Leaving Las Vegas (1995) ***1/2
Leaving Las Vegas (1995) has been a big gap in my Cageography basically since it was released. Watching this film led me to revisit Nicolas Cage's IMDb page—of his 97 current actor credits, I've only seen 23 films in his filmography! This is not counting The Outsiders (1983), which I just revisited (my review here), in which Wikipedia claims he has an uncredited cameo. I would argue that I've seen basically all the Cage films that matter or truly interest me though.
Cage and Elisabeth Shue's performances are absolutely worth any hyperbole you've heard. Their work here is raw, riveting and real. And this is a heavy, depressing film. Cage plays a man who, having lost everything that matters to him due to his alcoholism, sets out for Vegas to drink himself to death. He quickly forms a relationship with prostitute Sera (Shue) when the two form a bond through their shared sorrow and need to connect. John O'Brien, the author of the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel which the film is based on, committed suicide by gunshot in 1994, supposedly two weeks after learning that his book was to be made into a movie. Tragic stuff!
Some of Mike Figgis' directorial choices work really well—it very much feels like the "arthouse" film that you'd expect. But then the emotional devastation is severely undercut by the director's own "white jazz" score, featuring nauseating songs by Sting, Michael McDonald and Don Henley. When these tunes come barreling through the soundtrack they all but destroy the mood of the film. So it makes for a conflicted experience. Regardless, LLV is a heavy hitter and I'm sure to revisit it someday.
Cage and Elisabeth Shue's performances are absolutely worth any hyperbole you've heard. Their work here is raw, riveting and real. And this is a heavy, depressing film. Cage plays a man who, having lost everything that matters to him due to his alcoholism, sets out for Vegas to drink himself to death. He quickly forms a relationship with prostitute Sera (Shue) when the two form a bond through their shared sorrow and need to connect. John O'Brien, the author of the semi-autobiographical 1990 novel which the film is based on, committed suicide by gunshot in 1994, supposedly two weeks after learning that his book was to be made into a movie. Tragic stuff!
Some of Mike Figgis' directorial choices work really well—it very much feels like the "arthouse" film that you'd expect. But then the emotional devastation is severely undercut by the director's own "white jazz" score, featuring nauseating songs by Sting, Michael McDonald and Don Henley. When these tunes come barreling through the soundtrack they all but destroy the mood of the film. So it makes for a conflicted experience. Regardless, LLV is a heavy hitter and I'm sure to revisit it someday.
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