Please note: This was screened in
Fired from his Hollywood job, screenwriter Ben Sanderson (Nicolas Cage) heads for Las Vegas – the only town where the bars never close – to drink himself into oblivion. When he meets beautiful sex worker Sera (Shue), the two of them strike up an unconventional pact; she won't ask him to stop drinking, and he won't judge her profession. Things go well for a while…
Adapted from John O’Brien’s semi-autobiographical novel, this bleakly romantic drama avoids sentimentality and cliche instead it captures the lurid beauty of Las Vegas casinos and neon-drenched streets on grainy Super 16mm. Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue give career defining performances as the relentless alcoholic Ben and streetwise working girl Sera whilst for director and scriptwriter Figgis there was never any delusion of a Hollywood ending.
This original Super 16mm negative served as the foundation for the stunning 4K restoration, preserving the film's intimate, hand-held authenticity.
A 4K restoration by Silver Salt Restoration in the UK based on the Super 16 camera negative and 35mm dupe sections scan done at Duplitech. The Final color was approved by director Mike Figgis.