Year: 1998
Director: Terry Gilliam
Country: US
Language: English
Johnny Depp stars as the oddball journalist desperately searching for the "American dream" on a trip to Las Vegas to cover a sporting event with his psychopathic lawyer (Benicio Del Toro). Along the way they take various pills and slip into madness.
Unlike stoner classics such as Dazed and Confused or Up In Smoke, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas doesn't make drug use look cool, rather its absolutely terrifying. Our two main characters go absolutely crazy tearing up hotel rooms and seeing the absolute worst of America. The film actually does a good job at showing America's worst aspects, from the undeniable presence of corporate greed to the petty materialism of the common man. Even the beauty of a carpet is seen as an ugly product of sweatshop labor.
Unfortunately the picture is without shape, it's an entire film about drug abuse but there is no story arch. Of course Gilliam could be emphasizing the pointlessness of using drugs. The original novel has a great deal of humor, as its being told in past tense, however the movie is told in present tense and is completely stripped of any enjoyment. Though I normally can't stand Johnny Depp as an actor, he does a pretty good job in his role as the mad writer. Despite that, Hunter S. Thompson is written quite poorly. In reality Hunter was a magnificent writer who had an incredible amount of charisma, in the film the character has no nuances and a great lack of any personality.
In conclusion, if you are wanting to see Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and be entertained I would strongly suggest skipping the movie and reading the book. Thompson's book is quite enjoyable and will take you on a wild roller-coaster. Gilliam's film is cynical, nihilistic and empty. It is a good anti-drug film, but I'm not quite sure that was Gilliam's intentions. 3/5
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