Customer Reviews

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

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I find it sad that much of the country bases it's movie selections on the opinions of hacks like Leonard Maltin. I can see why this wasn't a mainstream success due to it's waaaaaay out in left field mentality, but because of all the negativity this great film remains unseen by many. As people come around to the acting genius of both Johnny Depp and Benecio Del Toro (and they will), they will inevitably want to see their earlier works and then, finally, they will see what all the hype wasn't about.

Terry Gilliam absolutely NAILED Hunter's book. The visuals are incredible and alarming. The angles, strange and enticing. I heard that they filmed this movie without a script, just the book in hand. After reading the book, I believe trying to write a script for it could have severly dampened the impact.

Now for the drug use... If you are the type of person who realized that Fight Club wasn't really about the fighting, then you will also realize that Fear & Loathing isn't really about the drug use. According to the big dog movie critics only a stoner will appreciate this movie, which leads me to believe that only idiots become professional movie reviewers.

If you appreciate ground-breaking cinema, truly innovative directing, first-rate acting and are looking for something different... the ramblings of a gonzo journalist could be just the thing.

A Review of the DVD: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Starring:
Johnny Depp,
Benicio Del Toro

Director: Terry Gilliam

Writing credits:
Hunter S. Thompson (book)
Terry Gilliam (screenplay)
Tony Grisoni (screenplay)
Tod Davies (screenplay)
Alex Cox (screenplay)

Run Time: 118 Minutes
Released: 1998

Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. He called this form reporting gonzo journalism.

Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.

Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro do justice to the outrageous characters created by Hunter S Thompson. The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter S Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.

See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I completely enjoyed this film and recommend it to others.

This DVD finally gives one of Terry Gilliam's lesser-loved (but brilliant!) films the red carpet treatment. The commentary from Gilliam is crazed and passionate; Depp and Del Toro really show off their wit, charm, and intelligence along with producer Laila Nabulsi's back-stage insight, and the last commentary is a rather odd and screwball one from Thompson himself. I won't tell you a thing about the last commentary. You've got to buy this and check it out on your own. (Here's a hint: 'Screeee-ahhhh! Raaaaaaaagh!' *other assorted sounds*)

The second disc is crammed with some great goodies as well - Depp reads letters written to/from Thompson. There's a great BBC documentary showing HST and Ralph Steadman undertaking a trip from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. Another gem is a snippet from an audio-book recording of Fear & Loathing with Jim Jarmusch as Raoul Duke! All definitely worth it.

Fear and Loathing isn't just a drug movie (as all the extras on the DVD will reiterate over and over again) - it's a truthful, imaginative, twisted, and subversive take on the death of the most idealistic decade and generation. We get to see it all through the eyes of two renegade professionals, one a journalist and the other a lawyer, both fighting the good fight against scum and villainy.

We can't stop here! THIS IS BAT COUNTRY.

If, when you rent this film, you are expecting a Cheech and Chong film, think twice. People frequently compare the two, but Fear and Loathing is not only infinitely better, it is not the screwball comedy everyone seems to think it is.

Johnny Depp plays Raoul Duke, alter ego to gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who wrote the book this film is based on. He is sent on an assignment by Rolling Stone to cover a motorcycle race in Las Vegas. Coming along for the ride is Dr. Gonzo (aka Oscar Zeta Acosta), Duke's repulsive attorney, played by Benicio del Toro. The two rent a very expensive convertible and bring along with them a case full of illegal drugs.

The film is essentially the journey of two drug-fueled madmen through one of the most unfriendly cities in the country, but it's also a study on what life was like in 1971. In the end, as funny as it may be, it's really a docudrama. Gilliam directs the film in his classic "nightmarish" style, creating a truly hellish vision of America. But the biggest surprise of all is how true the screenplay is to the novel. Sure, like any adaptation, some good stuff is taken out, but if you compare what's written down, there isn't that much of a difference.

