First| Previous| Up| Next| Last
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Criterion Collection - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
Front Cover Actor Back Cover
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
Craig Bierko Lacerda
Movie Details
Genre Comedy; Drama
Director Terry Gilliam
Producer Patrick Cassavetti; Laila Nabulsi
Writer Hunter S. Thompson; Terry Gilliam; Alex Cox; Tod Davies
Studio Universal
Language English
Audience Rating R (Restricted)
Running Time 118 mins
Country USA
Color Color
Plot
The original cowriter and director of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was Alex Cox, whose earlier film Sid and Nancy suggests that Cox could have been a perfect match in filming Hunter S. Thompson's psychotropic masterpiece of "gonzo" journalism. Unfortunately Cox departed due to the usual "creative differences," and this ill-fated adaptation was thrust upon Terry Gilliam, whose formidable gifts as a visionary filmmaker were squandered on the seemingly unfilmable elements of Thompson's ether-fogged narrative. The result is a one-joke movie without the joke--an endless series of repetitive scenes involving rampant substance abuse and the hallucinogenic fallout of a road trip that's run crazily out of control. Johnny Depp plays Thompson's alter ego, "gonzo" journalist Raoul Duke, and Benicio Del Toro is his sidekick and so-called lawyer Dr. Gonzo. During the course of a trip to Las Vegas to cover a motorcycle race, they ingest a veritable chemistry set of drugs, and Gilliam does his best to show us the hallucinatory state of their zonked-out minds. This allows for some dazzling imagery and the rampant humor of stumbling buffoons, and the mumbling performances of Depp and Del Toro wholeheartedly embrace the tripped-out, paranoid lunacy of Thompson's celebrated book. But over two hours of this insanity tends to grate on the nerves--like being the only sober guest at a party full of drunken idiots. So while Gilliam's film may achieve some modest cult status over the years, it's only because Fear and Loathing is best enjoyed by those who are just as stoned as the characters in the movie. --Jeff Shannon
Personal Details
Seen It Yes
Index 186
Collection Status In Collection
Links IMDB
Product Details
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio Widescreen 2.35:1 Color (Anamorphic)
Layers Single Side, Dual Layer
UPC (Barcode) 715515013222
Chapters 22
Release Date 2003
Subtitles English
Packaging Custom Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1
ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Stereo
ENGLISH: DTS Surround
Nr of Disks/Tapes 1
Extra Features
Color Widescreen DTS Surround Sound