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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

6.8

56,732

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Where the Buffalo Roam

Original title: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Year: 1998
Running time: 118 min.
Country: United States
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriter: Tony Grisoni, Terry Gilliam. Novel: Hunter S. Thompson
Music: Ray Cooper
Cinematography: Nicola Pecorini
Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Craig Bierko, Tobey Maguire, Michael Jeter, Ellen Barkin, Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Cameron Diaz, Jenette Goldstein, Christopher Meloni, Katherine Helmond, Mark Harmon, Harry Dean Stanton
Producer: Universal Pictures, Summit Entertainment, Fear and Loathing LLC, Rhino Films, Shark Productions
Genre: Comedy | Black Comedy. Road Movie. Drugs. Journalism. Cult Movie. Surrealism. 1970s
Synopsis: An adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's novel of the same name. The film details a whacky search for the "American Dream", by Thompson and his crazed, Samoan lawyer. Fueled by the massive amount of drugs they purchased with an advance from a magazine to cover a sporting event in Vegas; they set out in the Red Shark. Encountering police, reporters, gamblers, racers, and hitchhikers; they search for some undefinable thing know only as the "American Dream" and find fear, loathing and hilarious adventures into the dementia of the modern American West.

Awards: 1998: Cannes Film Festival: Nominated for Palme d'Or (Best Film)

Critics' reviews

"The closest sensory approximation of an acid trip ever achieved by a mainstream movie and the latest example of Mr. Gilliam's visual bravura."

Stephen Holden: The New York Times
"A horrible mess of a movie, without shape, trajectory or purpose--a one joke movie, if it had one joke (...) Rating: ★ (out of 4)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"Disappointing, pointless and repetitive (...) Even with Gilliam's cheeky visual flights it's dated and surprisingly slight."

Edward Guthmann: SFGATE
"What elevates the tale from being a mere drug chronicle (...) it's the sense that Gilliam, like Thompson, is always totally in command of his medium, while abandoning himself utterly to unpredictable forces beyond his control."

Michael O'Sullivan: The Washington Post
"An uninspired series of stumblebum scenes (...) Thompson's delirium and genius, including fits of drug-induced dementia and hallucinations, is visualized in the most banal terms."

Duane Byrge: The Hollywood Reporter
"Visually incredible and blessed with great performances from Depp and Del Toro, this is destined for cult classic status - but the plot and symbolism are less impressive (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"

Jake Hamilton: Empire

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Ranking Lists Position

18 Most Original Movie Posters Ever (7)
20 The Weirdest Movies I Have Ever Watched (132)
42 Movies I Like But Wouldn't Recommend to Everyone (42)
65 My Favorite Cult Classics (116)

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