Leaving Las Vegas

Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film directed and written by Mike Figgis, based on a semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by John O'Brien. Nicolas Cage stars as a suicidal alcoholic who has ended his personal and professional life to drink himself to death in Las Vegas. While there, he forms a relationship with a hardened prostitute, played by Elisabeth Shue, which forms the center of the film. O'Brien committed suicide two weeks after production of the film started. A halt was considered, but work continued as a tribute.

Leaving Las Vegas was filmed in super 16mm instead of 35 mm film which is most commonly used for mainstream film, although 16 mm is common forart house films. After limited release in the United States on October 27, 1995, Leaving Las Vegas made its nationwide release on February 9, 1996, receiving praise from critics and audiences. Cage received an Academy Award for Best Actor while Shue was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.

Story:

Ben Sanderson (Cage) is a Hollywood screenwriter whose alcoholism costs him his job, family and friends. With nothing left, he goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. As he drives drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he almost hits a woman in the crosswalk (Shue), who chastises him. Ben checks into a sleazy motel called The Whole Year Inn. As he looks at this the wording changes to "The Hole You're In." Meanwhile, Sera is a prostitute for an abusive pimp, Yuri Butso (Julian Sands), a Latvian (actually Russian) immigrant. Polish mobsters are after Yuri, so he breaks his relationship with Sera in fear that the Poles may hurt her.

On his second day in Las Vegas, Ben meets Sera, on the street where he first met her, introduces himself and offers $500 to go to his room for an hour. Sera agrees to go to his room, but Ben does not want sex. Instead, they talk and create an odd relationship. Their relationship is doomed; Sera has to promise Ben she will never ask him to stop drinking, and Ben is not allowed to criticize Sera's occupation. At first the two are stable. Ben is "totally at ease with this (Sera's prostitution)." However, each becomes frustrated with the other's behavior. Sera attempts to get Ben to eat but Ben stumbles for more alcohol. Sera begs him to see a doctor. Ben, furious but intoxicated, brings another prostitute (Mariska Hargitay) to Sera's house. Sera returns home and throws Ben out. Shortly afterward, she is raped and beaten by three teenagers, and the injuries make her occupation obvious. After being evicted, Sera receives a call from Ben, who is on his deathbed. She visits Ben and they have sex. They fall asleep, and when Ben wakes up, he looks across at Sera, who is lying on top of him, and dies while holding her as she sleeps. His last word is "wow".