... Thompson's 1971 two part series, "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas; A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream", which later, that same year was published as a book - the film is pretty true to the book, so here goes…
Fear & Loathing follows gonzo* journalist Raoul Duke** & his attorney, ... Read review
The original cowriter and director ofFear and Loathing in Las Vegaswas Alex Cox, whose ... more
earlier filmSid and Nancysuggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunat...
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When a writing assignment lands journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and sidekick Dr. Gonzo ... more
(Benicio Del Toro) in Las Vegas, they decide to make it the ultimate business trip. But before long, business is forgotten and trip has become the key word. Fuel...
The original cowriter and director ofFear and Loathing in Las Vegaswas Alex Cox, whose ... more
earlier filmSid and Nancysuggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunat...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
We were somewhere around Barstow when the drugs began to take hold. It is 1971: ... more
journalist Raoul Duke barrels towards Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney Dr. Gonzo. ...
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When a writing assignment lands journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and sidekick Dr. Gonzo ... more
(Benicio Del Toro) in Las Vegas, they decide to make it the ultimate business trip. But before long, business is forgotten and trip has become the key word.Fuelled by a suitcase full of mind-bending pharmaceuticals, Duke and Honzo set off on a fast and furious ride through non stop neon, surreal surrounding and a crew of the craziest characters ever (Including cameo appearances by Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey and many others). But no matter where misadventure leads them, Duke and Gonzo discover that sometimes going too far is the only way to go.Capturing the insane madness of Hunter S. Thompson's literary classic was the challenge that director Terry Gilliam (12 Monkeys) openly embraced.Buy The Ticket. Take The Ride!
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Book Cover Poster: A classic of modern illustration by Ralph Steadman, this is an exact ... more
reproduction of the first edition cover, published by Random House New York in 1971, for the author who invented 'Gonzo Journalism'. Actual Graphics, 74x49.5cm.
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Production Year: 2003 - Comedy - Director: John Crowley - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Colin Farrell, Shirley Henderson, Cillian Murphy, Colm Meaney, Rory Keenan, Laurence Kinlan
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
(+) Because of the new series the box set isn't complete, which means it will be cheaper! (-) It isnt the complete box set so you'll have to buy the new dvds seperatly or wait for the new set!
Fear & Loathing follows gonzo* journalist Raoul Duke** & his attorney, Dr Gonzo***, on a trip to Las Vegas, the intention - to do a piece on the Mint 400 Desert Motorcycle race, and then later on a Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs convention, so off they set in the famous great red shark (Hunter S. Thompson's red Chevrolet Caprice convertible) - sounds all very simple so far, and a bit dull really, so let's spice it up!
... ...many attempts to actually make Fear & Loathing into a film, many actors had over the years been considered for the roles of Duke & Gonzo - Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Malkovich & John Cusack, who eventually went on to direct the theatrical version of the book. Along with many actors being considered, many directors were also considered (including Martin Scorsese & Oliver Stone). There was also an attempt at an animated ... more
*Both the film in question & this review may contain references to drug uses that some readers may wish to shield their precious eyes from (because they might find them offensive, and not because the bats may hit you in the face!)
"No point in mentioning these bats, I thought. Poor bastard will see them soon enough."
Based on Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 two part series, "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas; A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream", which later, that same year was published as a book - the film is pretty true to the book, so here goes…
Fear & Loathing follows gonzo* journalist Raoul Duke** & his attorney, Dr Gonzo***, on a trip to Las Vegas, the intention - to do a piece on the Mint 400 Desert Motorcycle race, and then later on a Narcotics & Dangerous Drugs convention, so off they set in the famous great red shark (Hunter S. Thompson's red Chevrolet Caprice convertible) - sounds all very simple so far, and a bit dull really, so let's spice it up!
Duke & Gonzo have got a suitcase with them, and not just any suitcase, but a suitcase filled with two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicoloured uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls.
The rest of the film follows Duke & Gonzo on their drug fuelled binge around Las Vegas, and that's about it!
*Gonzo Journalism - a name given to Thompson's unique style of writing, Thompson's writings tend to draw the reader into the situation, so that the reader feels as though they are experiencing the event as it happens. A lot of the time Gonzo journalism has a fantasy element to it, so nestled somewhere in amongst the fiction, some fact does occur.
**Raoul Duke - Thompson's pseudonym or (even) alter ego, a hedonistic, drug crazed individual, normally high on whatever drug is going, be it mariju-wacky or human adrenalin, oh and fuelled by an extremely low tolerance for the all American values.
