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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

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1:26 | Trailer

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

Director:

Writers:

(book), (screenplay) | 3 more credits »
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Popularity
1,328 ( 162)
1 win & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Storyline

The big-screen version of Hunter S. Thompson's seminal psychedelic classic about his road trip across Western America as he and his large Samoan lawyer searched desperately for the "American dream"... they were helped in large part by the huge amount of drugs and alcohol kept in their convertible, The Red Shark. Written by Laurence Mixson

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Four Days, Three nights, Two Convertibles, One City See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive extreme drug use and related bizarre behavior, strong language, and brief nudity | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

22 May 1998 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Las Vegas parano  »

Box Office

Budget:

$18,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$4,335,095 (USA) (22 May 1998)

Gross:

$10,562,387 (USA) (17 July 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone each tried to get the film off the ground, but were unsuccessful and moved on. See more »

Goofs

In the White Rabbit/Bathtub scene, after Duke locks Acosta in the bathroom, he crashes on the bed attempting to get some sleep. He pulls a large cardboard box over himself. There is a blue "closing the circle" recycling symbol clearly visible on the bottom of the box. Though that symbol had been created around 1970, it was not yet used, if at all, on cardboard boxes at the time. See more »

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 ...
[...]
See more »

Crazy Credits

The Ralph Steadman drawings from the book are put in with the credits, along with the Gonzo & Duke in the Red Shark picture that takes up the whole screen at the end. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Parenthood: I'll Be Right Here (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

She's a Lady
Written by Paul Anka
Performed by Tom Jones
Published by Chrysalis Standards, Inc.
Courtesy of Chrysalis Copyrights Limited
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
An excellent literary adaptation - and sooo much more...

This movie polarizes the audience like few before: while of course, there's people who like it and people who don't like it for any movie, 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' either excites or almost repulses it's critics, and I dare to say that most of the negative responses are based on ignorance, or even fear, of introducing psychedelic experiences into mainstream culture.

Personally, i regard 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' as one of my absolute favorites, definitely in my top 10, and possibly even top 3. One of the many outstanding characteristics, besides a flawless performance from its main actors, excellent direction, and maybe the greatest achievement, one of the few literary adaptations that don't have you leave the cinema with disappointment, is the visual interpretation of the influence of LSD and other psychedelica. Though it has been tried many times, in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' it has been done in a way that in my opinion deserves an Academy Award like 'Best Visual Interpretation', were there one like that (btw, number 2 in my psychedelic charts is, interestingly, a scene from 'The Simpsons', episode 809, 'El Viaje de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)', where Homer eats super-spicy chili made from Guatemalan chili peppers grown by mental patients- that causing him an incredibly accuratel realized 'trip').

Well, I guess up until now you, the reader, can guess that I am one of those that loved the movie, and think it to be a mile stone in cinematographic history, along with 'Apocalypse Now', 'Pulp Fiction' or 'The Matrix'.


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What's going on in the scene where Dr. Gonzo menaces the waittress? michaelraymond
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