One of the most popular movies Las Vegas that is present in every top 10 list of movies based in the Sin City is Viva Las Vegas that starred Elvis Presley in the role of a car driver who wants to win the Las Vegas Grand Prix. An Elvis movie will obviously be incomplete without song and dance routines and this flick is a perfect pick for an Elvis fan. Next in line of movies Las Vegas is Nicholas Cage starrer Honeymoon in Vegas which sees the actor’s character bet his fiancée in a round of high stakes poker game and how he spends the rest of the week to get her back. This movie offers a sneak peek of the action that you can expect in the best casinos that dot the Strip.

However, if you want more than just a sneak peek at all the gambling action as well as the mob violence that the city’s underbelly is known for, you need to grab a DVD of Casino. This Martin Scorsese film will suck you into the world of greed and gambling and chronicles the operations of casinos in the city. Another Las Vegas movie that captures the birth of this iconic city is Bugsy. This crime masterpiece offers a great insight into the history of the place and its transformation into a city of casinos that the mob owned and controlled. This flick shows the origins of Las Vegas – one of the most glamorous cities in the world today, which was once infested with crime and violence.

A list of top 10 movies Las Vegas will be incomplete without the mention of Oceans Eleven. Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt, this comedy-crime caper follows the plotting of central characters as they plan to rob three casinos – The Bellagio, The Mirage and The MGM Grand casinos simultaneously. This movie makes for a riveting watch and is one of the best Las Vegas movies that you can add to your collection.

Bugsy is a film about the gangster Bugsy Siegel, who virtually began Las Vegas. This story of his determination and dreams are interspersed with crime that even leads to murder for this foul-tempered womanizer. Bugsy is a truly interesting look at the early days of what turned into a bustling, exciting city. Viva Las Vegas is a great film if you are a fan of the extraordinary Elvis Presley. This film features Elvis as a race car driver who is in the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He also meets an attractive woman and sings during the movie. It is no wonder with Elvis’s talent and stage presence that he has come to be associated with Las Vegas.

Nicholas Cage stars in two films about Las Vegas, both of which are not exactly feel-good movies. In fact, in Honeymoon in Vegas he bets his fiancée in a high stakes poker game, which you can view as either comical or insane. In Leaving Las Vegas, Cage is living in Vegas and has an intention on bringing about his own demise, through booze and a prostitute. He evidently is not having as much fun as it seems.

The Cooler offers a view of old school Las Vegas when it was just beginning to go through its transformation to the modern version of the city. It stars William H. Macy, Alec Baldwin, and Maria Bello, who are the more famous actors. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a film based on a story by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who has made quite a name for himself. This movie follows a man and his Samoan lawyer as they trek to Vegas and get into random hijinks and trouble along the way, mostly due to the fact that both were on major quantities of drugs the entire time.

Watch these movies, as well as several others (Very Bad Things, Ocean’s Eleven, and Showgirls are some examples) if you want to journey to a land of poker, slots, entertainment, and partying for an evening or more. You can even make a night out of it with friends or family, though you may want to censor some of it with young children around. You never know, maybe you will be inspired and decide to take a trip to Las Vegas one of these days.

Meet Me in Las Vegas is a musical comedy produced by MGM in the year 1956 and shows classic Las Vegas in all its glory. Based on a simple plot, the film’s narrative revolves around the actions of a gambling rancher who discovers that he can win over a beautiful ballerina’s hand by winning at roulette. Most parts of this movie were shot in and around the Sands Hotel and the total running time of this flick was 112 minutes.

Indecent proposal is a 1993 drama film starring Demi Moore and Robert Redford that was a huge box office hit and told the story of a couple who head to Las Vegas to earn a fortune to finance an important project but end up gambling away their life savings. Meanwhile the wife catches the eye of a billionaire who offers one million dollar to the couple in exchange for spending the night with the wife. Though the couple agrees to the arrangement, it causes a rift between them and they soon separate only to realize later on that they are still in love with each other and reunite.

Of the many movies Las Vegas that have an intertwined plot of gambling in Sin City and its affect on relationships, 2008 release What Happens in Vegas took the most funny approach to it. This romantic comedy starred Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher who meet for the first time during a trip to Las Vegas and get hitched in a drunken state only to wake up next morning and decide to get a divorce. However, that is until they hit a jackpot of three million dollars and cannot agree as to who gets it or how to divide the amount. However, none of the movies Las Vegas did better justice to the city while depicting its fun side than the 2009 comic caper The Hangover that was the runaway hit of the year.

Movies Las Vegas is usually dark and gritty and many recent movies have been filmed in this area. All films made in this city are not dark and despairing however. There have been plenty of glossy and glitzy movies made here as well. Elvis was quite fond of filming movies set in Las Vegas. These were usually musicals that were upbeat and hopeful. The so called Rat Pack consisting of Frank Sinatra and several others made movies here as well. The movies filmed in this city several decades ago were more optimistic than the gritty fare that has come out of Las Vegas in recent years.

Leaving Las Vegas comes to mind as one of the more compelling films in recent years. Another movie that was at the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Honeymoon in Vegas. This was a very upbeat movie that was quite funny and entertaining to watch. Interestingly both movies starred Nicholas Cage, and in one he was a desperate alcoholic while in the other he was wry and charming and even impersonated Elvis. Las Vegas during the day is not very glamorous and the city only comes alive at night when all the lights are turned on.

There are many interesting stories that can be told about Las Vegas. In the early days this city was run by gangsters such as the infamous Bugsy Siegel, and this kind of beginning has continued to provide fodder for movies Las Vegas. The city has many shows featuring famous celebrities. Sigfried and Roy had a long-running show and Celine Dion had an exclusive contract to perform every night for almost five years at a venue built especially for her. The shows put on in this city are spectacular and there are many tourists who enjoy watching these shows as much as taking part in the gambling offered at the casinos.

One of the best modern films that was filmed in this city is The Hangover. This hilarious film has something to offend everyone. The acting is top notch and the storyline is great. This film has spawned a sequel but that takes place elsewhere. This film cashes in on the debauchery and party atmosphere for which Las Vegas has become famous. A bunch of guys set out to have a bachelor party and adventures happen. They take drugs, party with prostitutes and even get chased by a tiger. The next day finds them feeling pretty lousy as they attempt to put the pieces together and find their friend in time for the wedding. This is a great film for a movies Las Vegas night with other adults so that they can take part in some of the vices celebrated in the film. It is also filled with a plethora of foul language and atrocious behavior that is less than appropriate for the youngsters.

Another perfect film for a night celebrating the movies of the gambling mecca is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This picture is based on the Hunter S. Thompson novel of the same name and stars Johnny Depp. This film is also filled with drug taking, heavy drinking and adventures with ladies of the night. Thompson did a great job of depicting the dark and seedy undercurrent of this town and the movie does the novel justice. There is one scene where the protagonists ingest some LSD and the special effects are excellent in portraying this difficult to describe experience.

When having a movies Las Vegas night with friends, you can also play some cards and gamble. It may be fun to have some hard alcohol around and to pass out cigars. Remember that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas so you will not have to worry about any behaviors that may take place while the movies play.