Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers (WGA):

Hunter S. Thompson (book)
Terry Gilliam (screenplay) &
Tony Grisoni (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

Give us your brain for two hours and you will never be the same again.....(Icelandic)

Plot:

An oddball journalist and his psychopathic lawyer travel to Las Vegas for a series of psychadelic escapades.

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | American Dream | Lawyer | Convertible | Journalist

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Johnny Depp	...	Raoul Duke
Benicio Del Toro	...	Dr Gonzo
Tobey Maguire	...	Hitchhiker
Ellen Barkin	...	Waitress at North Star Cafe
Gary Busey	...	Highway Patrolman
Christina Ricci	...	Lucy
Mark Harmon	...	Magazine Reporter at Mint 400
Cameron Diaz	...	Blonde TV Reporter
Katherine Helmond	...	Desk Clerk at Mint Hotel
Michael Jeter	...	L. Ron Bumquist
Penn Jillette	...	Carnie Talker
Craig Bierko	...	Lacerda
Lyle Lovett	...	Road Person
Flea	...	Musician
Laraine Newman	...	Frog-Eyed Woman

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive extreme drug use and related bizarre behavior, strong language, and brief nudity.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (re-rating) (DVD) | Canada:18A (original rating) (VHS) | Denmark:15 | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Brazil:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hungary:14 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | UK:18 | USA:R | South Korea:18

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fear and Loathing LLC

Trivia:

In the scene where Benicio Del Toro stops the car and has an "attack" with Tobey Maguire in the car, Maguire's hair seems different. According to Terry Gilliam's commentary on the Criterion Collection DVD, they shot this scene a few months after the scene where they first picked him up and could not get Maguire to shave his head for the wig. It would have cost $15,000 extra to put that in his contract initially but they opted not to because the movie was already becoming over budget. They ended up spending well over that using a bald cap and makeup effects, as well as using computer editing to erase the line on his forehead.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the first hotel room, Duke is crouching behind the bar when the photographer comes in. The ice bucket on the tray disappears between shots.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Raoul Duke:[narrating] We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like:
Raoul Duke:I feel a bit lightheaded. Maybe you should drive.
Raoul Duke:[narrating] Suddenly, there was a terrible roar all around us, and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, and a voice was screaming:
Raoul Duke:Holy Jesus. What are these goddamn animals?
[swatting the air]
Raoul Duke:Huh! Huh! Huh! Fucking pigs.
Dr. Gonzo:Did you say something?
Raoul Duke:Hm? Never mind. It's your turn to drive.
Raoul Duke:[narrating] No point in mentioning these bats, I thought. Poor bastard will see them soon enough.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Secret Window (2004)

Soundtrack:

She's a Lady

Bringing Gonzo journalism to the big screen at last, and boy does it do it's job well.

A must see for any Hunter S. Thompson fan. If you have read the book you will know that this movie captures the same excitement and mayhem created within it's pages. Abosolutly impossible to get bored watching this film and I have sat down with a lot of people who followed the finished scene with a dumb 'I don't get it', but they are missing the point that there isn't really a point. The whole thing is just set up to try and capture Hunter's hedonistic life style and I guarantee that after seeing this movie you will wish your life was more exciting and it might even bring you to the point where you think 'Right, that's it, I'm going to go out, get drunk and go to Las Vegas and have a good old Hunt S Thompson-esquire adventure, and I don't care what you say.' Brilliant performances by Johnny Depp and Benico Del Toro.

Inspiring and motivating. 10 Stars.