Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Somehow one of my best friends had never seen this movie, but don't worry, I cleared that problem right up! Directed by one of my favourite filmmakers, Terry Gilliam, and based on one of my favourite books, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a trippy, funny, frightening, wild ride of an adaptation. The frantic plot concerns sportswriter/Hunter Thompson stand-in Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), who is expensing a balls-out trip to Las Vegas to cover a desert bike race, while using the power of the press to get into various events. Traveling with him is his lawyer Oscar Acosta aka Dr Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro). The two embark on a series of drug binges, with moods ranging from philosophical to violent. They terrorize hotel employees, bartenders, tourists, DEA agents, young women, cops, and each other. Sometimes they are very silly but sometimes they are nearly homicidal. The plot itself is disjointed, composed of numerous unconnected scenes with a loose overarching narrative. And there's lots of driving around!

Yeah so it's very hard to really detail the plot of this film, since it doesn't have one in the traditional sense. It's sort of like watching two hours of dudes palin' around in Vegas and doing tons and tons and tons of drugs. It's exactly like that, really. The hook is in Thompson's incredible storytelling skills and over-the-top persona coupled with Gilliam's fantastic vision. Like all of Gilliam's films, it features marvelous cinematography (some the imagery influenced by Ralph Steadman's sufficiently freaky illustration), impressive effects, and ambiguity. The wiggly cameras and high saturation give insight into the experiences of a man perpetually on some combination of heavy drugs against the hedonistic, flashy backdrop of Las Vegas. It's one of the best book-to-film adaptations I've ever seen, including the bulk of the book's action and a lot of the specific text. Duke's narration (much of it lifted from the book) flows throughout, providing a bit of method to the madness.

There are tons of fun cameos from the likes of Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Cameron Diaz, and Ellen Barkin. Thompson himself even shows up briefly during a flashback, having spent time on the set helping Depp get into character (he even shaved Depp's head). Which brings me to the absolutely amazing performance of Johnny Depp: man, he was just so awesome! So spot-on! He was mumbly and bow-legged and wide-eyed perfection, I'd say. Give this man an Oscar for chrissake. Del Toro is good too but his character is sort of terrifying. Fear and Loathing is simultaneously hilarious and nighmarish, enjoyable but not fluffy. An endlessly entertaining pursuit of the American dream that has become a loving tribute to a controversial, larger-than-life artistic figure. Check it out, dudes, especially if you're looking for a bit of innovative chaos on your screens.

5/5