Most enjoyable, however, are the performances. Johnny Depp is hilarious as Duke and Del Toro, despite how disgusting his character is, is nothing short of a scene stealer. The film is also ripe with cameos, the most memorable are the ones delivered by Harry Dean Stanton, Tobey Maguire, Gary Busey, and of course, Flea of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

I recommend this to any Gilliam/Thompson fans, though in order to enjoy it, you need to watch it in a generally filthy atmosphere, and for some of you, you may need to see it more than once to really appreciate this. Overall, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a very good film filled with moments that stick with you for a long time.

"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" Review

Though it was greeted with lukewarm reviews and mediocre ticket sales, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" was a wonderfully made movie that catches every essence of Hunter S. Thompson's word. The movie follows Thompson's drug induced alter ego, Raoul Duke (played by Johnny Depp), and his doped up Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo (played by Benecio del Toro), as they travel in pursuit of the "American Dream." Based on the 1971 novel of the same name, the (drug) counterculture comedy was a roller coaster ride on LSD. Due to its graphic depiction of drug use and its effects, the film was looked at as a "plotless movie about drug addicts." I found these reviews a little hard to swallow, though. True, the movie is about drugs and how those on them function differently from the "sober" half of society. Those who are opposed to drugs on the screen (or drugs in general) could easily damn the movie for its content. Moreso, though, it is a lifestyle that few get to see. It is an ADVENTURE for the ambiguous "American Dream." Being undefined, this pursuit is almost aimless. This, however, does not mean the movie does not have plot. The search for the "dream" and their experiences with others is the real story here. It just doesn't have any real closure. Throughout the film, the story follows the book pretty closely. The movie begins with Duke and Gonzo speeding through the desert on their way to the Las Vegas. Being a writer, Duke has been sent to cover the Mint 400 Race, a motorcycle exhibition that takes place in the desert near Vegas. Having received the assignment while "relaxing" with Gonzo, Duke decides to make the trip more "pleasure" than "business." They purchase a new car (the Red Shark) and fill its trunk to capacity with nearly every drug imaginable. Upon arriving in Vegas, the duo begins their mad drug fed romp through the "sin city." They terrorize the desert town without trying to get caught. Their diet, consisting mainly of grapefruits and the contents of their trunk, provides them with enough sustenance to stumble from casino to casino. Duke attempts to report on the Mint 400, but finds no glory (and no hint of the American Dream). For a time, the two are seperated, as Gonzo returns to LA for business. Upon his return, the duo continue their search for the "Dream," but quickly find interest in other activities (infiltrating a police officer conference while under the influence, drinking pure adrenaline, trashing a room and assaulting a maid, etc.) In the end, the two give up their mission and leave Vegas with unpaid hotel bills and alot of angry citizens. From start to finish, the movie pretty much parallels the book. There are even times when pieces of dialogue are verbatim. One scene that definitely does not appear in the movie (and is very oblique in the book) was a chapter based on a static recording made by "Thompson." In it, he and Gonzo make inquiries of the vague "American Dream" to dime store waitresses who can offer no real directions. With the storyline and the material similar to the book, the originality and flair of the film comes from a mix of the elements. First, the cast is a stupendous gathering of Hollywood's finest underlings - Christina Ricci as the depressed, Streisand infatuated tag along; Cameron Diaz (for a minute) as a spellbinding TV reporter; Gary Busey as the righteous but accepting Highway patrol officer; Benecio del Torro as the unbearable but faithful (to the "Dream") Dr. Gonzo. Secondly, Johnny Depp delivers the performance of a lifetime as the eccentric and insightful Raoul Duke/Hunter S. Thompson. Also, people who have seen Thompson in interviews on TV would know that Depp truly embodied the writer in both body movements and speech. Third, with artists like Jefferson Airplane, Three Dog Night, and Bob Dylan on the soundtrack, the psychedelic music that accompanies the film is both fitting and mood inspiring. Fourth, and lastly, "Fear and Loathing" would never have come to the screen in the format it did if the film had not been placed in the capable and crafty hands of director Terry Gilliam. With movies like "The Fisher King" and "12 Monkeys" under his belt, Gilliam has proven himself to have an original touch and an eye for the abnormal. These can be seen in the wide angle shots of desert, the extreme close ups of the panic stricken characters, the dark lighting that accompanies the hallucinations, and the special effects that enable the audience to tread lightly on the drug trips. In the end, I saw "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as one of the better films of 1998. The acting was commendable. The directing, superb. And all in all, a damn good movie to watch if you wish to find the "American Dream" for yourself.

