Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Kim Adams

An avowed alcoholic, Ben drank away his family, friends and, finally, his job. With deliberate resolve, he burns the remnants of his life and heads for Las Vegas to end it all in one final binge. On t...( read more  read more... )he strip, Ben picks up a street-smart hooker named Sera in what might have been another excess in his self-destructive jag. Instead their chance meeting becomes a respite on the road to oblivion as something connects between these two disenfranchised souls.

Flixster Users

83% liked it

20,368 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

44 critics

R, 1 hr. 52 min.

Directed by: Mike Figgis

Release Date: October 27, 1995

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DVD Release Date: February 24, 1998

Stats: 2,556 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,556)


  • September 29, 2009
    Love this film. It?s a very moving story of two lost souls finding each other albeit, a little too late. Cage deserved his Oscar for his performance but Shue was overlooked I believe.
  • May 10, 2009
    Excellent, dark and disturbing romance. The acting is top-notch.
  • May 9, 2009
    aint seen anything like it before. it's the perfect accompaniment to a bottle of scotch. a drinkers paradise. essentially it's a twisted love story
  • April 4, 2009
    Nothing spells tragic love story like a drunk and a hooker. Leaving Las Vegas is an excellent romantic movie. The characters are incredibly flawed, yet they don't bother trying to victimise them. Cage states "I can't remember if I started drinking when she left or she left when I...( read more) started drinking." It's a perfect one line set-up. Whatever these characters have done previously is of no consequence. Figgis wants us to concentrate on who they are NOW, and what they do for each other. Unlike Hollywood romances they don't do a lot for each other, apart from accept one another for whom they are. It's sweet but also hard viewing. Cage and Shue are a wonderful couple, refusing to judge and refusing to ask the other person to make a compromise. It's a brutal thing to behold. Cage deserved the Oscar, he plays a cinematic drunk not for laughs, not for sympathy and not for hate. He just plays it and all these emotions manifest naturally.
  • February 15, 2009
    "Is drinking a way of killing yourself?
    - Or is killing myself a way of drinking?"

    Ben Sanderson (Nic Cage), once a promising screenwriter, decides to drink himself to death after losing everything, including hope, in his life. In Las Vegas, he meets a beautiful prostitute c...( read more)alled Sera (Elizabeth Shue), who also is living a troubled life. Can an unexpected, abnormal love help them?

    "You can never, never ask me to stop drinking. Do you understand?"

    "Leaving Las Vegas" is a tough and depressing film to watch. Looking at a troubled man literally drink himself to death, and knowing that all that he needs is in front of him (and I'm not talking about the bottle...), may be a hard one to watch.

    Nicolas Cage, who won an Oscar for his portrayal, does an authentic performance. He lives and breaths as Ben Sanderson. Truly one of the most heartbreaking performances in the history of cinema. This time, the golden statue went to the one who really deserved it. "Leaving Las Vegas" is the film that Nic Cage will be remembered by.

    Elizabeth Shue's performance is just as high-class as Cage's. Those who remember her from such films as "Karate Kid" and "Back to the Future" should prepare themselves for something much more different.

    Mike Figgis' direction is very good. He concentrates on that what is the strongest element of the movie, the character development. He gives us the viewers simple images, backed up with a beautiful jazzy score.

    "Leaving Las Vegas" is a real gem. The film is touching but very tough to watch. In the end, it's a love story that will make those, who have it alright in their lives, to clinch on to that important thing they have. Hope and love.
  • October 31, 2009
    Very special and moving story
  • October 29, 2009
    A moving love story that is really gruesome and sincere to watch.It provides a very shocking and revealing look at the lives of a hopeless drunkard and a lonely prostitute. It is intense but worth watching to understand the nature of different loves.
  • October 27, 2009
    Good performances, but I don't see what all the hype is about.
  • October 22, 2009
    Depressing and disturbingly accurate.
  • October 1, 2009
    Leaving Las Vegas is quite a powerful and somewhat depressing romantic drama. Both the roles of anowed alchoholic played by Nicolas Cage and a troubled prostitute played by Elsabeth Sue are performed excellently creating perfect chemistry between the two characters throughout the...( read more) whole film. By far this is best actiing ive ever seen from both Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue and excellent directing by Mike Figgis making this one of my favourite romance films. I hope the rest of you enjoy this film as much as I did

Critic Reviews


May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

A uniquely hypnotic and haunting love story sparked by Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue at their career best. full review

January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Cage, a resourceful and daring actor, has never been better. full review

January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

It's an enjoyable, sometimes fascinating film, and it grows in the memory. full review

View more Leaving Las Vegas reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Leaving Las Vegas Trivia


  • Who is the leading actor in "Leaving las Vegas","Face/off" and "The weather man"  Answer »
  • This film, which stars Nicholas Cage, tells the story of an alcoholic who drinks himself to death.  Answer »
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