|
They call it the savage journey into the heart of the American Dream. Some call it America’s Season in Hell. For Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the true Lost Weekend of writers, scoundrels, gypsies, and thieves. Directed by visionary filmmaker Terry Gilliam, the long-winded movie – the one critics said could never be adapted faithfully – is a drug-riddled escapade of everything your mother said would probably kill you or make you wish you were dead. If that isn’t a picture perfect tagline for the real America, well, I don’t know what is. Even if the pacing is a bit off in its 117 minute running time, Gilliam has the heart and intent of Thompson’s drug-fueled prose fully intact and even injects a bit of Fellini’s carnival-like reality into a motion picture that – at least as written - shouldn’t work as well as it does.
Pushing their limits as far as they can, a freelance journalist named Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his lawyer friend Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) decide to cover a desert motorcycle race in Las Vegas circa 1971. Their true purpose is to cover the bold and dangerous America that surrounds them; the one real magazines ignore; the one pushed to the brink with addiction. Of course those drugs get in the way of the actual race and the proceeding assignment – a police convention – is derailed by the acquisition of an underage prostitute (Christina Ricci) and their drinking. Even sober, these two have a keen eye for the absurd and the ridiculous surrounding them. Their experiences are the beginning and the end of an era for American History, yet all is not what it seems when traveling through Bat Country.
With fantastic cameos from Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey, Harry Dean Stanton, Penn Jillette, Mark Harmon, Michael Jeter, Craig Bierko and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (the film) is also an encapsulation of America’s acting talent offerings circa 1998. Upon its initial release, the film was unfairly compared to Trainspotting by those who had never read the book it is based upon and, ultimately, slaughtered by critics. Now, Criterion is presenting a stunning transfer for new fans – freed by the success of Trainspotting – to sample, enjoy, and/or rebuke.
Depp’s unconventional take on Thomson’s alter-ego is an impressive tour-de-force of existentialism. It perfectly matches Gilliam’s warped sensibilities behind the camera. Unwavering and somehow charming, Depp takes the brute journalist and retains his claws while presenting him with an astounding sense of the man and his mannerisms and, believe it or not, a bit of likeability. With lines like “Ether is the perfect drug for Las Vegas”, the movie is highly quotable and gives each viewing (because, let’s face it, this is a film you cannot watch once) a sense of purpose.
Brutally honest and wickedly surreal in form and function, Gilliam’s carnival take on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas isn’t for everyone, but the true believers have the perfect movie to delight in and unflinchingly celebrate.
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive extreme drug use and related bizarre behavior, strong language, and brief nudity.
