Have you ever wondered where that grand building the backdrop of your favourite poker table scene is? We’re breaking down five casinos featured in movies and how they became so iconic.
Monte-Carlo Casino, Never Say Never Again, GoldenEye
The beautiful Monte-Carlo Casino drips in opulence. You feel like an aristocrat when you enter, as its reputation as the world’s first casino, thought up by a Monaco princess, ought to.
Amongst this exclusive list of rich gamblers is 007 himself. Appearing in both Never Say Never Again and GoldenEye, James Bond has created plenty of iconic moments in this casino. This includes his dumbfounded Sean Connery expression while lighting up a cigarette in that fabulous tux and waltzing with Kim Basinger.
Many of the most popular UK online slots look to emulate that timeless ambiance held within one of the world’s most revered locations.
Caesars Palace, The Hangover
Caesars Palace is practically another character in this ensemble comedy movie. This genuinely funny Todd Phillips movie launched the careers of at least four A-list actors and made “But did you die?” part of the vernacular of Millennials around the world.
Funnily enough, in a movie full of pet Bengal tigers, Elvis weddings and the lights of Vegas, it’s the most ‘unglamourous’ area of Caesars Palace where all the action happens – the rooftop. This is where the gang find the world’s worst sunburn in human form after a journey that takes them all over the City of Sin and running into lots of wacky characters, including Mike Tyson.
The MGM Grand Casino, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Now You See Me
Have you ever seen the meme of a groovy-looking Mike Myers looking at you seductively and explaining that he also likes to live dangerously? Of course, you have. This one shot has been memed so often it’s become more famous than the film itself.
Well, the backdrop to that meme is in fact, not only a James Bond parody scene, but a blackjack table in The MGM Grand Casino.
Vegas is also home to a lot of magic acts, so you can imagine when a movie was released, Vegas got a few calls. The MGM answered when Lionsgate decided that the act that kicks the plot off, robbing a bank on stage, had to take place in a Las Vegas casino. The distinctive centre stage gave the audiences 360-degree views of the gang of magicians “teleporting” a wealthy oligarch to his safe in Paris – and the ensuing shower of money from the ceiling.
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Con Air
“Put the bunny back in the box.” Is there any movie more iconic than Con Air? You’ve got Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, and a collection of devilishly evil men on a plane, all wrapped in the talents of director Simon West, who gave it the appropriate amount of explosions and extreme zooms. That is to say, too much, but appropriate.
And what was the crescendo to his magnum opus? Crashing a plane into The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. You can see a plane wing slice through the iconic neon guitar sign.
The Stardust and The Riviera, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
This one is a two for one deal because they both featured, but they are also both torn down. So, this isn’t the post if you’re looking to visit some famous cinema sites for your next vacation.
Hunter S. Thompson’s trippy story about a journalist diving into the trenches of Las Vegas gamblers might be the birthplace of “Gonzo journalism”, but it’s also a fun time. The Stardust and Riviera are warped into something more akin to the afterlife waiting room in Beetlejuice. It’s definitely a memorable experience if nothing else.
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