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| Fear and Loathing in
Las Vegas (1998) |
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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.
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film has achieved some 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 acting is pretty good considering the limited scope they had.
The score 5/10. |
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| Director |
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Terry
Gilliam |
Main Cast |
Johnny
Depp |
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Raoul Duke |
| Writer |
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Hunter S.
Thompson |
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Benicio Del Toro |
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Dr. Gonzo |
| Production |
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United International
Pictures (UIP) |
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Tobey
Maguire |
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Hitchhiker |
| Runtime |
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120 mins |
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llen
Barkin |
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Waitress |
| Cert. |
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UK 18 |
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Gary
Busey |
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Patrolman |
| Release |
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1998 |
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Christina Ricci |
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Lucy |
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Quotes |
With a bit of luck, his life was ruined
forever. Always thinking that just behind some narrow door in all of his
favorite bars, men in red woolen shirts are getting incredible kicks from
things he'll never know. |
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