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84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
Leaving Las Vegas
This is a film that is not afraid to deal with despair in the extreme. Nicolas Cage plays Ben, a movie executive who for some reason has lost his family and turns to drink, or, at least that's what he thinks. Early in the film he reveals that he's been drinking so excessively for so long that he can't remember if he drank so much that he lost his family or he lost his...
Published on February 16, 2000 by Malcolm Lawrence
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Memorable Performances In Completely Implausible Film
Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Cage) is a raging alcoholic. When he is fired from his job, he moves to Las Vegas with the intention of drinking himself to death. Upon his arrival he meets an attractive prostitute named Sera (Elizabeth Shue) and the two strike up a quasi-romance in which he agrees not to condemn her profession and she agrees not to interfer with his...
Published on November 10, 2007 by Gary F. Taylor
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84 of 89 people found the following review helpful:
Leaving Las Vegas, February 16, 2000
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
This is a film that is not afraid to deal with despair in the extreme. Nicolas Cage plays Ben, a movie executive who for some reason has lost his family and turns to drink, or, at least that's what he thinks. Early in the film he reveals that he's been drinking so excessively for so long that he can't remember if he drank so much that he lost his family or he lost his family so he started drinking. At the advanced stage of despair Ben is in, it doesn't matter. He is suffering so much he has decided to go to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. He crosses paths with a hooker named Sera, Elisabeth Shue, who instantly feels a bond with him. Why, she can't explain to herself, even though she realizes it IS real. It's important that he simply "crosses paths" with a hooker, because his mind is solely on drinking. It isn't until he literally runs into her that the thought crosses his mind that mindless sex could be an enjoyable idea. But Sera feels such a spark with Ben that she realizes he's not just another `john' but a decent guy who must be in terrible pain. She identifies with him so much because she shares the same type of despair Ben does, and realizes the opportunity to save her own soul by trying to save his, as his "angel," as he constantly refers to her. Trouble is though, that even after he finds his angel, he keeps drinking. In one of the most revealing scenes, the two of them are poolside at a cheap motel and Ben is, naturally, oblivious to her presence because of his soaked mindset. She really wants him to ravish her, so she takes his bottle of booze and pours it over her breasts until, finally, he does. This scene may sound tawdry or corny, but because the two actors have successfully shown up to this point just how much of a bond their characters have, the fact that booze is used as an aphrodisiac here is a major triumph for both of them. They have reached each other halfway. It's been a long time since I've seen two actors portray what real love and understanding looks like on screen. There is something so tangible in this film it almost feels voyeuristic. These characters love each other in such a way that since the hooker's job is, obviously, to have sex with other men, the element of "cheating" is moot for her, but when she comes home one night to find that HE has been cheating, suddenly your mind freezes up and you don't know what to think until you remember that outside of quickie oral sex you notice that they've never made love even though they are so obviously and operatically IN love. Wow. In Leaving Las Vegas two of the most down and out characters forge the unlikeliest of bonds and for a fleeting moment experience true love in spite of the money changing hands, money which magically becomes superfluous as their guards are let down to reveal an empathetic passion so real it keeps ascending and swelling, going for a gigantic crescendo. You'll notice that at the beginning of this film you hear blues which slides easily into jazz, and by the end of the film it has transformed into opera. So the range of emotions director Mike Figgis is dealing with on his palette go from despair to sentimentality to operatic overdrive. Opera goes for big emotions and follows them straight through the end. So does this film. It doesn't compromise. It must have been hard to get a film like this made without somebody trying to soften the story or, God forbid, add a different ending. You can imagine some Hollywood producer saying that at the end they should traipse off arm in arm to the Betty Ford Clinic so everything will be all right. But because the budget of the film was what it was, not too many people had the right to dabble with the script. This script is so good, based on the novel by John O'Brien (who committed suicide just before production on the film began) that at various times on the soundtrack when it fades out for effect you don't need to hear the words that are being said to know what's going on. I would say the only real flaw this film has is that Sera's pimp gets squeezed out of the picture in a pretty clunky way, and when he does you realize that outside of the obligatory battering about he gives her, the two characters have nothing in common. In fact even though Sera is, underneath it all, a vulnerable character, the amount of strength she has would really warrant her being a call girl rather than a hooker. But I'm nit-picking. For all you aspiring filmmakers out there, take a look at this film as a demonstration of how you can make a masterpiece with not much more than two incredible actors. Shot in Super 16mm (one quarter the cost of a 35mm film), the graininess of the image is able to evoke the bittersweet seediness of the situation and the locale, so when you do see the love that these characters share it is that much more tangible and real.
