Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9341 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-01-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most critically acclaimed films of 1995, this wrenchingly sad but extraordinarily moving drama provides an authentic, superbly acted portrait of two people whose lives intersect just as they've reached their lowest depths of despair. Ben (Nicolas Cage, in an Oscar-winning performance) is a former movie executive who's lost his wife and family in a sea of alcoholic self-destruction. He's come to Las Vegas literally to drink himself to death, and that's when he meets Sera (Elisabeth Shue), a prostitute who falls in love with him--and he with her--despite their mutual dead-end existence. They accept each other as they are, with no attempts by one to change the other, and this unconditional love turns Leaving Las Vegas into a sombre yet quietly beautiful love story. Earning Oscar nominations for Best Director (Mike Figgis), Best Adapted Screenplay (Figgis, from John O'Brien's novel) and Best Actress (Shue), the film may strike some as relentlessly bleak and glacially paced, but attentive viewers will readily discover the richness of these tragic characters and the exceptional performances that bring them to life. (In a sad echo of his own fiction, novelist John O'Brien committed suicide while this film was in production.) --Jeff Shannon

Special Features
16:9 Wide Screen
English
Region 2
Dolby Pro Logic English
Dolby Pro Logic
Trailer
Making Of
English

Synopsis
With LEAVING LAS VEGAS, director Mike Figgis spun critical gold out of what would appear to be a maudlin and hackneyed premise--a down-and-out drunk meets a hooker with a heart of gold. The reason for the film's success lies partly in its refusal to moralize, but mostly it is the strong performances of Nicholas Cage and Elisabeth Shue that make the story believable and poignant. Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a Hollywood screenwriter who has become an alcoholic. After being fired, he takes his severance pay to Las Vegas, where he plans to drink himself to death. There he meets Sera (Shue), a streetwise prostitute who responds both to Ben's wild antics and to his absolute gentleness. What Sera needs most is to be needed, and Ben needs her a lot. Figgis uses his whole bag of tricks--Sera talks to the camera, the exteriors are shot in grainy 16mm--but finally it is the perfectly-conceived relationship between these two wounded people that drew the rave reviews. The film was based on a novel by John O'Brien.

Customer Reviews

After watching this I felt like drinking myself to death!!
If you like listening to endless pieces of music and watching films with very little dialogue then this is the one for you, this has got them both in abundance!!

I don't recall hearing about it, but there must have been an international strike the year that this was made as this is the only reason why Nicholas Cage could have ever won an academy award for acting, he was dire in this film, proving yet again that he simply can not act in a serious film, they gave him very little to say, so they're obviously well aware of his acting ability (which is limited at best).

This film only serves to do two things, if you're an alcoholic and you keep on drinking then there's a chance that you'll drink yourself to death and second that if you're a prostitute/hooker then you'll probably at some point be abused/attacked in some way.

All of the reviews here and on the cover of the film say what a wonderful film this is, I have checked and I was watching the correct version, I either missed what was so good or saw everything that is so bad, my advice rent before you potentially buy, it'll be a much safer bet.

Compelling but very Depressing
Remarkable. Touching. Riveting. Leaving Las Vegas is all of these and then some. I have not seen a film of this magnitude about loneliness and acceptance in such a while that I was in tears for much of the run time.

Nicholas Cage is Ben, a man who has lost his wife and child, throws his job away, and takes all of his remaining money to buy as much liquor as possible and "drink himself to death" in the city of Las Vegas. He has given up all hope, with no wish to live, but for one reason or another, wants a companion to share in his misery, but not try to save him. He finds this companion in a hooker, Sera, played by Elizabeth Shue. They immediately form a strong relationship based on one night of talking about their lives. Sera in particular quickly grows attached to Ben, for no other reason than she has been alone her whole life and wants nothing more than to feel that want and need by someone.

Cage won his first Oscar for his role as Ben, and how deserved it was. He was astounding, perfection, down to every single tick, the volume of his voice, the pain and tragedy buried in his eyes. I could not believe the extent of his role, the dedication and time he invested in bringing this character to life. Same goes for Elizabeth Shue, who with a simple glance at a person, she reveals her entire self, and no one even dares to notice except for Ben. This neediness is apparent, she wants to hold onto this relationship so badly, yet what makes their relationship work is total and complete acceptance of their respective decisions. He will not tell her to stop being a hooker, and she in return can never ask him to stop drinking. And it is in that factor that makes this film worth watching. To be totally accepted by those around them, to open themselves up to such an extreme.

Leaving Las Vegas is a sobering film about connections, loneliness, acceptance, and a small little island of hope that is Ben and Sera. They are two good people, depicted in a world full of sorrows and misdeeds, who latch onto each other and never let go. They were nothing but ghosts, till that chance encounter, and became each others worlds. Cage and Shue bring these good people to life in such an extraordinary way, making Leaving Las Vegas a film to be treasured and remembered for years to come. I highly recommend this film.

One for the road...
In this one, Nicolas Cage plays a dissolute studio executive who decides, "That's it, I'm off to Las Vegas to drink myself to death." You might think that would be depressing as hell, and, well, you would be right. If you're looking for a cheery night in with laughs and joy and uplifting insights into the triumph of the human spirit, Leaving Las Vegas will rain on your parade from a considerable height, possibly without even knowing or caring you were there. Still, if you are a fan of the serious drama and want a touching, moving film with great performances from its two leads, this one is right up your alley.

Take it from me, though. Make it the first part of a double bill, with the second feature being your favourite and funniest comedy. You know, just to straighten yourself out after all the misery and loneliness and despair and whatnot.

Part of the appeal of this one is the excellent work done by both Cage and his co-star Elisabeth Shue. Shue, an actress I've never had much interest in except when I was young and silly and had a crush on her from The Karate Kid, is really very good as the hooker who hooks up with Cage. She mixes different traits together well, playing her character as tough and street smart but also very sweet and vulnerable. The 'hooker with a heart of gold' is kind of a hoary old cliche, but Shue plays her so believably that you forgive the film for this one flaw. Cage, too, is brilliant, turning in the kind of performance you wish you could see more often from him. This is the Nicolas Cage I like, that guy from Wild At Heart and Adaptation; not the one who slums it in guff like National Treasure.

The other aspect of Leaving Las Vegas that makes it so appealing is the unconventional love story at its core. This is about two people who have a pretty rotten lot in life, but they meet at the right time and are able to give each other just enough love and support to get by. Okay, one of them is stubbornly insistent on killing himself and the other makes a living in the world's oldest profession, but I suppose that's the unconventional part. Pretty Woman, this is not. Also, the film makes a point of showing two people loving each other unconditionally, with neither trying to change the other's chosen direction. Of course, that makes this one kind of a fantasy, but it's an enjoyable fantasy nonetheless. Wouldn't we all like to meet a very attractive partner who loved us for who we were and didn't want us to dress different or get a better job or not drink ourselves to death? I think we would.

In conclusion, this is pretty much a faultless film from director Mike Figgis. Good work, buddy. It's kind of depressing, but also kind of uplifting, and is one of the best pure dramas I've seen recently. After it was over, though, I watched The Big Lebowski. Man, Jeff Bridges is hilarious in that one. And with that, I'm out. Thanks for reading.