Nicolas Cage won a Best Actor Oscar playing a screenwriter and miserable alcoholic who hopes to drink himself to death; Elisabeth Shue was Oscar-nominated as the Las Vegas prostitute who tries to be his surrogate guardian angel. "Leaving Las Vegas", an adaptation of John O'Brien's novel by writer-director Mike Figgis, is a well-produced, well-acted drama that takes a awhile to get its bearings, eventually becoming a moving human tragedy. The opening moments introducing the characters are painfully under-directed; when he has no one to ground him, Cage can be a rambling boor (even doing a little shimmy in the supermarket, he is less a character than Nicolas Cage the actor just cutting up). Shue is very moving once Figgis dispenses with her pimp, and also with his penchant for fancy directorial flourishes that don't set any particular mood. By the second hour, the pieces start falling into place and Cage gets to do some great, high-wire dramatic acting. "Leaving Las Vegas" takes time finding its niche but Figgis and his cast finally capture the material's essence. It's a rewarding journey. **1/2 from ****