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30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
A Tragic Masterpiece from Start to Finish, January 23, 2003
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a dark and tragic film that shows you how low you can fall and just how bad things can get. It portrays a dead-on picture of alcoholism and what exactly one goes through when they've hit rock bottom. As tragic as it is, this is a very beautiful and well-done film that keeps your attention to the bitter end.Ben Sanderson (Nicholas Cage) is an alcoholic who has nothing left to live for but the very booze that seems to be the only happiness he can find. His friends want nothing to do with him and women are disgusted by him. After being let go from his job, Ben burns all of his possessions and moves to Las Vegas, where his only plan is to drink himself to death. In a short amount of time he meets Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a lonely hooker who has been through it all. An unexpected bond is formed between the two and love falls upon them that can only end in tragedy. Boy, was this a hard movie to watch, but it was so well-done and executed. You are able to sympathize with both Ben and Sera, despite the paths they have chosen. Nicholas Cage was amazing and brilliant. No wonder why he won an Academy Award for his performance. You really buy into the fact that he is this sad character who wants nothing more but to destroy himself by the only thing that can bring him some sense of false happiness. Shue is also terrific in her role and should be applauded as well. The two are explosive as a team and can really bring the house down. The DVD is fair; nothing too special. You can have your choice of either watching the movie in widescreen or full screen. The picture for the most part looks good; not the best, but good. The main special feature this DVD offers is a trailer for the film and a bonus secret page. It would be nice if they decided to re-release this in a more superior version. "Leaving Las Vegas" is drama at its best. It's heartbreaking, but at the same time is satisfying. It's emotionally charged from start to finish. The writing is poetic, the acting is electric, and the directing is fantastic. Be warned, this is not a "feel-good" movie. It's a portrait of harsh reality and it doesn't go easy on you for a second. If you want a powerhouse drama that will keep you emotionally involved, this is the one for you. A terrific and amazing film on every front.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
A Lump of Gloom, January 24, 2005
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
Watching `Leaving Las Vegas' can be an experience that takes a gloomy sadness to the interiors of your existence and keeps you immersed in it. As human beings, we consistently put the highest premium on our being alive. Experiencing the intensity of a despondent Nicolas Cage committed to taking his life by drinking himself to death, can trigger off a question as to what can prepare someone for such an act of self-destruction. Intriguingly enough we get no clear answers though there is a clear hint as to it might have been a profound sense of loss or failure.
Singular focus on the moribund obsessions of Cage would be gross injustice to the incredibly touching love and empathy that he shares with the lead female protagonist - Elisabeth Shue - who plays a hooker's role with levels of dexterity rarely attained. There is a very deep understanding and mutual acceptance between the two lead characters that is in many ways the true highlight of this movie. Interestingly, we see no reasons for this to exist but such is the articulacy of characterization that not even for a second does one find this profound relationship unrealistic.
