Leaving Las Vegas
| Leaving Las Vegas | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Mike Figgis |
| Produced by | Lila Cazès Annie Stewart |
| Screenplay by | Mike Figgis |
| Based on |
Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Anthony Marinelli Mike Figgis |
| Cinematography | Declan Quinn |
| Edited by | John Smith |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.6 million |
| Box office | $32,029,928 |
Leaving Las Vegas is a 1995 romantic drama film written and directed by Mike Figgis and based on the semi-autobiographical novel Leaving Las Vegas 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 develops a relationship with a hardened prostitute played by Elisabeth Shue, which forms the center of the film. O'Brien committed suicide two weeks after principal photography of the film began.
Leaving Las Vegas was filmed in super 16mm instead of 35 mm film; while 16 mm is common for art house films, 35 mm is most commonly used for mainstream film. After limited release in the United States on October 27, 1995, Leaving Las Vegas was released nationwide on February 9, 1996, receiving strong praise from both critics and audiences. Cage received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Shue was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director.
Ben Sanderson is a Hollywood screenwriter whose alcoholism costs him his job, family, and friends. With nothing left to live for, and a sizable severance check from his boss, he heads to Las Vegas to drink himself to death. As he drives drunkenly down the Las Vegas Strip, he nearly hits a woman, Sera, on the crosswalk. She chastises him and walks away.
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