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Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
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How unlucky can a film get? To be released at the same time as one Las Vegas movie might be considered unfortunate, but to come up against two looks like carelessness. Yet, while Martin Scorsese's Casino fascinated the heavyweight cineastes and Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls was trawled across the tabloids, this agonising study of alcoholic self-destruction from director Mike Figgis quietly impressed film-goers across the board with its uncompromising honesty and exceptional performances. Nicolas Cage won a well-deserved Oscar for his portrayal of a failed Hollywood screenwriter who goes to Vegas to drink himself to death. Just as memorable is Oscar-nominated Elisabeth Shue as the prostitute who befriends him. Shooting in Super 16mm, Figgis strips away the gaudy glamour of Nevada's temptation capital, revealing it to be nothing more than a tawdry, neon-lit tourist trap that exists solely on dashed hopes, broken promises and guilty secrets. As sobering an experience as cinema can provide, this is downbeat all the way, but the sensitivity of the direction and the authenticity of the acting also give it a curiously redemptive feel. DP
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| Contains violence, swearing, nudity, drug abuse. |
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Tell us what you think
Email us at rtfilmcomments@bbc.co.uk to tell us what you think of this film. Your comments may appear in Radio Times magazine.
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Running time
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107min
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Country of origin
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US
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Genre
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Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Mike Figgis, from the novel by John O'Brien
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Theatrical distributor
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Entertainment Film Dists Ltd
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UK cinema certificate
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18
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 1995 |
Actor in a Leading Role |
Nicolas Cage |
Winner |
| Academy 1995 |
Actress in a Leading Role |
Elisabeth Shue |
Nominee |
| Academy 1995 |
Directing |
Mike Figgis |
Nominee |
| Academy 1995 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Mike Figgis |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
Nicolas Cage |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role |
Elisabeth Shue |
Nominee |
| BAFTA 1995 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Mike Figgis |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 1995 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama |
Nicolas Cage |
Winner |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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