Leaving Las Vegas

Rating:
Summary: A Sobering Film About an Alcoholic
Review: Mike Figgis' Academy Award winning film still stands after 5 years as a truly remarkable and realistic film on the true accounts of a washed up screenwriter. Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue both give the performance of their careers in some of the most demanding roles Hollywood has seen. Shue as a prostitute meets up with Cage, an alcoholic, whom both live together to share their deteriorating lives. A sad and overtly depressing film, however, not a moment goes by that you are not curious and hopeful for this desolate couple. Not for everyone, yet this film is highly reccomended to those who like something a little off-beat. The DVD transfer is really good, clean picture with nice sound. This is the 'unrated' version which means there is something of a questionable nature. However, if you compare VHS to DVD time length, you will see the DVD is one minute longer, and unless you know the film like the back of you hand, you wont notice any difference. Also there is a 'hidden feature' which when you do find it, you wont be happy to say its hidden, nor worth the while to make it so. Overall lame features, but the film is so good that one will buy it for the film and not its "extras."

Rating:
Summary: Leaving Las Vegas
Review: A moving experience of the cold reality of the state some people are reduced to. A sterling performance by Cage & Shue.

Rating:
Summary: Numbingly depressing and brilliant all at once!
Review: Nicholas Cage's performance in this film (that's film, not movie) is simply incredible. He manages to perfectly capture the image of a drowning man on his willful downward spiral. This film is not for those who like light-hearted popcorn movies. This is hard stuff. The first time I saw it I was left staring at the screen in awe and depression until well after the credits rolled. Elizabeth Shue is not great, but she does manage to hold her own on screen with Cage. My only complaint about this film is the useless subplot revolving around Shue's pimp. I can not believe that Cage has gone on to things like Con Air and City of Angels... what are you doing man! You're better than that junk, this proves it! Please, get a new agent!

Rating:
Summary: .
Review: Powerful and very well-acted. I'm not that keen on Elizabeth Shue, but she manages okay, and Nicolas Cage is brilliant. It's embarassing to see this and then think of what he's done since. In any case, I didn't feel Leaving Las Vegas was flawless (the end struck me as a bit much), but the drama is compelling. Hopelessly and mercilessly depressing -- it left me feeling almost frighteningly cold and numb on a number of levels. I would never criticize a movie for being depressing, but just be aware of what you're getting into when you sit down with this one.

Rating:
Summary: Painfully realistic
Review: This film was too similar to a family tragedy for me to walk away unscathed. It was a painful experience to watch this unflinching motion picture about the hopelessness and misery of spiritually bankrupt souls. This is obviously not a film that will be terribly popular with most people, if for no other reason its grim subject matter and deliberate pace. To watch these two characters embrace each other when the rest of the world has shut them out, is to witness love at its most unconditional and brutally honest. Sara and Ben are certainly not your typical couple, each at the end of their rope and living empty existences, but blessed with an inherent sense of love that, despite their dismal environment, manages to afford them with a sliver of happiness and normalcy. A powerful piece of cinema and one that will haunt anyone who's known the sadness and destruction brought on by both alcoholism and spiritual resignation. A must-see film. Incidentally, Sting's musical contribution is excellent and adds immensely to the feel of the film. Mike Figgis wearing three hats (director, screenwriter, composer) is nothing short of phenomenal. One final note, Elizabeth Shue's performance is more than on par with that of Nicholas Cage's Oscar winning effort. A beautifully realized film in every respect.

Rating:
Summary: Overrated, but very good.
Review: This movie is not a masterpice like many people seem to think. But it is still a vey memorable movie that, even though it might bore some people, tells a good and brutal story about finding love the strangest places. The acting is fenomenal. Espesially Cage got to me, and I have to say that this movie is definitely his best performance yet. If I have to say one thing that i did'nt like about this movie, it would be the score, by Mike Figgis, who as you know, also directed the movie. It is really, really bad. But besides that, Leaving Las Vegas is a wonderfull and moving movie!

Rating:
Summary: A Self-Indulgent Bible
Review: Wow, this movie really is almost like a religious experience for me. Being a young alcoholic with a spotted sexual past, it really is nice to know that there are those out there that have it worse than me. If you just need to indulge a moment of succulent, self-absorbed depression, or just want to enjoy a movie for the sheer genious of the acting, this is the movie that you need to watch again, and again.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding performance by cage, an all time classic
Review: This film is an extraordinary look into the depths of alcohol. Cage delivers an accurate look into the lifestyle of a heavy drinker. I, myself, am an alcoholic, and found this movie to be motivating and inspiring. Life is short, drink hard.

Rating:
Summary: BETTER and realistic love story than Romeo and Juliet
Review: This is an amazing movie! Leaving Las Vegas is a real love story, not like those Romeo and Juliet kind of love stories that just look nice..those love stories are hardly ever realistic. But, Leaving Las Vegas is very realistic. In this movie, there is a scene where Ben (Nicholas Cage) walks toward the fridge to get more liquor and that scene is really messed up. But this movie really does a good job of showing the life of a person who gives up everything and decides to drink himself to death. I mean Ben is an alcholic and Sera (Elizabeth Shue) is a prostitute. These two people are living in the bottom of social class, and yet they form this beautiful relationship. Both actor and actress in this movie delivers powerful performance. Although Elizabeth Shue did not win the Oscar, Nicholas Cage did. I think she really deserved to win as well. She had a tough role in this movie: letting her lover die. I mean, it's so sad. Ben wants to die and leave this world, and she lets him die. She loves him and she wants to do something for him; in this case, something she does is letting him die. I mean, this love story is unselfish love. She needs him, and she knows that. Yet, she lets him go because she loves him unsefishly. This movie is not the best movie i have seen, but it is my favorite. This movie captures images of life in dispair so well. Definitely my favorite! You should buy and watch it. But I suggest that you have to be in the right mood to watch this film.

Rating:
Summary: Worth seeing, particularly for the early scenes
Review: The early scenes in this film in which Cage's character's life is unravelling are heartbreakingly real and moving. The scene where he's being fired by a boss who clearly cares about him is stunning. Overall, though, I found this film to be overrated. It never reaches the level of such films as "The Lost Weekend", still the definitive film about alcoholism. The acting is excellent throughout, however.