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Overall Rating
 Awesome: 48.79%
Worth A Look: 20.77%
Just Average: 11.59%
Pretty Crappy: 8.21%
Sucks: 10.63%
12 reviews, 135 user ratings
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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas |
by Bishop
"'When the Going Gets Weird, the Weird Turn Pro'"

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Hunter S. Thompson is a national treasure. The good doctor is the American dream incarnate. His masterpiece Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, revolutionalized the world of journalism. So how do you do it justice in film? Therein lies the challenge Terry Gilliam attempts to shoulder, and does a pretty good job at it.FIRST OF ALL, TRY TO AVOID SEEING THIS FILM UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK, you will be better off for doing so. It will give you a better understanding of...well, everything. Johnny Depp, who spent time with Thompson at his Woody Creek, CO. "Owl Farm" gearing up for the role, does a good job of looking like and playing the gonzo journalist. Benecio Del Torro plays his "attorney," Oscar "Dr. Gonzo" Acosta with insane gusto. The movie follows pretty closely with the book, and keeps it in context for the most part, although it is not as entertaining as the book (two of the funniest sequences in the book are left out of the movie). What this movie does so well, is creates the feeling of massive, hugely twisted drug and alcohol fueled frenzy. On assignment in Vegas, Raoul Duke (Thompson's alter ego) and his "attorney" Dr. Gonzo do Vegas in search of the American dream. It is up and down all the way, and is almost exhuasting as any movie you'll ever see, which is why many do not enjoy it. It captures the highs and lows, the moments of completely hilarity and absurd beauty that are present within the book. The performances here are good, Depp and Del Torro do justice to those they portray. The aforementioned challenge of putting Thompson's classic to the silver screen is ominous, but Gilliam does in fact tackle it well.The movie functions primarily as comedy, and it is loaded with utterly funny moments. There are several high profile cameos that are worth looking out for. Anyone who has read the book should be pretty well pleased with the cinematic adaptation. If you haven't, well, you may be hard pressed to understand the background, stories, and especially much of the dialogue which often comes across as slurred. Judging on adaptation though, with other elements falling in line well enough, this is perhaps one of the best book to film translations (The Godfather is UNARGUABLY the best). This film is worth a look, especially if you're a gonzo disciple, and if you're not and have no idea of the Hunter Thompson legacy, it should be plenty funny enough to keep you entertained.
link directly to this review at https://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=2&reviewer=289 originally posted: 02/16/02 22:49:26
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USA 22-May-1998 (R) DVD: 18-Feb-2003
UK N/A
Australia 16-Jul-1998 (MA)
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