United Kingdom »
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
£38.49 Free Delivery
- Released
- 18/02/2003
- DVD Region
-
1 (USA, Canada)
Also plays on multi-region DVD players
What region is right for me? - Film and TV Genre
- Drama
- Video Format
- NTSC
Description
Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King) directed this colorful, stylized, pseudo-psychedelic $21-million adaptation of the 1971 Hunter S. Thompson classic, -Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Dream about stoned sportswriter Raoul Duke, Thompson's alter ego, on a wild drug-crazed road trip, a paranoid plummet into the belly of the beast, with his pal, lawyer Oscar Zeta Acosta. Originally serialized in Rolling Stone (November 1971), the book catapulted Thompson headfirst toward the KerouacMailerCapote pantheon and jump-started the entire movement of "gonzo journalism." Carrying a suitcase of drugs, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp with shaved pate) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) drive a red convertible across the Mojave from L.A. to Vegas, where Duke has an assignment to cover the Mint 400 desert motorcycle race. As the drugs kick in, Duke ventures into voiceover, filling in the blank spots and narrative gaps. "This is not a good town for psychedelic drugs," says Duke, but even so, they consume vast quantities, eventually escalating to ether. Duke notes that with ether "you can actually watch yourself behaving this terrible way, but you can't control it." The two trash their hotel room, and Gonzo goes back to L.A. Thinking the hotel room holocaust will lead to an arrest, Duke begins a drive back to L.A., but after an odd encounter with a highway patrolman (Gary Busey) and a telephone conversation with Gonzo, he returns to Vegas to cover the District Attorney Convention on Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the glitzy Flamingo Hotel. This time the drugged-out duo trash their Flamingo room. The crazed carnival atmosphere segues into a carney casino, Bazooko's Circus, where a barker (Penn Jillette) spiels amid aerialists, clowns, and a rotating carousel bar. Gonzo worries over runaway teen Lucy (Christina Ricci), who paints portraits of Barbra Streisand. Soon the hallucinations begin: Duke sees Gonzo transmogrify into a demon with breasts on its back, and an acid vision of a Vegas bar features large legit lounge lizards (courtesy of monster makeup man Rob Bottin). Flashbacks depicting Duke's intro to the drug scene jump back to love-Haight relationships in San Francisco's Summer of Love. Cameos and guest stars include Mark Harmon, Cameron Diaz, Flea, Lyle Lovett, Harry Dean Stanton, Ellen Barkin, Tobey Maguire, and Hunter S. Thompson himself. The film features a Geffen Records soundtrack mixing rock of the period with Vegas lounge tunes. Over the years, various script adaptations came and went as did numerous talents; people connected with past efforts to film Thompson's book include Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and writer-director Alex Cox. Shown in competition at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Customers who bought this item also bought
Product Details
- Actors
- Benicio Del Toro
- Cameron Diaz
- Christina Ricci
- Ellen Barkin
- Gary Busey
- Johnny Depp
- Lyle Lovett
- Tobey Maguire
- Toby Maguire
- Director
- Terrence Vance Gilliam
- Terry Gilliam
- Audio Format
- English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital
- Run Time (minutes)
- 119
- Aspect Ratio
- 2.35:1
- Number of Discs
- 2
- Media Format
- DVD-Video
- Series
- Criterion Collection
- Disc Layers
- 2
- Film Format
- Anamorphic
- Disc Features
- Featurette
- Interactive Menus
- Production Notes
- Scene Selection
- Theatrical Trailer
- Film Rating (Australia)
- R18+
- Year of release
- 1998
- Film Rating (UK)
- 18
- CD WOW! Sales Rank
- #8799
- Label / Studio
- CRITERION COLLECTION
- Subtitle Language
- English
- Cast & Crew
- Julie Weiss (Costume Designer)
- Nicola Pecorini (Director of Photography)
- Patrick Cassavetti (Producer)
- Stephen Nemeth (Producer)
- Alex McDowell (Production Designer)
- Alex Cox (Screenwriter)
- more »
Additional Information
- Cast & Filmmakers' Biographies
- Deleted Scenes
- Film Highlights
- Production Notes
- Spotlight on Location
- Trailer - 1.Original Theatrical Trailer
- Website Links
Tracklisting
Disc 1:
-
We Shocked the World - Jesse Ventura
-
Before You Hit the Ground - Johnny Lang
-
Born Minnesotan - Jesse Ventura
-
Loveland - The Blenders
-
Hold On - Sounds of Blackness
-
Let's Party - Jesse Ventura
-
Sometimes - G.B. Leighton
-
Now That You're Gone - Indigenous
-
Have It All - Tangletown
-
Compromises - Jesse Ventura
-
What's the Haps - Little Buddy
-
I Believe - Jesse Ventura
-
Eggshells for Paperbacks - American Paint
-
I'm Gonna Miss Minneapolis - Vic Volare
-
Been There - Jesse Ventura
-
11 - Billy McLaughlin
-
Leaving This Town - Tina & the B-Side Movement
-
Right to Run - Jesse Ventura
-
I'm Not Your Stepping Stone - Kele
-
Get On Board - Jesse Ventura
-
Monumental - Jesse Ventura
-
Will You Remember My Name - Mick Sterling
Customer Reviews
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
