Continuity mistake: When Nicholas Cage is in the pool and in a couple of other scenes where he is wearing a shirt you can clearly see a tattoo on his back, but when filmed without a shirt the tattoo is gone.
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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
1 review
Directed by: Mike Figgis
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Elisabeth Shue, Julian Sands, Richard Lewis
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Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue star in this portrait of two broken souls that find each other and try desperately to find love and happiness, if only fleeting solace, in each other's company amid the neon, Casinos, and seedy hotels of Sin City. One is a man who's lost everything to his uncontrolled drinking and is putting himself headlong into one last, suicidal binge while the other is a lonely prostitute who, by chance encounter, finds herself wanting to reach him, and possibly change both their destinies too late. Serious, sad and tragic, the character's plights and struggles are moving and fascinating, with the stars both convincingly portraying failed lives spiraling downward. Not a happy movie, but a good drama.
Ben Sanderson: I'll tell you, right now... I'm in love with you. But, be that as it may, I am not here to force my twisted soul into your life.
Question: Is Leaving Las Vegas an accurate depiction of alcoholism and intoxication?
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Chosen answer: Like any cinematic depiction of ANY behavior, "Leaving Las Vegas" is a depiction of extremes of behavior. Keep in mind that Nic Cage wasn't merely trying to catch a buzz in this film, he was trying to commit suicide-by-alcohol, which is extreme. If anything, Nic Cage's performance was far too animated and articulate for someone dying of alcoholism. Seldom are the final, terminal stages of alcoholism worthy of depiction in a feature film. So, the answer is no.
Charles Austin Miller