Fear and Loathing is just outright "wet your pants" hilarious at every junction. Not only does Del Toro sport the best beer belly in the business but Depp's take on Hunter S. Thompson just goes to show what a talent he is because the performance is 610% perfection in every department. This film just cracks me up!

The problem with this film is that it assaults mainstream movie-goers unconditionally from start to finish by never conforming to the standards that keep them "safe" inside their shell. If you don't let go then chances are you are another false member of that which Hunter S. Thompson is expounding about - the crook called the "American Dream". The person on your left is laughing. The person on your right is sitting smug faced. The one behind is complaining and the one in front is crying. The result is that if you hate this movie you hate it because you can just never understand it, like the business guy who walks into the toilet only to see a grown man sniff LSD from another's felt sleeve. The person leaves confused, will never understand it, because he has never experienced anything like that and has no clue what it is all about. People will try and deal with all of this by labelling it somehow. "Drugs! Its all about those druggies and only druggies will get it!" some may cry out. The truth is that people who may have done drugs will know a little about the unconventionality that this film is based on but yet again there are many others who will also get it, but never have done drugs. This film attacks a certain type of personality - those who are stuck so far up their own orifice with the American dream that they have limited their perceptions of life indefinitely and remain wooden throughout the rest of their existence.

Here we see two guys just make it to freedom of the "self" in any way that they can. The movie is one big trip of letting it all go and is by the far a screaming ride of absolute insanity from start to finish. There is not many mainstream Hollywood productions that do this and Gilliam's take on it is done passionately. This is just a wholly original riot of a move about utilizing mayhem and madness to transcend the banality of chasing phantoms that very few will obtain. While masses delude themselves with power and riches, the rest will just put their feet up and play with the cards that they have been dealt.

This movie is a wonderful experience that just goes to show that not everyone in life is an Ikea slave debaser of themselves. This is a film that has some humanity sown in among the insanity. Love or hate it, it is still needed and fills that cultural void nicely.

In case you don't know what ROTFLMAO means, it's internet shorthand for "rolling on the floor, laughing my a** off". I am not one to laugh out loud in a theatre and generally I don't go for comedy films anyway. "Fear and Loathing" is the exception to both of those claims. This is one of the most "un-politically-correct" films in years, and a much more realistic pictures of some people some of us actually knew in the 70's who took psychodelic drugs as a normal, everyday thing. Completely irresponsible and dangerous, the storyline is completely believable. Johnny Depp nails Hunter Thompson cold and is simply hilarious. Terry Gilliam practically turned the book into the script verbatim. In fact I've never seen a closer film adaptation of a book. I saw the movie in the theatres and this was one of the first DVD's I ever bought. DVD extras include several scenes not used in the movie and a making-of documentary. One really good deleted scene involves Thompson and Gonzo drinking at the police convention in Vegas next to a visiting cop. What's wonderful is the way these guys work off of each other as they develop a total line of bull to feed the cop who hangs on every word. It's a classic snowjob, but was edited out because it moves slowly and has no bearing on the actual story. Still, it helps to show the great interaction of the characters and you won't see it anywhere but the DVD. Isn't that what DVD's were supposed to be for ? I normally agree with many news reviews of movies but not in this case. This movie never got the accolades it deserved. Except from me of course. This is bat country ! Buy it, watch it, love it for life, but as Simon & Garfunkel once said to Mrs Robinson: "most of all we've got to hide it from the kids, koo-koo-ca-choo..."

i have seen a lot of reviews saying you will only enjoy this movie if you are high. thats the farthest thing from the truth. almost every review i've read says its just a movie about drug use with no plot. apparently a chestnut is watching the movie, because there is an obvious plot. saying this movie is only about drugs, is like saying fight club is only about guys beating the crap out of each other, requiem for a dream was only about drugs, american history x is only about black people hating nazi skinheads, and pulp fiction has no plot.

if you can only focus on the violence/sex/drug use in movies, you should stick to watching the many adventures of winnie the pooh.

