Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

...shy away from the truth. Leaving Las Vegas is a shining example of one of these, as we watch one man's steady demise due to his alcohol addiction. Along with this, we get a snapshot of the seedy side of prostitution in Las Vegas, which doesn't pull any punches. Although this is an extremely hard hitting drama, with several scenes of violence, it is very engrossing as you watch the friendship between Ben and Sera grow, and really start to feel for ...
...background to her character. Leaving Las Vegas is directed by Mike Figgis (The Browning Version) and I feel he should be applauded for making such a real drama. It would have been very easy to treat such a hard hitting story with kid gloves and to shy away from the reality. But Figgis has remained strong, and through some masterful techniques, has demonstrated the turmoil that Ben goes through as the alcohol controls his life. On top of this, he ...

christianfilmcritic 08.03.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

~ ~ I couldn’t quite believe it when I discovered I hadn’t already written an opinion about this Nicolas Cage movie, “Leaving Las Vegas”, (1995) because it’s way up there in my ‘ten best movies’ list. ~ ~ Nick plays the part of Ben Sanderson, a hopelessly addicted alcoholic, whose life is now on the slippery slope to nowhere. We see little glimpses of his former self, as a powerful Hollywood movie executive. ...
...with the world at his fingertips. But alcohol has no respect for either intelligence or social position, and Ben is now merely a shadow of his former self, and deep in the grip of his own personal demons. ~ ~ One scene at the beginning of the movie encapsulates beautifully the way in which alcohol has dragged Ben down, and robbed him totally of any last shred of his self-respect. His film producer colleagues Marc (Steven Webber) and Peter (Richard ...

the_mad_cabbie 26.10.2003 (27.10.2003) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

Hello, what are you doing reading this now, shouldn't you be doing something more productive? Don't smirk at me... LOL I know you think this is just going to be one big Nic Cage fest, but I won't even mention his chest hair or his soulful blue eyes... oh look you've got me started, thanks I needed that slap across the face, my hormones were as almost as out of control as teenage girl at a Will Young concert and that's saying something. Now where ...
...am a nerd are: Directed by: Mike Figgis Written by : John O ' Brien Running Time: 111 mins Certificate:18 Soundtrack: Sting,Michael Macdonald,Don Henley and Mr. Cage and Mr. Figgis. From the opening titles it is quite apparent that this is not going to be a cheerfest. The twinkling spectrum of Las Vegas, in all her sordid glory has always attracted me like a moth. Don't ask me why, but one of my dreams is to get married by Elvis. Ben Sanderson is ...

Glorificus1 15.06.2002 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

...in a modern form, then Leaving Las Vegas is surely it. It is a small story, really only centred around the relationship of two people and the plot hardly deviates from that axis. Thankfully the two leads are played brilliantly by Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, though I must admit it did take me a while to acclimatise myself to Shue's role. Not that she is in anyway not up to the role, the chemistry between her and Cage is totally convincing, its ...
...be a masterpiece. Basically Leaving Las Vegas is a love story, but all sweetness and light it isn't. Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a serious alcoholic, he is already divorced though that part of the story is history even as the film begins and all we get on the subject is Bens throw away version of events, "I don't know if my wife left me because of my drinking or I started drinking 'cause my wife left me" He loses his job as a Hollywood executive and ...

steerpyke 01.01.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

- Introduction - Leaving Las Vegas was released in 1995 (early 1996 in the UK) and it did very well at awards ceremonies. It gave Nicolas Cage what I believe is his first Oscar, for Best actor in a leading role and the basic story just somehow intrigued me enough to want to watch it. I'm not entirely sure why, I don't always go for such dark stories but when I saw it was going to be aired late night on TV, I thought I would tape it on my PVR, incase ...
...- Certificate - Leaving Las Vegas is rated 18 in the UK. This is due to strong sexuality and language, some violence and of course continued scenes of alcohol abuse. - Official Website - You can find a small site for the movie here:- http://www.mgm.com/title_title.php?title_star=LEAVINGL Where you can find the movie trailer, see photos and listen to sound clips from the movie. - Conclusions - This is a haunting tale of two people who feel they ...

IzzyS 23.03.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

...mate anyplace, anywhere. Leaving Las Vegas brings you an alcoholic, Ben (Nicolas Cage), whose life is shattered, and in pieces. Who moves to Las Vegas in order to drink himself to death in the 24 hour bars. Sera (Elisabeth Shue) is a Vegas hooker whose life is missing something. The two meet and form an unbreakable bond. In the initial scenes we see that Ben has lost his family, his job, all due to his drinking. At his wits end, he burns everything ...
...a few belongings and heads for Vegas in order to slowly die, while enjoying himself. Part of his enjoyment includes a prostitute, here he meets Sera, and a strong extraordinary affair begins. Sera Invites him to stay at her place. The unlikely lovers make a bond that should never be broken. Ben promises never to ask Sera to give up prostitution, and Sera promises never to ask Ben to stop drinking. But as Ben breaks down, Sera breaks her promise ...

Sid76 06.03.2001 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

Leaving Las Vegas is a movie that I first saw when it made it's satelite TV debut, I didn't know a great deal about it, but having seen a number of great Nicolas Cage films, I was hoping that this would be good. Nicholas Cage plays an alcoholic, who wants to drink himself to death in Las Vegas. He doesn't even know why he wants to do it anymore, he just does. He meets a prostitute Sara played by Elizabeth Shue, and they fall in love. She can't stop ...

bjlangley 19.09.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

Nicholas Cage gives a powerhouse performance in this bleak film about an alcoholic's slow suicide by drink. His one-way ticket to ride to Las Vegas (his chosen place to die) causes him to meet the one person who accepts and loves him unconditionally, a prostitute called Sera. Despite the depths to which he sinks you never quite lose your sympathy for his character, rather you wonder what it is in his nature that causes his self-destructive behaviour. ...

flopsy 30.06.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)

Nicholas Cage plays an alcoholic screenwriter who moves to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. Based on a semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien, who committed suicide shortly after the film rights to his story were bought, this is a very moving tale. The movie opens with Cage filling up a supermarket trolley with bottles of booze. Clearly, this is one serious drinker. He doesn't go through his slow suicide on his own though. While in Las Vegas, ...
...Elizabeth Shue. The pair of them accept each other for what they are and gradually fall in love. Even so, Cage insists that she should never try and stop him from drinking. He drinks, he drinks and drinks. And then he dies. This is a powerful, well acted and very sad film. ...

wyn 26.06.2000 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Leaving Las Vegas (DVD)