Top Movies Set in Vegas

1. Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Elvis is definitely The King, singing and swinging with sexy Ann-Margret at his side. There’s not much more to say than "Viva Las Vegas!" The film is a kalediscope of notable Vegas sites include the Sahara Hotel, the Tropicana and the historic Little Church of the West.

2. Swingers (1996)

Vegas, Baby! Hipsters looking for love (and cocktails) in this lounge-y slick movie starring Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn. Too cool for its own good at parts but sharp dialogue, palpable angst from Favreau’s character and unmitigated bravado from Vaughn make it a great time. Directed by Doug Liman. Filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the exterior Vegas casino shots were filmed at the Stardust Resort & Casino and interiors at the Fremont Hotel & Casino.

3. Ocean’s 11 (1960); Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Both versions are über-cool with heavy-hitting Hollywood players looking good and living large. The 1960 original has Sinatra and Co.'s Rat Pack attempting the score of a lifetime by fleecing the Sahara, Riviera, Desert Inn, The Sand and The Flamingo on New Year's Eve.

Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 version is a solid remake, filmed in the stunning Bellagio, with George Clooney at the helm. Great performances by Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt and lots of fun star cameos make the Eleven’s quest to simultaneously hit three casinos, a fitting, over-the-top Vegas experience.

4. Casino (1995)

Robert De Niro is amazing in Scorsese’s tale of the rise and fall of Las Vegas as a mob capital. Sharon Stone’s Oscar-nominated, intense performance as De Niro’s strung-out trophy wife is the best role of her career. (And the scene involving the card counter and the hammer will have you clutching your hands for the rest of the movie). Casino was filmed entirely in the Las Vegas Valley. Famous Vegas locations include the Riviera Hotel and Casino and Fremont Street.

5. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Director Terry Gilliam brings Hunter S. Thompson’s hallucinogenic novel to the screen with Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro tripping out on a psychedelic, psychopathic pursuit of the American Dream. Not the best movie in this list, but definitely a wild Vegas road trip (trip). The Stardust Hotel & Casino and the Riveria Hotel & Casino are featured in the film.

6. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

There’s not a lot of hope in director Mike Figgis' dark tale about an alcoholic determined to drink himself into oblivion. Nicolas Cage won the Oscar for his brilliant but scary performance as Ben, the drinker on his final binge. Elisabeth Shue received an Oscar nomination playing a brutalized hooker who finds herself tragically and desperately connected to what’s left of Ben’s “prickly pear” soul. Filmed on location in Vegas and Laughlin.

7. Bugsy (1991)

Warren Beatty plays gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel in the movie about how it all started—from the building of famous Flamingo Hotel to ultimately, the sprawling gambling mecca that is Las Vegas. Barry Levison directs. Also stars Annette Bening as tough-talking girlfriend, Virginia Hill.

8. Indecent Proposal (1993)

A much better movie than the premise implies, director Adrian Lyne's look at money, love, trust and consequence brings out strong performances in Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson as a desperate married couple, coming to Vegas to change their fortune. A slick and creepy Robert Redford makes the indecent, but impossible to refuse proposal.

9. Showgirls (1995)

Exotic showgirls in the most ridiculous Vegas movie of all times. Showgirls is so bad it’s…no, it’s not, but you still have to see it. The exteriors were shot at Cheetah's strip club on Western Avenue. Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon star. Directed by Paul Verhoeven.