Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

About as faithful an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 "gonzo journalism" classic as I can imagine...though that's not necessarily a good thing. Chronicling the adventures of journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his attorney Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), Terry Gilliam's saga of kindred spirits on a drug-fueled spree through Vegas (ostensibly while covering an off-road race and/or a law enforcement narcotics conference) feels exactly like it should feel: a cockeyed white-water rafting tour down a polluted stream of consciousness. Depp does a hilariously spot-on performance of Thompson-as-Duke and Del Toro sports plenty of extra flab as the unhinged Dr. Gonzo. Truth be told, however, a head-trip film such as this is better suited to 90 minutes of damn-the-torpedoes pacing than two hours of reverence. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas does do a solid job of capturing the era's madness in a city which is a madhouse distillation of the American dream, and is consistently intriguing, if for no other reason than Gilliam's willingness to go every ugly place--sometimes very ugly, including plenty of vomit and hallucinatory gore--Thompson's book went. Wild, perverse, incoherent, sometimes very funny, yes, but also too literal an adaptation of a book best left to a twisted imagination. Optional. (S. Renshaw)[DVD Review--April 8, 2003--Criterion, 2 discs, 119 min., R, $39.95--Those who think that Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reflects director Terry Gilliam's nadir as a director won't be much swayed by the bevy of extras included in this double-disc Criterion edition, but fans are sure to love. Disc one features a characteristically pristine transfer of the film, with not one, not two, but three audio commentaries (by Gilliam; Depp, Del Toro and producer Laila Nabulsi; and the last--somewhat mumbling--by Hunter S. Thompson, Nabulsi, and various others), and three deleted scenes. Disc two features a 15-minute segment of Depp reading correspondence from Thompson, an 11-minute semi-incoherent cinema vérité piece called "Hunter Goes to Hollywood" (with Thompson visiting the Universal lot during shooting), the 51-minute 1978 BBC doc "Fear and Loathing on the Road to Hollywood" (the most interesting extra, with extensive archival and interview footage of Thompson and artist Ralph Steadman, as well as a great segment with Thompson--who absolutely hated Richard Nixon--and Watergate whistleblower John Dean), readings from the Fear and Loathing audio CD, readings by Oscar Zeta Acosta (the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo), and storyboards, stills and trailers. Bottom line: a whopper of an extras package for a loved it/hated it cult-classic-in-the-making.][Blu-ray Review—Feb. 2, 2010—Universal, 119 min., R, $26.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas features a great transfer and a 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras include deleted scenes (12 min.), a “Spotlight on Location” featurette (10 min.), and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a disappointing extras package—especially compared to the fine Criterion double-disc DVD release—for this otherwise wonderful-looking Blu-ray debut of a minor cult hit.][Blu-ray Review—Apr. 26, 2011—Criterion, 119 min., R, $39.95—Making its second appearance on Blu-ray, 1998's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas features an excellent transfer with DTS-HD sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including three audio commentaries (the first with director Terry Gilliam; second with costars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, and producer Laila Nabulsi; and third with author Hunter S. Thompson), the BBC featurette “On the Road to Hollywood” (50 min.), a profile section on Oscar Zeta Acosta—inspiration for Dr. Gonzo (28 min.), a 2002 on-camera reading from Depp of selections from his correspondence with Thompson (14 min.), deleted scenes (11 min.), Wayne Ewing's 2003 short “Hunter Goes to Hollywood” (11 min.), an excerpt from an audio adaptation featuring Jim Jarmusch and Maury Chaykin, and an audio look at the controversy over the screenwriting credits, as well as storyboards, production designs, a stills gallery, a Ralph Steadman art gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this second Blu-ray release of a minor cult classic.]