Benicio Del Toro, Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci

Journalist Raoul Duke and his lawyer Dr Gonzo drive from LA to Las Vegas on a drugs binge. They nominally cover news stories, including a convention on drug abuse, but also sink deeper into a frighten...( read more  read more... )ing psychedelic otherworld. As Vietnam, Altamont and the Tate killings impinge from the world of TV news, Duke and Gonzo see casinos, reptiles and the American dream.

Flixster Users

90% liked it

246,898 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

44 critics

R, 1 hr. 58 min.

Directed by: Terry Gilliam

Release Date: May 22, 1998

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DVD Release Date: November 17, 1998

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Stats: 23,686 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (23,686)


  • August 27, 2009
    They said it could never be adapted into film and they were wrong. Gilliam, Del Toro and Depp on top of their game. Brilliant.
  • March 22, 2009
    The kids have this thing they do late at night on the weekends called Road Tripping. You go out in your vehicle and drive around all night drinking and smoking dope. Apparently it's a good old time, yet I don't know how safe it actually is. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a fil...( read more)m about the ultimate road trip to Sin City with an unlimited supply of booze, drugs, and bullshit as two guys plot a collision course to disaster.

    The film, base on Hunter S. Thompson's book, is the story of Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) which is actually Thompson's interpretation of himself and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro) as they travel to Las Vegas for an article assigned to Raoul Duke. They load up their car an embark on a journey fueled by drugs and booze causing a normal working trip to Vegas to become a hallucinatory nightmare and a comment on the post hippie era in the United States.

    Both Depp and del Toro fill their roles as we see them spiral out of control, hell they're already out of control when we meet them in the desert. Depp fills Thompson's shoes as an over the top drug hogging maniac that has temporary moments of clarity and comment on how Las Vegas has become a microcosm of American life. The pair are great at playing lunatics binging on the contents of their little brown briefcase.

    The film is a really masterpiece in the way it's shot. Terry Gilliam, who is no stranger to odd films, creates a drugged out atmosphere that pulls you into the chemical haze, yet leaves the audience to realize how ridiculous Las Vegas actually was in that era. Pink encrusted rooms and acrobats on the gaming floor are not hallucinations- they're the real thing, even though it seems totally out of place in the situation.

    The thing about Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is that it isn't just a film about road tripping. In between the the freak outs and stealing towels and soap the film really becomes a commentary about how the generation that felt that they changed the world in the 1960's somehow got derailed in the 1970's. The whole idea of freeing ones mind in the flower power era suddenly becomes excessive in the decade of excess. The film is more a commentary on what went wrong when the decade rolled over. When you really look at it Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas isn't as strange a tale as it seems. It's just enhanced a bit.
  • January 18, 2009
    "Jesus God almighty look at that bunch over there man!"


    Favorite JD role
    **review later**
  • December 22, 2008
    Crazy ass cool production design. Favourite line was "There he goes, one of God's prototypes. Too weird to live, too rare to die." A bit too much drugs for me though.
  • November 15, 2008
    Depp and Del Toro deliver, as usual. And the direction and visuals are pretty impressive, too.
  • November 22, 2009
    The main reason I wanted to see this is because it is on the top 250 (IMDB). Another reason is that I rather enjoy Johnny Depp's acting. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this movie. I do like drug related films but this movie just didn't do it for me. I wanted to like it, but fast ...( read more)forwarded through most of it.
  • November 22, 2009
    Strangest but one of the better performances by Depp.
  • November 21, 2009
    Johnny Depp and Benicio do an amazing job at portraying Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo, probably my favorite Johnny Depp movie of all time.
  • November 20, 2009
    One of the worst films I've ever seen.
  • November 17, 2009
    Wild enough to be a delirium journey, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is, basically, the conglomeration of the innovative technical aspects and camera angles that established the bases of Gilliam's unique, brilliant signature. Therefore, the film is not as masterful as its British...( read more) (and even American) predecesors, but it is one of the most effective mindf*ck films of the decade, with what may be Johnny Depp's best performance.

    86/100

Comments


  • keltea
    March 31, 2008
    Z LIVES!
  • MorpheusOne
    September 29, 2007
    It sounds insane, ...reminiscent of Trainspotting & London, it makes me wonder who in this movie perceives reality as it is & who perceives it as they want, fear, or dare to. And the same goes for the ppl who have/would watch(ed) this movie, especially for the ppl who don't see this movie's purpose & therefore didn't/wouldn't enjoy it.
  • elks86
    June 3, 2007
    this is the best movie to watch if you get stoned. Hilarious and weird!
  • dylanne17
    May 27, 2007
    not only the greatest drug movie of all time but one of the best movies ever made, i can watch this movie over and over again.
  • nightmaresR4ever
    April 12, 2007
    I luv this movie!
  • darkbloodlife
    March 29, 2007
    Can't wait to go on my own savage journey into the heart of the american dream.

    R.I.P
    H.S. Thompson
  • edmundthedaddy
    February 22, 2007
    i love the voice depp puts on, realy adds to the film. the book is better in my opinion but thats always the case
  • SilentZombie
    February 17, 2007
    loved both film and book cant wait for the rum diary to come out.
  • r3gorman
    February 17, 2007
    if u want a trip just get some beers and stayin and watch this one ace film just as gd with out the beers lol
  • xgirl888
    January 27, 2007
    insane..but hilarious! love the book, love the movie!

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Facts


Fear and Loathing... : Watch Free on TV


Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Trivia


  • What film connects these actors/actresses? Benicio Del Toro Cameron Diaz Christina Ricci Toby Maguire and Johnny Depp (yes, ANOTHER Johnny Depp related question...sorry!)  Answer »
  • what movie featured cameos from both cristina ricci and cameron diaz?  Answer »
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