LEAVING LAS VEGAS

"Maybe you could drink a little less," someone advises Ben (superbly played by Nicholas Cage) early on in this film.

"Maybe I could breathe a little less," he replies, defining the helpless and pathetic motivation that drives him through an alcohol-soaked life of lonely, spasm-ridden lows and euphoric, intoxicated highs. Cage portrays the alcoholic Ben uncannily well: from rarely-sober (when he is, he is a mess); to the self-destroying state of a (mostly) harmless drunk; always believable and compelling.

High-class hooker Sera (another Hollywood stereotype) works to survive, trying to retain her pride by convincing herself she is amongst the best at what she does. Her part is also excellently played by Elisabeth Shue, both she and Cage suceeding in transcending the stereotypes of their roles and creating realistic, pitiable characters.

When the paths of the two cross, Leaving Las Vegas loses any elements of the darkest comedy at which it first hinted, and becomes a love story, albeit one firmly entrenched in the seediest locations and situations of America's vice capital. Sera accepts Ben for what he is: and he her, resulting in an at times strained relationship, but one totally driven by love and dependance on each other.

That this movie should present the characters' lives with such brutal realism and impartiality, makes it one of the most tragic tales I have seen. A very powerful, sad and moving film.

Thoughtful, gripping, mesmerising. 10/10