You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but I love me some good casino movies. Whether they be comedies, dramas or action flicks, casino movies catch my attention like few others can. On this page, we’ll explore the best casino movies of all time and have a little fun while we’re at it.
5. Very Bad Things (1993)
This dark comedy doesn’t get enough recognition on movie top lists. As a testament to this movie’s appeal, you’ll probably notice a couple of parallels between this one and The Hangover. This film begins with a couple extremely nervous, beat-up looking groomsmen sitting in a church waiting room before a wedding. The movie then jumps back and time and shows what could have possibly led up to this point.
I don’t want to give too much away…I’ll let the trailer do that. Seriously, don’t watch the trailer if you want to see this movie, which I do recommend. Let’s just say something goes wrong during a bachelor party in Las Vegas.
The rest of the movie revolves around the groom and his friends trying to fix the problem and move on with their lives. One tragically funny event after another takes place and what we end up with is a classic casino movie. This is the older, adult version of the Hangover.
4. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Admittedly, this movie doesn’t have a whole lot of casino time, but I still consider it a great casino movie. Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro star as a journalist and his attorney who travel to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race. They bring with them just about every drug known to man and decide to search for the American dream in Vegas.
Depp and Del Toro display some of their best performances ever in this movie and provide us with plenty of intrigue and tragic comedy. At the same time, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas acts as a commentary on the American culture of the 70s. This is one of those movies that everyone should see at least once.
3. The Hangover (2009)
The Hangover is a light-hearted comedy about a group of guys who go out to Vegas and run into a few problems while there. In this movie, a bachelor party goes horribly wrong, but we don’t what went wrong at first. The movie begins with the groomsmen having a toast and in the next scene, they are all waking up in a trashed hotel room with no memory of the previous night out.
The rest of The Hangover consists of the remaining groomsmen backtracking through Vegas and trying to figure out what happened. Early on, they realize the groom himself is missing and go to great lengths to find him in time for the wedding. If you haven’t seen this one yet, go check it out. You’ll like it.
2. The Oceans Movies
Oceans 11 kicked off what would eventually become a classic casino movie series. The original Oceans 11 was released in 2001 and was an immense success. Since that first movie, the series has raked in more than a billion dollars in revenue. A star-studded cast not only worked well together, but returned for every sequel.
Brad Pitt, Bernie Mac, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan and Chinese acrobat Qin Shaobo star as a team of professional thieves who plan and attempt the biggest casino heists in Las Vegas history.
1. Casino (1995)
There couldn’t be a more obvious choice for the best casino movie of all time than this one. Casino shows the underworld of mob-run casinos through the eyes of two connected guys. Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci put on beautiful performances in this classic mobster flick.
The film follows the two mobsters as they both descend into dangerous spirals of excess. Not surprisingly, the combination of mobsters, loads of cash, beautiful women and swanky casinos leads to some serious conflict. As the top choice in my list of the best casino movies of all time, Casino is a must-see.