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List Price: $39.95 | | Label: Criterion
Salesrank: 3472
Released: February 18, 2003 |
| Our Price: $23.72 |
| Used Price: $16.49 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
On a business trip to Las Vegas, renegade journalist Raoul Duke and his friend Dr. Gonzo must resort to the unthinkable and try to act normally.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 18-FEB-2003
Media Type: DVD
Description of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection:
The original cowriter and director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was Alex Cox, whose earlier film Sid and Nancy suggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunately Cox departed due to the usual "creative differences," and this ill-fated adaptation was thrust upon Terry Gilliam, whose formidable gifts as a visionary filmmaker were squandered on the seemingly unfilmable elements of Thompson's ether-fogged narrative. The result is a one-joke movie without the joke--an endless series of repetitive scenes involving rampant substance abuse and the hallucinogenic fallout of a road trip that's run crazily out of control. Johnny Depp plays Thompson's alter ego, "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke, and Benicio Del Toro is his sidekick and so-called lawyer Dr. Gonzo. During the course of a trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, they ingest a veritable chemistry set of drugs, and Gilliam does his best to show us the hallucinatory state of their zonked-out minds. This allows for some dazzling imagery and the rampant humor of stumbling buffoons, and the mumbling performances of Depp and Del Toro wholeheartedly embrace the tripped-out, paranoid lunacy of Thompson's celebrated book. But over two hours of this insanity tends to grate on the nerves--like being the only sober guest at a party full of drunken idiots. So while Gilliam's film may achieve some modest cult status over the years, it's only because Fear and Loathing is best enjoyed by those who are just as stoned as the characters in the movie. --Jeff Shannon
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection Reviews:
Awesome 
2008-07-13 - "Look what God did to us, man!"
"God didn't do that to you... you did!"
ahahaha I love it. This movie is every bit as good as everyone seems to think it is. A true cinematic classic.
This Movie Rox!
2008-07-13 - If you haven't seen this yet-You must watch it immediately! As long as you are a fan of Hunter S.'s stuff of course ;)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
2008-06-22 - A Review of the DVD: "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"
Starring:
Johnny Depp,
Benicio Del Toro
Director: Terry Gilliam
Writing credits:
Hunter S. Thompson (book)
Terry Gilliam (screenplay)
Tony Grisoni (screenplay)
Tod Davies (screenplay)
Alex Cox (screenplay)
Run Time: 118 Minutes
Released: 1998
Hunter Thompson practiced total immersion journalism. He called this form reporting gonzo journalism.
Hunter Thompson drove to Las Vegas to report on a motorcycle race and ended up writing a story about himself writing a story about a motorcycle race. If he would have written a conventional report on motorcycle racing it would have been interesting to motorcycle enthusiasts for a few days. Since he wrote a gonzo story he had a very wide canvas and he used it well to create a classic.
Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro do justice to the outrageous characters created by Hunter S Thompson. The reader might be turned off by the obstreperous behavior, extreme self indulgence and offensive inconsiderate language. If you can look past this offensive conduct and you will see that Hunter S Thompson gave us an insight into the American character of the 1970's.
See also: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga (Modern Library)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
I completely enjoyed this film and recommend it to others.
Who had the trip?
2008-06-18 -
This is not a film I would normally choose. The title did warn me.
In part I watched because Johnny Depp is in it, but I had to keep reminding myself it was him. There are few such actors in the world. Olivier was one.
By the end I was wondering who was having the bad trip - the actors or me!
Brilliant but horribly gruesome.
I'm glad I wasn't in that 60's
RAINDROPS AND ROSES AND FEAR AND LOATING IN LAS VEGAS
2008-06-16 - Hunter S. Tompson's version of Fear and Loathing landed him to ask his ex-girl friend who had all the rights to the book to make a movie. Did you know that Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando were suppose to be Daul and Dr. Gonzo!
And did you know that John Cusack, came in for the part to play Hunter. But in the end when the real Hunter S. Thomspon saw Johnny Depp, that was it, that was his man.
There are 3 versions of DVDS out there, the standarded one disc, the HD DVD one and this one.
Please get this one. It has amazing commentary, booklet and behind the scenes footage. Get it! It is recommended! :)