***Dr Gonzo - based on Oscar Zeta Acosta, an LSD loving friend of Hunter's, he was an Attorney of law, an author & politician, it is said that he spent half is life fighting for the law and the other half running from the law. It is believed that Acosta died in 1974, much speculation surrounds his death, as his body was never found.
"Bazooko Circus is what the whole hep world would be doing Saturday night if the Nazis had won the war. This was the Sixth Reich."
Ok, so I don't make the plot sound that great, but if you watch the film, or have seen the film, you will understand why it is so hard to describe what actually happens, as the plot is fairly thin. Don't let this put you off the film though, it has an awful lot going for it, the movie is purely and simply a brilliantly made visual version of the book.
Everything about this film is stunning, the acting is brilliant and the directing captures perfectly on film what Thompson had put down in words on paper - Gonzo filmmaking is a phrase that springs to mind!
"Once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can"
The acting is superb, Duke (or Thompson) is played by Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, From Hell, Chocolat, Finding Neverland & many more) who launched his heart and soul into preparing for this film, and eerily became Thompson, I think that there needs to be a distinction between mimicking a person & becoming a person. Depp spent time with Thompson, studying his mannerisms and ploughing through all the paraphernalia that Thompson had collected relating to his road trip in '71. Depp even went to the extreme of wearing the clothes that Thompson wore on his trip (in the film replicas of Thompson's clothing are worn), getting Thompson to shave his head (to imitate Thompson's pattern-baldness) & borrowing Thompson's Chevrolet to drive around California to prepare for his role. Benicio del Toro (Sin City) put just as much of his heart and soul into preparation for his role as Dr Gonzo, he even gained 18kg to become the rotund man that was Acosta.
I don't normally talk about the directors/writers when reviewing films, but in this case I am going to make an exception. The screenplay & direction was from the mind of Terry Gilliam, animator (Monty Python stuff), writer (Tideland, Monty Python stuff), actor (more Monty Python stuff), Director (Brazil, Tideland, Twelve Monkeys, Monty Python) & producer (Monty Python stuff again). Don't let the fact that he has worked on a lot of Monty Python stuff put you off, this piece is nothing like the slapstick comedy that comes from Monty Python, this is gonzo filmmaking to the extreme. Gilliam is incredibly creative & resourceful, expertly using a variety of different film & techniques in the space of seconds. It is Gilliam's direction, along with skilful casting of Depp & Del Toro that make the film come to life and prevent it from being just a random sequence of strange images meshed together into 118 mins. A notable example of how Gilliam managed to create a drug induced scene is close to the beginning, Duke & Gonzo are driving through the desert in the red shark when Duke thinks he is being attached by bats, Gilliam zooms close in, onto his eye, reflected in the eye are a mass of bats flying towards the car, cut to next scene, Duke is wildly waving his arms around at the imaginary bats.
Notable cameo appearances: Tobey Maguire (The Good German, Spiderman, Cider House Rules, Pleasantville), who plays a hitchhiker, Christina Ricci (Adams Family, 200 cigarettes, Buffalo 66), Cameron Diaz (Shrek, The Holiday, In Her Shoes), Michael Jeter (Green Mile) & Hunter S Thompson himself!
"As your attorney I advise you to rent a very fast car with no top. And you'll need the cocaine."
There are, I think, 3 category's of people out there, there are those that hate this film, there are those out there who will love this film and rave about it, simply because they are a lover of Hunter S Thompson's work, and the man himself & there are those out there that will take this film at face value and appreciate the production, acting & direction. I personally fall between the last two categories, I am intrigued by the man that is Hunter S Thompson and have a huge amount of respect for the strange character, but I only developed my love of the man because I watched this film. I had no idea that there was a real man behind this or what this really stood for, I watched this and enjoyed the way that the director had managed to make me feel as though I was there, watching the swirling lights and strange scenes, really I think I just enjoyed going on a drug crazed trip and tagging along with Duke & Gonzo!
There have been many attempts to actually make Fear & Loathing into a film, many actors had over the years been considered for the roles of Duke & Gonzo - Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, John Malkovich & John Cusack, who eventually went on to direct the theatrical version of the book. Along with many actors being considered, many directors were also considered (including Martin Scorsese & Oliver Stone). There was also an attempt at an animated version of the book by Ralph Bakshi, which was to be done in the style of Ralph Steadman (illustrator for Hunter's books and articles), but it never got off the ground, as one of Hunter's ex-girlfriends held the rights and refused to let him make the animated version.
"You better take care of me, Lord. If you don't you're gonna have me on your hands"
Hunter S. Thompson died in 2005, at the age of 65. He shot himself in the head, his son, daughter-in-law & grandson were in the room next door, they heard the gun shot, but assumed it was a book falling onto the floor - Hunter was on the phone to his wife at the time.