'Leaving Las Vegas' is an iconoclastic love story whose control over the audience is fascinating. Such is the brilliance of the performances that you feel a lump in your heart by the end of the movie - and this lump transcends into the depths of your being - to stay there and to remind you that unconditional love exists and so does the capability to invite your own death to walk up to you - gradually and consistently. 'Leaving Las Vegas' is a movie that would haunt you for its portrayal of love intertwined with morbid realities of life.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Leaving Las Vegas- A Moving and meaningful film, July 14, 2000
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
This film is not for most people; it's very morose and gruesome at times, and it won't be entertaining and satisfying in the same way most mainstream movies are. It does however provide a very shocking and revealing look at the lives of a hopeless drunkard and a lonely prostitute. Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue are superb portraying their characters and their skill is the driving force of the film. That isn't to say, however, that the directing, music, and screenplay weren't excellent as well. One particularly important aspect of the film is the relationship that forms between Cage and Shue. Some reviewers describe it as sincere love, however, I don't agree. Both Cage and Shue are desolate and vulnerable. The natural thing for both of them to do when they meet is to seek refuge in each other. Shue might love Cage, but it's more out of desparation for company than what she sees in him. Cage's interest in Shue is somewhat more confusing. Before his introduction to Shue, I got the impression that he was completely detatched from anything earthly. The relationship he maintains with Shue suggests otherwise though. I'm not really sure, yet, what to make of Cage. I never really knew what alcohol could do to a man until seeing this movie. Sure, a random drunk on the street is a common sight, but most people, who don't have a friend or family member with the problem, don't realize the extreme extent to which the obsession can develop. I'd recommend this film to anyone older than 17.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
A Dance of Despair in the Night, June 11, 2005
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
Mike Figgis brought this touching ode to the night to the screen, imbuing it with the transient and tragic nature of those seduced and then swallowed up by it. The director of Stormy Monday perfectly captures the sad yet often poetic beauty found in the shared loneliness of the night two souls in despair can find.
On the surface it is a simple story of a man drinking himself to death and a prostitute on the streets of Las Vegas. But it is really a story of love and loss with a foreign film atmosphere and quality, giving it that rare depth where the film becomes more than the sum of its parts.
Nicholas Cage gives a haunting performance as Ben Sanderson, a man who has lost everything and come to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. On his way down he meets a prostitute named Sera and in their spiraling despair they discover love. One of the most poignant moments in the film comes when Cage is on the streets of Las Vegas seeking human contact and can't remember whether he lost everything because of his drinking or started drinking because he lost everything. Cage's performance rings absolutely true and deservedly won him the Oscar. He shows with great tenderness the sad realism of being an alcoholic.
Matching Cage scene for scene is Elizabeth Shue in a brilliantly realized role that should have won an Oscar. As this lonely and isolated working girl begins to care about Ben she discovers she is not dead inside, like some, and can still love. But when Ben finally pushes her away in order to save her, she realizes that if she lets him, she may very well lose this power to love and her connection to being human. Going back, however, may be more than her heart can bare.
Figgis has made a mesmerizing film of almost overwhelming sadness. This is not a `feel good' movie by any stretch of the imagination. There is both truth and poetry here though for those who know this life. Ben and Sera are like two roses; one withering at the onset of its last winter and the other finding an unexpected bud on a long dormant vine.
An incredible sountrack with artist like Michael MacDonald and Sting is used to set the tone for this wonderful but difficult to watch film. Anyone who has ever been devastated by a loss and known a Sera or a Ben, or a combination of both in one, will be moved by this heartbreaking journey into loneliness and despair. Though brilliant, its appeal may be limited and it is easy to understand why some are not as enthusiastic about it.
But for those who have ever seen or experienced a glimmer of this side of life and been shown the comforting tenderness of love on the way down, the final moments of this film will be almost painful to watch and deeply affecting. Figgis has made a masterpiece for all those who have walked away before the night swallowed them up completely and they were lost forever.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
The Gloomy Side of Las Vegas, January 30, 2005
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
"Leaving Las Vegas", starring Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, is a great hardcore dram-packed film released in 1995. It received four Oscar nominations, including Best Director (Mike Figgis). This film follows the lives of Ben and Sera. Ben's wife and son left him because of his severe drinking habit. He recently was fired from his job, and now he relocates to Las Vegas to "drink himself to death". Meanwhile, he meets Sera, a prostitute equally emotionally dying. The moment they begin dating, their relationship moves faster than the average couple. Their chemistry and mutual acceptance proves that they are destined for each other.
