Nicolas Cage has done all sorts of movies, and I was only inclined to watch Leaving Las Vegas, the movie that gave him his Best Actor in a Leading Role. I knew nothing about the film, although by the cover it appeared to be a love story. I don't really like love stories, but I thought I could handle it since Leaving Las Vegas' entire cast is pretty much Elisabeth Shue and Nicolas Cage.

Both do an excellent job, and Cage deserves his award. He's drunk the whole movie, and it's sad, but he does a convincing job. Cage is the perfect person for the role. This is by far Shue's most sexy role, as she seems to sleep with every even slightly important character, whether by volunteering or not. Her acting is good and she too fits the role good.

The story is supposed to be about the relationship between Cage and Shue, although it is more about themselves individually and there problems, Cage's especially. There are several parts where the two are split apart, and Cage is trying to drink himself to death, while Shue must handle her prostitution, especially after she is raped. The strange thing is, unlike most movies, Cage never tries to solve his problem, and Shue only makes one pathetic attempt. There was no resolution to the movie, and to this point I still can't figure out if there was really a point to the movie. It was sort of a love story, but it was more about Cage and his drinking problem, and there was no significant character or story developments.

Leaving Las Vegas was an original movie, and Shue's and Cage's characters were depicted well, but the lack of a real story or any point made it uninteresting. The movie is hard to watch in long stretches, as it either gets graphic or boring, and the lack of an interesting conclusion leaves it a little less than to be desired for.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.