancer. However, she gets stuck working as a stripper, and using her savvy and sex appeal rises through the ranks, in order to become one of Las Vegas’ most prominent and popular showgirls that Sin City has ever seen.

In its time, Showgirls produced quite a bit of controversy, due to the amount of sexual themes and nudity featured within, and was given the NC-17 rating, resulting in the film bombing at the box office. However, since then, the film has grown in esteem in the cinematic underground, becoming one of the most beloved cult classic movies of the decade. The film also enjoyed major success in the home video market, becoming one of MGM’s top twenty best-selling films of all time.