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But in “Leaving Las Vegas”, the biggest party seems
to be going on in alcoholic Ben Sanderson's cranium.
Sanderson’s (Nicolas Cage) left the hustle and bustle
of L.A – and a former, one-time lucrative job as a screenwriter
– to drink himself to death in Sin City.
In between the shots, shooters and black outs, he crosses
paths with hooker Sera (Elisabeth Shue), an equally troubled
soul whose addiction is starting to border on precarious territory
too. Together, they make sense, and as long as she promises
to never tell Ben to stop drinking – they'll be fine.
At least until his liver finally gives...
Based on the book by John O’Brien, “Vegas”
is a universal story on a seductive, always-awake backdrop.
It doesn’t hurt either that both Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth
Shue wear the shoes of its innermost wounded. They’re
sensational – Cage as immersive as always (he apparently
filmed himself drunk to get the speech patterns down pat),
and Shue knockout grand as the trashy hooker with a heart
of bullion.
It’s a beautiful looking picture, but a depressing picture
at the end of the day. Credit to the filmmakers and actors
for their ultra-credible turns, again then.
DVD Extras
It’s a low budget, almost-Indy flick so don’t expect
too much from the audio and video, but wouldn’t it have
been nice to have seen some extras? Maybe a 10 year anniversary
edition is in the works for down the track? Still, this is
an amazing picture and well worth adding to the tower of discs.
Conclusion: Movie 90% Extras 0%
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