Leaving Las Vegas

I am not quite sure why Leaving Las Vegas was held in such high regard upon it's release in '95. This film was an abysmal failure in just about every respect. I guess if you enjoy seeing beautiful women bare their breasts frequently, the film will succeed for you on some level. But Nicholas Cage's character is pulling more trim than James Bond. He can pound a 5th quicker than Blutarsky, while operating a motor vehicle with such precision that he can outsmart a cop on a motorcycle who actually happens to witness him chugging vodka while driving down the Vegas strip. I guess the moral of this movie is: any slim, middle aged guy with a receding hairline could wallow through life acting like a pitiful drunken buffoon with a tolerance that would probably have eclipsed Farley's, and have gorgeous women constantly throwing themselves at them. The problem here is with the casting. Perhaps I would have been able to take this material more seriously if Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, or Zac Efron were cast instead of Cage. But even then, you're still faced with the dilemma of asking yourself: why a would a person want to kill themselves when they have all these beautiful women aggressively forcing themselves on them 24/7. Elisabeth Shue channels Jennifer Jason Leigh as the hooker with a heart of gold. Her relationship with Cage does not amount to much more than mutual self pity for one another. Cage and Shue's chemistry seems forced. The film's frank and explicit sexuality appear to be the main selling point. Leaving Las Vegas may be memorable in terms of shock value and pushing R-rating boundaries, but that is pretty much it. Literally every scene will leave the viewer scratching their heads. At the beginning of the movie, Cage is in a liquor store filling his cart to maximum capacity with top shelf liquor, and then in the very next scene they show him in a seedy bar begging the bartender to pour him another shot. The scene where Cage crawls to his refrigerator and fumbles for a beverage is supposed to be a serious moment depicting the hell of going through DT's as a result of severe alcoholism. But Cage's idea of "method acting" in this scene is apeing Jim Carrey from Ace Ventura Pet Detective . Cage convulses violently as if he just grabbed a live electrical wire after getting out of swimming pool every time he takes a swig. There is another scene at a casino where Cage wants a drink real bad and he loses it, flipping over a blackjack table in the process. Cops politely, gently escort him away with genuine sympathy. Even the dealer looks like she has fallen under Cage's spell. Whether it's a cop or a hooker, everyone Cage encounters in Vegas seem like they are extremely concerned, & care for him deeply. Even a friendly bartender working in a dive bar which gets little business refuses to serve Cage and begs him to seek help. Nobody ever seems the slightest bit annoyed by his buffoonish drunken antics - save for woman who runs a hotel and kicks them out after Cage shatters a glass table outdoors. Shue's character seems flabbergasted that the hotel manager isn't ready to take a bullet for the two of them. Don't let Cage's Oscar win fool you. Leaving Las Vegas is a pedestrian effort in every respect. Upon it's release, Mike Figgis was hailed by critics as the next Scorsese. 14 years later, he is unheard of. Perhaps one could conclude LLV was a bit overrated upon it's release, and did not hold up over time. That person would be correct. Top it all off with a terrible original score by Sting. Leaving Las Vegas is an thoroughly unimpressive, unintentionally laughable film that smacks the viewer in the face with it's implausibility at every turn. A movie you will not forget anytime soon.

"Leaving Las Vegas" is an insightful, harrowing experience about the binding forces of true romance, the power of encouragement and compassion, and the tragic effects of alcoholism. The performances are absolutely astounding: Nicholas Cage delivers one of the most unforgettable, genuine, and human performances ever captured on film (a well-deserved Oscar for every reason), and Elisabeth Shue, as his soul provider and protector through the trauma of his alcoholic turmoil is sentimental, passionate, and definitely deserving of the Oscar for Best Actress in 1995, providing us with the eye of Ben Sanderson's heart and soul, as his equally troubled lover who has pledged to stay with him through tears and trials. Director Mike Figgis is intensely effective in following the many turmoils of Sanderson as he copes with terminal alcoholism, even going so far as to declaring he will "drink himself to death in Las Vegas", and the effects of his struggle upon his functions, health, and spirit, as well as the corresponding attributes of his loyal lover, Sara. I'm certain that anyone who has experienced the turmoil of alcoholism or has been deeply involved with such an abuser will gravely appreciate the realism and depth of this film to address the egregious effects of drinking constantly, and how this alcoholism tears many lives literally apart. I was horrified by Sanderson's dependence upon alcoholism as a substitute for happiness and control, and Nicholas Cage's uncanny human performance, with all of his appropriate, convincing twitches and erratic movements, enhanced the compassion and torment I felt for this character, who has literally surrendered his life to this terrible disease of alcoholism. We gasp in horror as we see Sanderson taking a shower with a bottle of gin in hand, and trembling to the refrigerator for a bottle of vodka: these are the true, tragic symptoms of alcoholism, and this film does an excellent job in addressing them. A brilliant, tragic, yet extremely essential study of the disease of alcoholism and how it can destroy every aspiration, every desire, and every state of consciousness we have within ourselves, when we are constantly craving "one more bottle of vodka" 24 hours a day, 7 days a week... Nicholas Cage delivers one of the most heartfelt and eerily convincing performances in the history of film, and this is one lamentable, subliminal look at one of the saddest and unnecessary addictions in humans: striving to either enhance, better, or in this case, destroy their lives in constantly drinking intoxicating and deadly substances. Sanderson to Sara: "You can never make me stop drinking"--- the sad, yet frighteningly real state of mind of a disparaged, hopeless, alcoholic. **** out of ****

