Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Any account of Hunter S. Thompson’s escapades is usually more than one person can handle, I expect the same is true for Dr. Thompson himself, were he not semi-permanently inebriated or intoxicated with one form of drug or another. This movie is an account of his seminal piece of Gonzo journalism straight from the heart of the weird and twisted “American Dream”. Where else to search for the culmination of that dream than in the most ostentatious and morally inept state in America; Las Vegas. Simply reading one of Hunter S. Thompson’s writings is enough to make you feel like you’ve taken whatever he’s on and director Terry Gilliam has pulled out all the stops to recreate that entry into a warped vision of an already warped place. Gilliam is known for his visual exuberance and attention to comic detail; his surreal animations were the segues in the Monty Python series and the mixture of that and the influence of the aggressive Ralph Steadman cartoons which accompanied Dr Thompson’s book are ever apparent in the film. Gilliam also directed Twelve Monkeys which had a similarly skewed vision of reality only this is a more grounded film in that it doesn’t hide in the often inaccessible realms of science fiction.

Johnny Depp, now well known for his acting breadth, adapts easily to the role of the good doctor infusing a laissez faire attitude with extreme paranoia, which is a disturbing pleasure to watch. Benicio Del Toro is superb as Thompson’s Samoan attorney Oscar, who only encourages him to take part in ever more dangerous, disturbing and drug fuelled forays into madness. This film is bursting with cameos with big name stars such as Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Cameron Diaz, Flea and even Thompson himself. Each simply add to the colourful and overflowing collage of character infusing the sketch-like scenes. This isn’t fun for all the family but if you’re up for a night of the excesses of Americana then what more can I say except buy the ticket, take the ride.

Alastair Binnie-Lubbock