Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
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Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
What critics thought
DivisiveGilliam's adaptation landed with a thud for most critics on release — too shapeless, too repetitive, too committed to rendering drug stupor literally — yet audiences have warmed to it considerably over time, and that gap between the critical drubbing and popular affection is now part of the film's identity. The central fault line was whether faithfully depicting the experience of being chemically annihilated counts as cinematic achievement or simply as endurance cinema; detractors said the film had no story, no humor, and no emotional entry point, while defenders argued its controlled surrender to chaos was exactly Thompson's point.
“a horrible mess of a movie, without shape, trajectory or purpose–a one joke movie, if it had one joke. The two characters wander witlessly past the bizarre backdrops of Las Vegas (some real, some hallucinated, all interchangeable) while zonked out of their minds. Humor depends on attitude. Beyond a certain point, you don't have an attitude, you simply inhabit a state.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“Fear is really a Rorschach test of a movie – some people will see a godawful mess, rendered inaccessible by the stumbling handheld camera and Depp's nearly incomprehensible narration. Others will see a freewheeling comedy, a thinking person's Cheech and Chong film. It all depends on your mood, expectations and state of mind (for the record, I was stone sober and basically enjoyed myself).”
Andrew Johnston·Time Out New York
“What elevates the tale from being a mere drug chronicle is the same thing that lifted the book into the realm of literature. It's the sense that Gilliam, like Thompson, is always totally in command of the medium, while abandoning himself utterly to unpredictable forces beyond his control.”
Michael O'Sullivan·The Washington Post
“It tells no story at all. Little episodes of no particular import come and go...But the movie is too grotesque to be entered emotionally.”
Stephen Hunter·The Washington Post
“Even the most precise cinematic realizations of Mr. Thompson's images don't begin to match the surreal ferocity of the author's language.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
Terry GilliamDirector
Johnny DeppRaoul Duke
Benicio del ToroDr. Gonzo
Tobey MaguireHitchhiker
Michael Lee GoginUniformed Dwarf
Larry CedarCar Rental Agent - Los Angeles
Katherine HelmondDesk Clerk at Mint Hotel
Michael WarwickBell Boy
Craig BierkoLacerda
Tyde KierneyReporter
Mark HarmonMagazine Reporter
Tim ThomersonHoodlum
Ray CooperComposer
Tony GrisoniWriter
Alex CoxWriter
Hunter S. ThompsonWriter
Nicola PecoriniCinematographyFear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
What critics thought
DivisiveGilliam's adaptation landed with a thud for most critics on release — too shapeless, too repetitive, too committed to rendering drug stupor literally — yet audiences have warmed to it considerably over time, and that gap between the critical drubbing and popular affection is now part of the film's identity. The central fault line was whether faithfully depicting the experience of being chemically annihilated counts as cinematic achievement or simply as endurance cinema; detractors said the film had no story, no humor, and no emotional entry point, while defenders argued its controlled surrender to chaos was exactly Thompson's point.
“a horrible mess of a movie, without shape, trajectory or purpose–a one joke movie, if it had one joke. The two characters wander witlessly past the bizarre backdrops of Las Vegas (some real, some hallucinated, all interchangeable) while zonked out of their minds. Humor depends on attitude. Beyond a certain point, you don't have an attitude, you simply inhabit a state.”
Roger Ebert·RogerEbert.com
“Fear is really a Rorschach test of a movie – some people will see a godawful mess, rendered inaccessible by the stumbling handheld camera and Depp's nearly incomprehensible narration. Others will see a freewheeling comedy, a thinking person's Cheech and Chong film. It all depends on your mood, expectations and state of mind (for the record, I was stone sober and basically enjoyed myself).”
Andrew Johnston·Time Out New York
“What elevates the tale from being a mere drug chronicle is the same thing that lifted the book into the realm of literature. It's the sense that Gilliam, like Thompson, is always totally in command of the medium, while abandoning himself utterly to unpredictable forces beyond his control.”
Michael O'Sullivan·The Washington Post
“It tells no story at all. Little episodes of no particular import come and go...But the movie is too grotesque to be entered emotionally.”
Stephen Hunter·The Washington Post
“Even the most precise cinematic realizations of Mr. Thompson's images don't begin to match the surreal ferocity of the author's language.”
Stephen Holden·The New York Times
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
Terry GilliamDirectorJohnny DeppRaoul DukeBenicio del ToroDr. GonzoTobey MaguireHitchhikerMichael Lee GoginUniformed DwarfLarry CedarCar Rental Agent - Los AngelesKatherine HelmondDesk Clerk at Mint HotelMichael WarwickBell BoyCraig BierkoLacerdaTyde KierneyReporterMark HarmonMagazine ReporterTim ThomersonHoodlumRay CooperComposerTony GrisoniWriterAlex CoxWriterHunter S. ThompsonWriterNicola PecoriniCinematographyStream
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