Not unlike John Huston's Under The Volcano, Leaving Las Vegas borrows from Greek mythology, obliquely mirroring the tragedy and pathos of Orpheus' failed attempt to rescue his dead wife, Eurydice, from Hades. Mike Figgis obliges us with a helpful hint in the scene where Nicolas Cage gives Elizabeth Shue a present of earrings: Greek cameos. As in the ancient tale, love challenges the inevitability of death, although, in the case of LLV, roles are upended and sometimes blurred, and Orphean references are either thinly disguised, or non-specific to the point of being thoroughly sublimated. Academic, to be sure, but completely acceptable as long as LLV can sustain itself and remain engaging. And it surely does, thanks to Figgis' intelligent script and direction, Cage's role as a down-and-out writer and his protracted self-destruction, and Shue's portrayal of a lonely hooker, lifting that old bromide beyond what could have been routine, to a level not seen since Jane Fonda's character in Klute. Excellent performances all around. With all that said, this film is not for everyone (in particular those who only respond to gratuitous sex, car chases, and mindless pyrotechnics). The lurid depictions of despair, self-loathing, and violence could put off even the most hardened social worker. In my mind's eye, I could see psychiatrists amongst the theater audiences, furiously jotting down their observations. Understandable; the two principal characters are, in the common parlance, screwed up. One cannot cope with failure, so decides to opt out, while the other does cope, but only barely, existing along the ragged edges of what passes for society in Nevada Hell. These details, though, tend to outline and, indeed, strengthen the true heart of this film: Sacrifice and Unconditional Love. If this film is not for everyone, then who is it for? Those with real life experience and the maturity gained thereby. Those with strong emotional constitutions. Anyone appreciative of impassioned performances. Freudians. Alcoholics, recovering and otherwise. Pimps. Priests. Classicists. Petty whiners in need of perspective. And, more than anyone else, couples who plan on breaking up. In sickness and in health, 'til death do us part. 9.5 out of 10.

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source: Leaving Las Vegas

I am writing this opinion in 2008, about thirteen years after the movie opened. I cannot think of a better word to describe how I felt (after watching the movie at home) then devastated. There are horrible, sick, and/or perverted people in this world. There are the poor, the handicapped, the afflicted, etc. To deny such people a shred of humanity, need and emotional want is to deny one's own humanity. To be able to convey on film such need and want in such pathetic, unappealing people is film making at its highest level. My sympathies go to the viewers who were unable to appreciate LLV. It is my hope that such folk will one day be able to not avert their eyes when looking into the abyss but instead search for the light.

I've heard that Leaving Las Vegas was a good movie for some time but never got around to watching it. I finally sat down and gave it a watch and was not disappointed. Nic Cage and Elisabeth Shue are great. Watching their relationship blossom in the middle of Cage's plan to drink himself to death is both beautiful and heart breaking at the same time. Seeing the struggle for both of the characters to respect Cage's own wish while also seeing the beauty in Shue is a complex and sad character study. With the added layer of the backstory and tragic loss of the writer, there is an added layer of sorrow in the film. Watching the film through the lens of it being John O'Brien's suicide note of sorts grounds the work in real human struggle and despair. It's a must watch for Cage fans as well as anybody looking for a beautiful and dark love story. 8/10.

Figgis's film about an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter whom lose everything and decides to move to Las Vegas. Cage is perfect in the lead while Elisabeth Shue was good in the female lead as well playing a prostitute he meets (no comparison to the pitiful Julia Roberts performance in Pretty Woman). The cast was good, the writing and direction also quite good from Figgis. I liked the cinematography from Declan Quinn and Figgis's score was good as well. The film had a good atmosphere and although it was slow, it was effective for me. One of the better dramas from the 1990s. The editing from JOhn Smith was also quite impressive. IMDb Rating: 7.5, my rating: 9/10

Mike Figgis had his film Stormy Monday (1988) with Melanie Griffith, Tommy Lee Jones and Sting he wrote the screenplay and the music, the same as Leaving Las Vegas (1995). This one stars Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue with a small part by the splendid Julian Sands. I find Shue is wonderful in this and has never none better, some suggest that she acts as a prostitute with 'a heart of a gold' is very unfair but instead does a believable part here. Cage is also probably his very best film and those suggesting his overacting here just doesn't know that clearly does some sometimes, but here is wonderful. Of course although I love the film but it is not the easiest one to watch but the both are fantastic together and the dialogue and the music also wonderful. Its a shame that Figgis didn't get an Oscar but I guess that Cage was for deserving really this time.

Whilst it is possible to empathise with the two main characters, there is very little said in this film, which seems to follow a strange 'one act' structure. The relationship does not seem to be clearly defined - are they just looking for company, a mutual friend whose situation is equally dire? An exceedingly dark film which, nevertheless, is more grounded in reality than much of what comes out of Hollywood.