Title: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Year: 1998
Director: Terry Gilliam
Country: US
Language: English
Penned by gonzo journalist Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas established him as one of the weirdest and most intriguing writers of his generation. In 1998 Terry Gilliam (Brazil)
would attempt to bring this magnificent piece of work onto the silver
screen, resulting in an incredibly strange and surreal journey through
the experiences of a man fried by drugs.
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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