Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers (WGA):

Hunter S. Thompson (book)
Terry Gilliam (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

22 May 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | 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 | Journalist | Convertible

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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

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) | 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:

Near beginning of the movie, while Dr. Gonzo and Raoul are driving down the highway, there is an accident involving many cars. There is an ambulance about to put a person that is covered with a white sheet in it. If you look on the white sheet, there is a smiley face in blood on it.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: While driving down the Vegas strip in the convertible on the way to the Debbie Reynolds concert, they pass Binion's Horseshoe Hotel and Casino twice. However, the scenes outside of the car are not meant to be realistic. It shows lots of casinos that are not in order, but this is from the mind of a drugged out driver - the car itself is floating in air the whole time.

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 Bad Luck, Good Luck! (2006)

Soundtrack:

Thinking of Baby

Genius + Genius = ...

'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was originally an Article published in two parts in Rolling Stone Magazine. It was written by Hunter S. Thompson. It tells the story of a journalist reporting on the Mint 500 in Las Vegas.

Terry Gilliam (the Director) is an accomplished film maker who began his career as one of the members of Monty Python. He did all of their animations.

These two men on their own are incredibly clever and gifted artists in their chosen medium. What we get from this combination is one of the best films ever made. It is a more or less true story. It is a wonderful view on the warped nature of American 'Culture' from a completely askew angle. Drugs, drugs and more drugs, but instead of preaching their evils or telling you how fabulous life is when you're on acid, you get a very unbiased experienced approach to their use and abuse.

Visually the film is amazing and both Johnny Depp and Benizio Del Toro are true to the book. I couldn't possibly recommend this film more highly.