Its plot contains heavy depth that keeps the emotional stance intact. The unique storyline of two people on the verge of death who fall in love makes this film like no other. This love affair combines passion and darkness that few have made fit together so well. As the characters fall deeper into their suicidal spiral, the drama continually builds leading to a powerful climax. The characters' painful pasts gives the film events a more powerful theme. Such themes offer a more new meaning to Las Vegas.
Nicolas Cage (Ben) and Elisabeth Shue (Sera) are the top performers of this film. Neither actor had performed in a dark-themed film before. However, their chemistry between one another and the film proves great. This would propel their careers to greater levels. Cage, in his Oscar-winning performance, gives new meaning to the term alcoholic. His character's witty, charming, and aggressive personality combine well. His performance proved highly difficult considering Ben was drunk through 99% of the film. Shue's powerful Oscar-nominated performance (which she should have won) is the breakthrough performance of the year and of her career. Sera's emotional stance offers new depth territory to the film. Her deep emotional pain, loneliness, and hardships express themselves in great levels. Shue mastered acting out many difficult issues and events (rape, assault, harassment, endangerment, and more), which makes this much more amazing.
"Leaving Las Vegas" is a great film for any hardcore drama fan. This will surely keep audiences interested for a long time. Those interested in this film must watch it a few times to fully understand the deep crutial details.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
THE ONLY MOVIE TO EVER MAKE ME CRY, May 28, 2004
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
i could go on and on but i wont, the facts are a) this is probably the most dramatic movie ever made and b) nic cage is the best actor on the planet. holy smokes was he amazing in this and elisabeth shue is perfect by all standards. i also dig "the third man" tributes in there - good job all around tonite i decided this is my favorite movie....which might last a week but it will remain top five forever. I know its a little late but seriously...congrats nic cage you kick ass.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Not for all tastes, yet undeniably powerful stuff, February 10, 2003
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
This horrifyingly tragic tale about a man who has mysteriously lost his family and his life's work and who resorts to alcoholism and finds love with a kindhearted prostitute as a result, is both powerful and heart wrenching. It's a story about how we must accept each other, even in times of defeat, and still love ourselves at the same time. Leaving Las Vegas might not be for all tastes with its highly artistic making and its disturbingly hard-to-watch scenes, yet is nonetheless insightful, well done, and ultimately well performed. The rogue protagonist of this film is a man named Ben (Nicolas Cage), who is a former Hollywood executive and a widowed man who is left hopeless as a result of his family leaving him. Ben decides to relocate to Las Vegas where he plans to drink himself to death. When Ben arrives at Las Vegas, he meets an intelligent yet emotionally-wounded woman named Sera (Elisabeth Shue) who makes her living by "selling her body" on a nightly basis. Even though Ben and Sera are two individuals who are destroying themselves, they are willing to accept each other for who they are, and what results is a poignant and heartbreaking movie that's really like no other. What's very unusual about this movie is that director Mike Figgis (who adapted the screenplay from John O'Brien's novel) has achieved what some might call impossible, in that he has told a moving love story in the tawdry setting of Las Vegas. This sort of accomplishment makes Figgis, by far, an especially auspicious director. Another unique aspect to the film is that Figgis has the setting of Las Vegas, with its lights and flash-trash, allegorically help tell the story. Figgis also provides the film with a sort of smokiness and surreal feel that lend themselves to the picture. He also wrote the jazzy, edgy, and affective score, with vocals by Sting. Figgis' approach to the movie is abstract and certainly innovative. The pervasive intake of alcohol (and the scurrilous behavior that results) by Ben is shocking and emotionally powerful at the same time. In a particularly sentimental scene, Ben tells Sera that she must understand that he cannot be told to stop drinking. Sera and the audience somehow accept this at first, but later on wish that they had never agreed with this statement. The truly meritorious aspect of Leaving Las Vegas is the bravura performances of the two leads. Both Cage and Shue give their characters great depth and a shining aura of greatness. Cage won a well-deserved Academy award for his audacious performance, and Shue's performance is equally Oscar worthy and commendable. My sole criticism for this film is that it's not for all tastes. Leaving Las Vegas is so highly artistic and at times hard to watch that it might not be well liked by the mainstream audience or by those who are easily offended. The film has a darkness and unpleasantness that would turn off the more delicate viewers, and the film has a surreal manner of storytelling that would not please the majority of those who watch movies. Leaving Las Vegas can be called wonderful even though it's certainly morbid stuff. It's wonderful due to its superb directing, fresh style, galvanizing performances, and its overall message. This film will be admired by some and not all, but those who will admire it will embrace it and not regret seeing it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
kling klang king of the rim ram room, August 1, 2008
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
Leaving Las Vegas is an Oscar winning movie that takes what should be repulsive material and spins it into gold. The story is about an alcoholic who goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death, and while there he forges a strong relationship with a prostitute. Nicolas Cage won the Oscar for this role, and he really deserved it. Sometimes he makes you laugh with his drunken antics, but often times you absolutely cringe. His drunken attempts at picking up women in bars are really pathetic. The woman reel away from the stench of his breath, and you can almost smell it yourself.
