Leaving Las Vegas
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 American drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis and based on the 1990 semi-autobiographical novel by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic in Los Angeles who, having lost his family and been recently fired, has decided to move to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. He loads a supply of liquor and beer into his BMW and gets drunk as he drives from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Once there, he develops a romantic relationship with a prostitute played by Elisabeth Shue and the film shifts to include her narrative perspective. O'Brien died by suicide after signing away the film rights to the novel.
Plot
Ben Sanderson is an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who has lost his job, family, and friends. With nothing left to live for, and with a sizable severance check from his boss, he heads to Las Vegas where he plans on drinking himself to death. One early morning, he drives drunkenly from his Los Angeles home down to the Las Vegas Strip; he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. She chastises him and walks away.
Awards
Cast
- Albert Henderson
- Bob Rafelson
- Carey Lowell
- Danny Huston
- David Brisbin
- Ed Lauter
- Elisabeth Shue
- Emily Procter
- French Stewart
- Graham Beckel
- http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q361610
- Jeremy Jordan
- Julian Sands
- Laurie Metcalf
- Lucinda Jenney
- Mariska Hargitay
- Michael A. Goorjian
- Mike Figgis
- Nicolas Cage
- Paul Quinn
- R. Lee Ermey
- Richard Lewis
- Shawnee Smith
- Steven Weber
- Thomas Kopache
- Valeria Golino
- Vincent Ward