I don't think that anyone believes that his suicide was out of depression, some say it is because Hunter never wanted to get old. His close friend Ralph Steadman wrote "He told me [...] he would feel trapped if he didn't know that he could commit suicide at any moment."
Hunter S. Thomson's funeral service took place in Aspen on August 20, 2005. Hunter's ashes were fired out of a cannon, shaped to look like a double-thumbed fist clutching a peyote button, to the tune of Mr Tambourine Man, whilst red, white & green fireworks were launched. According to Hunters widow, Johnny Depp financed the funeral.
The plans for this cannon were initially drawn by Hunter & Ralph Steadman, these drawings originally featured as part of a BBC programme called Fear & Loathing in Gonzovision (available on the special release DVD 2003).
Advantages: educational, extremely funny Disadvantages: graphic drug use
...doesn’t really go anywhere then Fear And Loathing is the film to see. You shouldn’t see the lack of an established plot as a reason not to see this film, there is some reasoning for the characters actions and it’s basically down to drugs. Johnny Depp plays Raul Duke, a sports journalist sent to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race but instead spends his duration dropping acid and suffering the consequences. Benicio Del Toro, who ... ...pretty much unrecognisable in this flick. I don’t know whether he was told to put all that weight on, or if it’s just a body suit. If he did put the weight on his insurance must have sky-rocketed. Well anyway, he plays the part of Raul’s attorney, Dr. Gonzo and does the usual attorney things. You know, advises him on the law and how much acid to take while on vacation.
There is the mis-conception that this film attempts to glorify ...
MadeYouLook 16.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD)
Advantages: Gloriously twisted Disadvantages: Maybe too gloriously twisted for some
...line summary of the film, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas explodes onto the screen. Although it seems fairly futile to add what must be around the 16th review of a product, I still feel compelled to extol the virtues of this fine cinematic triumph to all who are willing to hear me.
However, firstly a word of caution: this is not a film which will appeal to everyone. The plot is - in the words of the Pythons - wafer thin. This can largely be attributed ... ...this and we can experience Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas in all its digitised glory.
As an additional note: The reason for the lack of DVD is because of some copyright issues with the extras on the Criteron version being released in the UK, so the process of releasing a DVD in region 2 format has become more complicated. I don't know the ins and outs but it does mean that the lack of release isn't because of lack interest, it is in fact a legal ...
DoctorGonzo 04.12.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD)
Advantages: Twisted, anarchic, darkly hilarious... Disadvantages: Incomprehensible if you're not in on the joke.
The question was: what would my favourite director make of one of my favourite books? Terry Gilliam certainly had the credentials - the insane animations of Monty Python; the twisted, neo-nostalgic dystopia of Brazil; the much-maligned, chaotic genius of Baron Munchaussen. What better visionary to bring Hunter S. Thompson's hallucinatory masterpiece to the screen? (Although a version by Peter Greenaway might have been interesting...)
The nominal ... ...on a drug fuelled mission to Las Vegas to cover a desert race, dragging along his criminally insane attorney (Del Toro) for company. On discovering the race to be a total farce, they jettison the story and embark on an odyssey of seriously anti-social behaviour.
Depp goes bald and successfully contorts himself from heart-throb to drug addled weirdo, while Del Toro bloats out as the maniac attorney. There are a few cameos to be spotted (Cameron Diaz ...
Plissken 14.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD)
Advantages: Great insight into what drugs can do to your mind. Disadvantages: Don't buy if you are anti-drugs. No plot.
Unsure whether to fear or loathe…
This is one of those movies that ended up in my video collection by way of a chance purchase. I knew nothing about it other than what it said on the back of the box, and that it had Johnny Depp in it. Not that I am a big fan of Mr. Depp, and not overly enamoured by films with drug culture themes. I think I watch them if they come my way to see just how idiotic some people can be under the influence. Set in ... ...Angeles, two friends go to Las Vegas for the weekend. One is a magazine journalist who needs to write an article about a local Motorcycle Rally happening in the neighbouring Nevada Desert and the instigator of this brilliant plan. This is the character played by Johnny Depp. He is accompanied by his lawyer, who I am rather suspicious of as just being along for a free ride. (And I am not entirely trusting of the lawyer bit either.) They load up the ...