I must admit, when I first saw the movie at the late, lamented Worldwide center (second run movie house) in Manhattan, I thought it was noisy and unfocused, and a lesser effort by a brilliant director. I bought the DVD anyway, mainly because any Terry Gilliam movie is worth having, and Criterion versions doubly so. Well, my opinion of the movie has done almost a complete 180 degree turn. Perhaps the movie, coming out during the epicurian excess of the Clinton years, seemed like a sad relic of decades gone by-sort of an art house Cheech and Chong movie. But now, with the nation and the world in such turmoil, and the divide between the left and the right in this country moving back to center stage, the movie feels completely of, and perhaps ahead of, the times. Far from being a pro-drug movie (Duke and Dr. Gonzo are never held up to be the good guys, and their various "trips" are scarier than anything the anti-drug legions can come up with.) this is a movie about anesthesia, One group may use drugs, another may use money, or power, or sex, but the effect is all the same. These are people trying to escape from the reality of their existence, and for our "heroes", the anesthetic doesn't so much wear off, but pulls them even deeper into the horror.

The movie itself is an overlooked gem, but the good folks at Criterion have packed the dvd and companion disc with some of the best features they've ever attempted. A Terry Gilliam commentary is always welcome, and Depp and Del Toro have their say, but how about a commentary by Hunter S. Thompson in full gonzo mode. Well, it's here, and the second disc covers both the film's checkered life (especially the WGA screenplay flap: who'dve thought that arbitration was so fascinating), and the historical context of "Fear and Loathing", including some footage of the real Dr. Gonzo, Chicano attorney Oscar Ceasar Acosta (who's been missing since the mid-70's) reading from one of the books he authored. In short, the disc succeeds as both a film, and as a study of a much misunderstood era in recent history. I'm not sure yet, but it may just be the best DVD purchase I have ever made. Thanks, Hunter Thompson, Terry Gilliam, and Criterion.

Johnny Depp is excellent as Hunter S. Thompson, and Benicio del Toro is great as his lawyer, the late Oscar Zeta Acosta. Yeah, yeah, I know... Bill Murray was good as the great HST in Where the Buffalo Roam too, but Depp just has this style... and Fear and Loathing is just SO FUNNY! Some reviewers mentioned that you don't have to be drugged up to enjoy this movie and they are right, altho I can say from experience that it makes the movie 10x better! This movie almost mirrors the book but witnessing the characters in motion and seeing the scenery and places instead of just reading about them is just AMAZING. Terry Gilliam is briliant and accurately portrayed some of Ralph Steadman's best rederings from the book (HST's fav British illustrator). The movie also has the weirdest cameos by some of the most random A-listers and... pseudo-celebrities; like Penn from Penn and Teller, Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and even Tobey Maguire as one of the FREAKIEST LOOKING HITCH HIKERS. And the best thing about this movie is everytime I watch it (and I watch it A LOT) I see something I never noticed before. Even HST makes a breif appearance! Some may believe this is a movie for druggies and that it doesn't make any sense, but that's not true. It's a collection of musings, observations, and ideaologies written by one of the most controversial, outspoken yet brilliant journalists of all time. The book/movie was compiled from 2 trips Thompson made to Vegas, but he claims that he was searching for the American Dream. Did he find it??? Uhhhh... well watch the movie and see for yourself... ok by the end of the movie it's hard to tell but the adventure is worth it, hard conclusion or not. *hint* in the book the American Dream was supposedly a huge dilapidated black building down the street from some taco restaurant or something, or so someone claimed....