"...[Shue holds] her own against Cage, matching him in pain and desolation if not in intensity..."
Sight and Sound "...Unrelenting in its vision, the artistic tour de force by director Mike Figgis is a descent into the abyss....Cage is in top form....Shue is equally skillful..."
Variety "...A uniquely hypnotic and haunting love story sparked by Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue at their career best..."
Rolling Stone "...Haunting....[Shue and Cage] are excellent..." -- 3 out of 4 stars
USA Today "...Beautifully put together, sensitively acted by Nicolas Cage and Elisabeth Shue, directed by Mike Figgis with assurance and style and making exceptional use of its musical score....So marvelously put together it's sure to have an effect..."
Los Angeles Times "...LEAVING LAS VEGAS is one of the best films of the year....That such a film gets made is a miracle....It is a pure, grand gesture..."
Chicago Sun-Times "...[Cage's Academy] award was earned ten times over..."
Entertainment Weekly "Mike Figgis' superb drama features the town as a corrosive backdrop to Nicolas Cage's self-destructive alcoholism."
Uncut