Movies

It's not a movie I could bear to watch very often, because it's sad to see people destroy themselves. But Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue are riveting to watch here. As a person who has a past involvement in alcohol and substance abuse, I found Cage's performance especially compelling, and after watching him in this one, I am sure glad that lifestyle is behind me!The chemistry between these two is really great, two people that need each other in different ways, trying to cope with how screwed up their lives have become. Very real performances, if you're faint-of-heart be ready for some strong words, and not just obscenities. Wow! They really lay it on the line. Great performances by two of my favorites.

Hollywood screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) is a hopeless drunk and self-destructing. He loses his job and his family. He decides to destroy everything in his home, drive to Las Vegas and drink himself to death. He runs into call girl Sera (Elisabeth Shue) and hires her. Her abusive pimp Yuri (Julian Sands) had followed her out from L.A. He's broke and on the run from a gang. Ben and Sera begin a relationship accepting each other's flaws. However these flaws overtake them in the end.This is a movie about a drunk and a hooker with a heart of gold. Cage and Shue make this more than the simple cliché it sounds like. They infuse these characters with humanity. They give two great performances.

I can't say this is a particularly enjoyable watch or a fun one, but it is a very good movie. Both Cage and Shue showcase their abilities as actors, and Figgis dazzles as a director. This is a story about finding hope and love in the most hopeless and loveless of places; there's beauty in the brokenness, even if that brokenness is hard to behold.