The original cowriter and director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was Alex Cox, whose earlier film Sid and Nancy suggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunately Cox departed due to the usual "creative differences," and this ill-fated adaptation was thrust upon Terry Gilliam, whose formidable gifts as a visionary filmmaker were squandered on the seemingly unfilmable elements of Thompson's ether-fogged narrative. The result is a one-joke movie without the joke--an endless... series of repetitive scenes involving rampant substance abuse and the hallucinogenic fallout of a road trip that's run crazily out of control. Johnny Depp plays Thompson's alter ego, "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke, and Benicio Del Toro is his sidekick and so-called lawyer Dr. Gonzo. During the course of a trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, they ingest a veritable chemistry set of drugs, and Gilliam does his best to show us the hallucinatory state of their zonked-out minds. This allows for some dazzling imagery and the rampant humour of stumbling buffoons, and the mumbling performances of Depp and Del Toro wholeheartedly embrace the tripped-out, paranoid lunacy of Thompson's celebrated book. But over two hours of this insanity tends to grate on the nerves--like being the only sober guest at a party full of drunken idiots. So while Gilliam's film may achieve some modest cult status over the years, it's only because Fear and Loathing is best enjoyed by those who are just as stoned as the characters in the movie. --Jeff Shannon [show more]
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Please note this is a region B Blu-Ray and will require a region B or region free Blu-Ray player in order to play "We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs began to take hold"It is 1971 journalist Raoul Duke barrels towards Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney Dr Gonzo But what is ostensibly a cut-and-dry journalistic endeavor quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey and an excoriating dissection of the American way of life Director Terry Gilliam and an all star cast (headed by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Torro) show no mercy bringing Dr Hunter S Thompson&39;s legendary Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas to the screen creating a film both hilarious and savage Gilliam took over the reigns as director after Alex Cox (Repo Man) left the production due to creative differences Gilliam quickly re-wrote the screenplay in its entirety to fit his unique creative vision and style while staying true to Thompson&39;s writings Actors Johnny Depp Benicio Del Toro Tobey Maguire Ellen Barkin Gary Busey Christina Ricci Cameron Diaz Craig Bierko Lyle Lovett Flea Harry Dean Stanton Christopher Meloni Jenette Goldstein Michael Jeter & Hunter S ThompsonDirector Terry GilliamCertificate 18 years and overYear 1998Screen Widescreen 2351 AnamorphicLanguages English - Dolby Digital (51)Subtitles English for the hard of hearing ; Norwegian ; Finnish ; Danish ; SwedishDuration 1 hour and 53 minutes (approx)
In 1971, journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his companion Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) arrive in Las Vegas, ostensibly so Raoul can cover the Mint 400 off-track race. The duo embark on a massive drugs binge, checking into the Mint hotel before visiting the Bazzoka Circus casino while high on ether. The hedonistic weekend continues the following day, with Raoul and Gonzo meeting various way-out characters along the way. Watch out for cameos by Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci and Gary Busey in Terry Gilliam's visually stunning adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's cult novel.
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