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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 humor 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. The DVD offers the film in its full 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. --Jeff Shannon
Additional Features
Criterion's high standards get even higher with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. "Hunter Goes to Hollywood" is a fascinating 1978 segment of the BBC's Omnibus series, following "gonzo" journalist Hunter S. Thomson and artist Ralph Steadman on a Fear and Loathing-like odyssey to La-La-Land; a visit to Thompson's Aspen, Colorado, ranch offers ample proof that Johnny Depp's later portrayal is uncannily accurate. All three commentaries are worthwhile for different reasons: as always, Gilliam is intelligent, mischievously subversive, and defiantly protective of Thompson's source material; Depp and Benicio Del Toro offer passionate perspective on tackling their demanding roles without drugs; and producer Laila Nabulsi chronicles her 10-year effort to get the film made (including the protracted writer's credit arbitration). Thompson's commentary is the least coherent but most entertaining; with occasional whoops and hollers, he's like a stand-up act for acid freaks, dispensing occasional pearls of wisdom. Another excellent feature is Depp's reading of correspondence with Thompson; in emulating his friend, Depp proves himself to be a fine writer and storyteller. Taken together, these and other features make Criterion's DVD an essential addition to Thompson's literary legacy. --Jeff Shannon
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
I absolutely love this film,
By LA "Apple" (Peterborough, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Criterion Collection) (DVD)
I have watched this movie many times and was quite young when I first saw it. Therefore I didn't really get the drug stuff completely but still enjoyed it. When I was a bit older I watched it again and loved it even more. Johnny Depp is a dead ringer for Hunter S. Thompson. He even sounds exactly like him. I didn't recognize Benecio Del Toro, since he gained around fifty pounds for the role, and mumbles his way through the whole thing. If you like funny, bizzare, but extremely entertaining films then give it a go. It's worth it just for Depp's performance alone. Also Tobey Maguire is hilarious in his small part including the weird wig.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece. Probably the best novel's adaptation ever.,
By
This review is from: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Criterion Collection) (DVD)
One hell of a movie! Great performances by Depp and Del Toro. Gilliam's directing is near-perfect. The soundtrack is outstanding. "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is probably the only work of fiction that is a masterpiece in both novel and movie. An advice: Don't watch it only once. Watch it at least two or three times, then you will see. It's a bizarre, savage film. One of a kind. We are not use to those kind of film. And, don't let it go because of it's poor performance at the box-office back in 1998. Like Dr. Hunter S. Thompson himself said: " It slowy grew an adoring cult following - much, fittingly, like the book."
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hard film to rate,
By Rob Larmer (Harvey,NB,canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Criterion Collection) (DVD)
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas was originally written by famous writer and rebel Hunter S. Thompson. This man was both brilliant and mad to some extends, and his literature strongly reflects this. Anybody who is familiar with his literature might call his work 'unfilmable', and to some extent they would be right, but director Terry Gilliam has done as good a job with it as any director could.Fear & Loathing is largely a plotless film; two men go on a drug binge in Las Vegas for a weekend. Thats it, scenario after scenario of hallucinations and drugs. This is neither a bad thing nor a good thing, it simply is; we watch these men and laugh at them, but ultimately the film ends up amounting to nothing. We are the same at the end of the picture as we were at the beginning, without anything added or subtracted from out lives. In my opinion this is cinema as an art form; can we define what a film is supposed to do? Fear & Loathing does what Fellini did with 8 1/2; it creates a film that ultimately leaves meaning to the viewer. There isn't a lot there to engage, so throughout the film we find means of engagement in it. Sure it works as a comedy on a basic level (as does 8 1/2), but to get depth and meaning from the film we must create it, and to me Fear & Loathing provides us with an opportunity to do this, without telling us how to think about it. I guess thats my take on it; it certainly is not for everybody and many people would give it a 1/10 in all fairness. Others would give it a 10/10, and they would be also fair to the film. Fear & Loathing is just very subjective, and any honest opinion formed on it is basically pretty accurate. It is as ambiguous as it is strange, and I think that part of what will make it a classic is its diversion from any other mainstream 'drug' film. It neither celebrates nor condemns drugs. Essentially it is not about drugs, but about something deeper. Finding meaning in a pointless situation. I will rate it 8/10.
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