Gangster Movies
If there is one thing that most gangster movies have in common (besides gangsters) it is the likelihood that they will feature at least one scene set in a casino at some point. So why is this? Well, when it comes to those films which explore the history of organised crime – especially in America – it is fairly unavoidable, because the casino industry was pretty tangled up in that during much of the last century. Of course the most famous example of this would be Las Vegas, and the very fact that it is possible to have gangster films solely centred on the casino business – like Casino (1995) and Bugsy (1991) indicates just how intertwined they were for a long time.
However outside of these Vegas set gangster movies, there is still a trend for them to feature casinos as one of the settings, and one reason for this may be that these provide a pretty neat visual metaphor for the lives of successful gangsters. After all, just as playing at a casino offers the chance to secure huge wealth, it also presents the risk of losing everything – the same way that even a wealthy, successful gangster is always facing the risk of finding himself on the wrong end of a bullet. Thus the mix of glamour and danger is perfect, making casino scenes a natural fit for gangster movies.
All this could explain why so many continue to flock to Las Vegas every year, because online casino sites, let you play all the very best casino games via high quality, immersive graphics, from the comfort of your own home. The success of both online casino and Vegas suggests that people are choosing to play at home, and thus Vegas must be about more than just the gaming. This is where people go to soak up the dark history of the place, and wallow in a little of both the luxury and the risk associated with movie gangsters – with just the risk of losing their shirt, not their life!
Categorised in: Others (Horror Related)
This post was written by Nadia Vella