After more than 20 years of failed attempts and missed opportunities, Terry Gilliam has done what many thought impossible -- transformed Hunter S. Thompson's classic novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, into the cinematic equivalent of having a sledgehammer whacked across your frontal lobes. Thompson's book has been fully-realized and brought to the big screen in all of its demented glory.
It is 1971 and journalist Raoul Duke (Depp) and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Del Toro), drive to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race for Sports Illustrated magazine. The assignment is merely an excuse for the duo to abuse their expense account and indulge in a galaxy of drugs. What was initially a simple trip to cover a sports event mutates into a search for the American Dream.
Fear and Loathing contains many funny moments, bits of dialogue, and visual zingers as Duke and Dr. Gonzo make their way through the surreal landscape that is Las Vegas. The humour in this film is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious -- a pitch black satire of American culture and excess. Around the 3/4 way mark, Fear and Loathing veers off into really dark territory as the horror that accompanies chemical dependency rears its ugly head. I was worried that this element would be lost in the transfer from book to film in favour of a more straightforward comedy. Thankfully, the darker edge of the novel has been retained and reinforced. After all, their odyssey is supposed to be a savage journey into the heart of the American Dream.
I think that Fear and Loathing is indeed some kind of genius film, but in a really demented way that I would have a hard time explaining to someone who didn't tap into what Gilliam and Co. were trying to do. Visually, it is a masterpiece with a whacked out kaleidoscope of colours and insanely inventive camera angles and perspectives that make you feel like you're actually on drugs.
I can see why Fear and Loathing has received a critical shellacking from all the usual pundits (Ebert et al). It's a very odd film -- a 128 minute acid trip from beginning to end with no respite, no rest stops, no objective distance from which to view the whole insane picture safely. You are plunged headlong into this weird, wild world along with the characters.
This is the kind of film that people will either really love or hate -- there is no middle ground. Gilliam's film is going to be one of those movies that's destined to become an instant cult item. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a monster movie, complete with the grotesque Dr. Gonzo, a malevolent creature who gobbles up drugs and then goes on a chemical-induced rampage. It's pure gonzo filmmaking for people who like weird, challenging films. Otherwise, stay clear of this cinematic oddity for it is a truly bizarre and bleak film that chronicles the destructive effects of substance abuse.
It is 1971 and journalist Raoul Duke (Depp) and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Del Toro), drive to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race for Sports Illustrated magazine. The assignment is merely an excuse for the duo to abuse their expense account and indulge in a galaxy of drugs. What was initially a simple trip to cover a sports event mutates into a search for the American Dream.
Fear and Loathing contains many funny moments, bits of dialogue, and visual zingers as Duke and Dr. Gonzo make their way through the surreal landscape that is Las Vegas. The humour in this film is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious -- a pitch black satire of American culture and excess. Around the 3/4 way mark, Fear and Loathing veers off into really dark territory as the horror that accompanies chemical dependency rears its ugly head. I was worried that this element would be lost in the transfer from book to film in favour of a more straightforward comedy. Thankfully, the darker edge of the novel has been retained and reinforced. After all, their odyssey is supposed to be a savage journey into the heart of the American Dream.
I think that Fear and Loathing is indeed some kind of genius film, but in a really demented way that I would have a hard time explaining to someone who didn't tap into what Gilliam and Co. were trying to do. Visually, it is a masterpiece with a whacked out kaleidoscope of colours and insanely inventive camera angles and perspectives that make you feel like you're actually on drugs.
I can see why Fear and Loathing has received a critical shellacking from all the usual pundits (Ebert et al). It's a very odd film -- a 128 minute acid trip from beginning to end with no respite, no rest stops, no objective distance from which to view the whole insane picture safely. You are plunged headlong into this weird, wild world along with the characters.
This is the kind of film that people will either really love or hate -- there is no middle ground. Gilliam's film is going to be one of those movies that's destined to become an instant cult item. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a monster movie, complete with the grotesque Dr. Gonzo, a malevolent creature who gobbles up drugs and then goes on a chemical-induced rampage. It's pure gonzo filmmaking for people who like weird, challenging films. Otherwise, stay clear of this cinematic oddity for it is a truly bizarre and bleak film that chronicles the destructive effects of substance abuse.