Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 film adaptation of Hunter S. Thomson 1971 novel Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas : A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream. The film, directed by Terry Gilliam, stars Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke and Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo.

Though the film was a box office failure, It has since become a cult classic due in large part to its release on DVD, including a Special Edition released by The Criterion Collection.

I had to watch this movie more then once before i could fully understand the details of the story. And i had came to the conclusion that it had no meaning & that was the beauty of it. It takes an aquired taste to appreciate this film. The plot being an oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer traveling to Las Vegas for a series of psychadelic escapades. Unlike other drug films, this was not only taken through the viewers eyes but also through the eyes of the junkies. Massive hallucinations, Paranoia etc etc. Its tough to go into details about this movie without wrecking it for those who have not seen it. But rest assured that once again Mr Johnny Depp has far exceeded his talent in impersonating the character to perfection. This is a must watch for all Hunter S. Thompson fans. If you have read the book you will know that this movie captures the same excitement and mayhem created within it's pages.



And i shall leave you with my favourite line by Raoul Duke: "We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a saltshaker half-full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... Also, a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get into locked a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge, and I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon."

Gothic band Choir Of Agony had a track titled Methampetamine released in their 6 track EP dedicated to the film.


Director :
Terry Gilliam

Actors :
Johnny Depp - Raoul Duke
Benicio Del Toro - Dr. Gonzo
Tobey Maguire - Hitchhiker
Christina Ricci - Lucy


RATE : 8.5\10