Ben Sanderson: I don't know if my wife left me because of my drinking or I started drinking 'cause my wife left me.
Elisabeth Shue also turns in the role of a lifetime. She has her own esteem issues, to be sure. At one point, she admits that she is only using him. Ben and Sera have an intense relationship where the only rules are, no matter what, Sera can't ask Ben to stop drinking. She knows he is trying to kill himself, but she has to accept that. She buys him clothes and lets him move in with her. She tries to feed him plain rice, but throughout the film, he never eats anything. Apparently a symptom of acute alcoholism, in the advance stages they can't keep any food down. When she prepares him plain rice, a bland dish that she hopes he can handle, he only eats an ice cube with his chopsticks.
Sera: Don't you like me, Ben?
Ben Sanderson: Sera... what you don't understand is - no, see, no. You can never, never ask me to stop drinking. Do you understand?
Sera: I do. I really do.
Cage doesn't hold back one bit, and takes his character over the edge of the abyss. At one point he watches a stripper and chugs a pint of liquor. The raunchy jazz on the soundtrack seems to imply that he is playing a strange reverse solo on his bottle. The shock of so much alcohol to his system makes the sound drop away. He is in his own world, like a near death experience where he is crawling towards the light...
Sera: How do you feel?
Ben Sanderson: Like the kling klang king of the rim ram room.
Shue for some reason really impressed me the most when she was embarrassed and shamed by Ben's drunken antics. In one mishap he falls smack down on a glass table while lounging by a pool in a desert motel.
Ben Sanderson: Look at me... I'm a prickly pear.
When the innkeeper lady comes out to sweep up the glass she thinks she can charm her way out of it, but is told to go to her room, and in the morning, to check out and never return. Not quite as drunk as Ben, she is still capable of shame. She can also be hurt by him, as when she goes out working, and Ben gambles and takes a hooker back to her room. The look on her face when she returns is so poignant.
Sera: What's up?
Ben Sanderson: I was looking for you tonight. I don't know if you've a boyfriend, or a girlfriend, but I thought maybe we could get some dinner.
You have two extremely powerful performances here, Cage and Shue, or rather Ben and Sera, are two messed up people, but this is also a tender love story. There is a lot of great jazz on the soundtrack, like for instance Sting does the ballads Angel Eyes and My One and Only Love. The former was a favorite of Ella Fitzgerald, while the latter was featured on the Coltrane and Johnny Hartman collaboration. The music is at times cheesy, but intentionally so. Perfect for the Las Vegas casino vibe. Other times sophisticated, funky, or even almost angelic in some of the later scenes of transcendence. Director Mike Figgis is a musician, and he also composed the score, as well as playing keyboards and trumpet on it. Not only that, he pulls a Hitchcock with a cameo, playing a mobster who passes Ben in the hallway, perhaps on his way to execute Sera's pimp. He is really a renaissance man, that Mike Figgis. In at least two scenes taxis are shown with an advertisement on the roof hoarding depicting a brand called "Red Mullet" - the name of director Mike Figgis's production company and it's his face in the ad.