Spacecat 12.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD)
Advantages: Johnny Depp is very funny in this Disadvantages: Drags towards the end, very little plot
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is adapted from the book of the same name by Hunter S. Thompson. It stars Johnny Depp as journalist Raoul Duke along with Benicio Del Toro as his attorney Dr.Gonzo. When Raoul gets an assignment to cover a big motorbike race in Las Vegas the two embark on a drug-fuelled trip to the city. Along with them they carry a suitcase full of different drugs, many of which I would bet you've never heard of. Along the way they ... ...account and completely trash two hotel rooms. Added to this, Raoul messes up his article by not even knowing who won the race. Also look out for short appearances by Cameron Diaz as another reporter that Dr. Gonzo falls for while completely out of it and Christina Ricci as a puritanical girl, Lucy, in the city to present Barbara Streisand with millions of portraits of her that Lucy has painted. Dr Gonzo slips her a tab of LSD before finding out that ...
VincentM-M 10.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD)
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Advantages: Both great films that do relate to each other Disadvantages: Some might not like the comparison of Depp and Murray
I bought this the other week to go with the rest of my Fear and Loathing Merchandise and to be honest both films are as good as each other.
Its without a doubt one of Bill Murray's best performances in Where the Buffalo Roam, telling the story of Hunter S Thompson incorporating some great Thompson moments however it is at a disadvantage of having the comparison alongside it with Johnny Depp inFear and Loathing as Raoul Duke/Thompson.
I mean Johnny Depp really does play the part extremely well but you've got to remember that Where the Buffalo Roam was released 18 years earlier and so Bill Murray plays Thompson well before the Depp days of Terry Gilliam directed Fear and LoathinginLasVegas.
To be honest its one of the best mixed box sets I've ever bought and I admittedly enjoyed both films as much as each other,
Peter Boyle ...
I met my partner and the father of my 2 year old six years ago. The one thing that drew us togehter and cemented our relationship was our love of htis film.
This film could not fail to win me over. I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp and Benicio DelToro and a massive fan of both Terry Gilliam and of course Hunter S Thompson.
Some have said you need to be on drugs to enjoy this film. I disagree. Drugs may give it a different slant but are certainly not a must. An open mind a sharp sense of humour and great attention to detail are all you really need.
The film follows Hunter Thompson on one of his first journalistic trips to cover a bike race. He and his lawyer (Oscar Z Acosta, also a published author) take the trip together indulging in many substances along the way. Their observations of the environment and situations they find ...
Advantages: Brilliant film - Brilliant Directing, Brilliant Acting Disadvantages: Need to be really wasted to appreciate brilliance!
Fear & Loathing is a superb film, Johnny Depp gives an absolutely amazing performance.
This film is basically a buddy movie fuelled on every single kind of drug you could possibly imagine (and some that you probably never thought of!)
Based on a true story, one of Hunter S's trips to Vegas to film a bike race (I think) - the only thing I remember about the bike race is Hunter (Depp) on the back of a pick up with a beer mug filled with sand!
This film is definately a film to put on after a messy night out, you definately get more out of this film at the end of a long night of drunken escipades & extra cirricular activities.
If you put this film on on a lazy Sunday afternoon you are not going to enjoy it, unless of course you are truely hard core and have been awake since you got up to go to work on Friday morning & have not ...
A journalist and his partner on assignment wind-up in Las Vegas where they begin a mad tour loaded with mind-bending drugs.
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK; UNIVERSAL MUSIC OPERATIONS
Release date
05/09/2005
No of Discs
1
Catalogue No
823 623 8
Barcode
5050582362381
Screenwriter
Tony Grisoni
Languages
Main Language
English
Subtitle Language
Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Hearing Impaired Language
English
Technical information
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
DVD Description
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS is a whirlwind of a movie, a wacky, drug-laden story backed by a fist-pumping rock & roll soundtrack featuring everything from Wayne Newton and Tom Jones to Combustible Edison and Dead Kennedys. Journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) heads to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, bringing along his Samoan lawyer, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), in this furious adaptation of the book by Hunter S. Thompson. It is 1971, and Duke and Gonzo are on their way to Sin City with a frightened hitchhiker (a nearly unrecognizable Tobey Maguire) and a trunkful of drugs, which they ingest nonstop. Depp is terrific as Duke, Thompson's alter ego, and Del Toro is a riot as the crazy lawyer. To perfect his Thompsonian performance, Depp spent a lot of time with the good doctor, and it paid off in a film that captures the frenetic pace of the counterculture novel. Director Terry Gilliam, a master of complex, bizarre visual imagery, has a field day interpreting the drug-hazed world in which Duke and Gonzo reside. An all-star cast chimes in with wonderfully offbeat bit parts, including Harry Dean Stanton, Gilliam regular Katherine Helmond, Flea, Cameron Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Lyle Lovett, and others.
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