Review: Leaving Las Vegas

The story of the relationship between an alcoholic who refuses help (Nic Cage) and a prostitute (Elisabeth Shue) in Vegas. Cage has lost his job, his family, and frankly his will to live. He is committing suicide via the somewhat elongated route of drinking himself to death. He hires Shue to sit and listen to him, and he listens to her. Before long, despite Cage’s presumed odour and obvious drinking problem, the two fall in love. They realise they need something in one another, but Cage asks Shue to never ever ask him to quit drinking. They’re clearly not headed for a traditional happy ending, but at least they have each other. Meanwhile, Shue’s occupation has its own dangers, one of whom is her unstable pimp named Yuri (Julian Sands) who has a hold on her. Graham Beckel, Danny Huston, and Julian Lennon play bartenders, Steven Weber and Richard Lewis of all people play former business associates of Cage.

 

I’ve held off seeing this 1995 descent into alcoholism and paid sex from writer-director Mike Figgis (“Internal Affairs”, “One Night Stand”) for 18 years. Nic Cage + alcoholism seemed like the least appealing cinematic endeavour one could take. And having now seen the film, I’m certainly unlikely to watch it again. It wasn’t wise of me to make a double-bill out of this and the 2009 film “A Single Man”. But make no mistake, this is a terrible, terrible story...and that’s a compliment. Not every movie is meant to be a nice experience that you walk away from with a smile on your face and a spring in your step, and I’m at an age now where I can appreciate that. This is an extremely well-made and effective film, and yes, Nic Cage pretty much deserved his Oscar for this. On a bad day, the guy is capable of giving the worst performances of all-time (“Deadfall” and “Vampire’s Kiss” specifically), but even a broken clock is right twice a day, and thus even Nic Cage is capable of doing good or even great work. Is he quite often seriously wired and obnoxious here? Yes, but that’s because he’s playing an obnoxious alcoholic who has seemingly no idea just how obnoxious and presumably foul-smelling he is, and in that Cage is spot-on. He’s so incredibly disgusting and pathetic, he’s the kind of guy you’d cross the street to get away from. It’s heartbreaking to see someone degrade themselves like this, and Nic Cage isn’t just being weird and hyper and eating bugs just because he can. No, he has crawled right inside one of the saddest excuses for a human being you’ve ever seen and isn’t holding back one bit. Even when he gets a bit cartoony on occasion, I believe these are intentional moments of humour to lighten the mood before things get even more depressing (Is it meant to be funny that Cage’s boss is named Bill? Is his last name Wilson? Just a thought that went through my head watching the film). If this film were any more realistic it’d be unbearable, so people who say Cage still looks too healthy...seriously, go watch a documentary or something. This is as realistic as you’re going to get for Hollywood.

 

I can understand why Cage won his Oscar yet Elisabeth Shue didn’t, but don’t dismiss the work by Shue, either. She has been quite enjoyable and commendable in other films, but this is obviously and instantaneously the role of her career. As much as Cage has pissed away much of the goodwill he earned from this film, it’s especially sad to have seen Shue not follow up her good work here in subsequent films. Even Cage has at least managed a relatively high profile career. Actresses are often called ‘brave’, as a way of commending them for getting their tits out on camera, but believe me when I tell you, Shue is incredibly brave here (As is Cage for that matter).

 

What saves this film from being harrowingly unwatchable is how heartbreaking it is. These are two of the most lost souls you’ve ever come across. They both need saving, and it’s so incredibly moving that someone with her own problems like Shue would want to save a dirty, zonked-out drunk like Cage. Everyone needs someone I guess, but as much as you want this relationship to work out, you know Cage’s problems in particular are so incredibly deep-rooted that the ending will more than likely not be happy.

 

Veteran bad guy Julian Sands also deserves a mention for his seriously unpleasant, frightening, and slightly pathetic performance as an abusive pimp. When given the chance, Sands, like Cage, can actually deliver, and he must’ve enjoyed the chance to tackle something a little more substantial than a “Warlock” film.

 

Figgis makes all those pretty lights and Vegas casinos seem like the ugliest, loneliest town on Earth. Once again, that’s a compliment. He should also be commended for a genuinely solid, jazzy score, though opinion seems divided on that. Meanwhile, you’ll never hear ‘Lonely Teardrops’ the same way again after this, in a soundtrack that perhaps one too many Sting songs for my liking (There’s also numbers by Don Henley and Michael McDonald). In some ways this film reminds me of something that really ought to have been made in the late 60s or early 70s like “Midnight Cowboy”, “Looking for Mr. Goodbar”, etc. But I guess being made in 1995 allows for much more realism than those previous decades would’ve been afforded.

 

In a seriously eclectic cast, look out for brief appearances by R. Lee Ermey, Valeria Golino (who briefly injects some sweetness), Danny Huston, singer Lou Rawls as a good-natured cabbie, Mariska Hargitay, Ed Lauter, Carey Lowell, and Julian Lennon as a bartender. This is one helluva film, a truly shattering experience that I don’t for a second regret seeing nor will I ever quite shake it from my mind. I just think it would be too much to go through a second time. If this movie leaves you lifeless and unmoved...you’re probably dead. Figgis’ screenplay is based on a novel by John O'Brien, who apparently shot himself around the time the film started shooting. According to his father, the book was his suicide note.

 

Rating: B+