Sera: Is drinking a way of killing yourself?
Ben Sanderson: Or, is killing myself a way of drinking?
John O'Brien, the writer, perhaps didn't actually do all the things that Ben, the character in his book did, but he did commit suicide about two weeks after the film began production. Director Mike Figgis contemplated abandoning the project, but decided the film would make a good memorial for O'Brien. Did he drink himself to death? Perhaps it is just morbid curiosity on my part, but apart from how much of John O'Brien may or may not be in his character Ben, it is a very compelling narrative. O'Brien's prose has been compared to Charles Bukowski or Larry Brown.
Sera: That's nice talk, Ben - keep drinking. Between the 101-proof breath and the occasional bits of drool, some interesting words come out.
I haven't read the book, but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the book was much better than the film. However, the film was good enough to win several Oscars and nominations, in spite of the ugly subject matter. It told the story very well in cinematic terms. There are lots of beautiful shots; the neon lights of Vegas never looked prettier. There is a shot filmed underwater where Ben drinks from a bottle of beer even though he is submerged. The best shower scenes since Psycho, where Ben and Sera both are trying to cleanse themselves from some gut wrenching scene of defilement. Ben even showers with not one but two bottles of liquor.
Sera: So why are you a drunk?
Ben Sanderson: Why am I a drunk? Is that really what you wanna ask me?
Sera: Yes.
Ben Sanderson: Well, then, this is our first date, or our last. Until now I wasn't sure it was either.
Does it glorify alcoholism? I don't really think it does that at all. It is really horrendous and the downward spiral a pathetic tragedy. If anything is glorified, it is the spirit and love of the two main characters in spite of some serious character flaws.
Ben Sanderson: I came here to drink myself to death.
Sera: How long will it take you?
Ben Sanderson: I'd say about three to four weeks.
SELECTED FILMS AND ROLES OF NICOLAS CAGE
Ghost Rider (Widescreen Edition) (2007) .... Johnny Blaze / Ghost Rider
Adaptation (Superbit Collection) (2002) .... Charlie Kaufman / Donald Kaufman
Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) .... Jack Singer
Wild At Heart (1990) .... Sailor Ripley
Raising Arizona (1987) .... H.I. McDunnough
Valley Girl (1983) .... Randy
FILMS FOR COMPARISON
Into the Wild (2007)
Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
LAS VEGAS THEME IN OTHER FILMS
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Viva Las Vegas (1964)
Casino (1995)
Showgirls (1995)
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
VIVA LAS VEGAS........!, November 30, 2004
This review is from: Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)
This film is a masterpiece. It defines cinema in every way as being god-like. This is a warm one, a film full of overwhelming admirible quality. It is a drama with the tension of a horror film. It is a comedy with the hilarity of any Police Academy number ever made. It is a weepie with soul but still suitable for men. It is class.
This film stars an actor who within his career was defined to no brainers like Con Air and The Rock but no doubt about it this film is an exception, in this he is excellent as the alcholic Ben Sanderson, who after being fired he decides to go to Viva Las Vegas to drink himself to death - Lovely... This actor is teamed up with Elisabeth Shue who also excels herself, she is the prostitute who decides to find love in the mild-mannered alcholic. She is perfect for the role as Sera, and after mishap after mishap after mishap, even one where she is raped by a gang of 'college jocks' (anal intercourse involved - yep that's how bad this film can be) she still tries to find her man. Yet the ending is sad as the actor dies and it therefore ends, it is quite unpredictable, you'd probably hope for him to go and beat the crap out the rapists. It is original therefore making it even more interesting. Oh.. and if you haven't figured it out by now the actor is Nicholas Cage and he proves in this film that he can act properly, he deserved his best actor oscar I think although he did have competiton from The Usual Suspects so I suppose he was lucky. But even with this competiton it deserves a five star for its superb acting, soundtrack (by sting) and for its simply manificent presence on screen. Hail to Mike Figgis
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