The movie Leaving Las Vegas, based on John O’Brien’s novel, stunned audiences and had critics raving. Writer John O’Brien did not live to see the phenomenal success of the movie based on his novel, Leaving Las Vegas. In June, Grove Press released The Assault on Tony’s, a book O’Brien had nearly finished at the time of his suicide. When I began working on it, nobody knew who John O’Brien was. “It bothers me when the people who write about John O’Brien always describe his life as `said’ or `tormented,'” says Erin.