Leaving Las Vegas (1995) on Netflix
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter, has lost his job, his family and his friends. He arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death and meets Sera, a prostitute.
- Netflix4.2/5
- IMDb7.5/10146,979 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes91%
Trailer
Plot summary
Ben Sanderson is an alcoholic screenwriter in Hollywood. His drinking costs him his job, his family and his friends, and a severance check from his boss leaves him free to go. He drives drunk to the Las Vegas Strip and nearly hits a woman in a crosswalk. She is Sera, who works as a prostitute for Yuri Butsov, an abusive Latvian pimp. On his second day in town Ben calls her and offers $500 for an hour in his room; she agrees, he wants only talk, and she invites him to live in her apartment.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film was based on John O'Brien's 1990 autobiographical novel, and O'Brien died by suicide in April 1994, shortly after learning his novel was being turned into a film.
- Because permits were not issued for some street scenes, Mike Figgis shot scenes on the Las Vegas Strip in a single take to avoid the police, which he said helped the authenticity of the acting.
- Nicolas Cage prepared to play the alcoholic Ben Sanderson by binge drinking in Dublin for two weeks, with a friend videotaping him so he could study his own speech.
