Shue begins to love Cage's Benjamin in a way that even she doesn't comprehend. She knows she cannot ask him to stop drinking and yet, of course, she yearns to do so. This one plot point edges the film ever closer to it's climax. Shue changes dramatically from when the film begins from whore, to victim, and finally, to the angel which Cage sees her to be. In the final outcome, this story is really about her.
Cage is remarkable here.
With Vegas as a setting, Figgis has one of the most visually stunning places on earth as his backdrop. He co-opts the city for numerous scenes in the film often using aerial shots as a leitmotif in the finished product. The films opening segment, in L.A., where Cage sets the tone for his character as well as the film, is really a remarkable beginning. Watching Cage guzzle bottle after bottle of hard liquor while in numerous locales, especially while driving his car, is morbidly mesmerizing. Figgis' camera moves as fluidly as the alcohol pours down Cage's esophagus.