I remember seeing this film back in the late 90’s when it first came out and thinking “Shit, what kind of drugs was the Director taking when he made this film” but that was long before I appreciated the warped yet brilliant literary works of the Legendary Hunter S. Thompson. After watching it again a few years later (and having a bit of knowledge on Hunter) I finally realized how skillful Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro were as actors and how masterful Terry Gilliam was as a Director. 




The attention to detail of the two leads is absolutely incredible in terms of Character portrayal and physical alterations for there respective roles (Del Toro apparently put on 40lbs for the role whereas Depp lived in Thompsons basement and learnt most of his physical mannerisms). The depths that Terry Gilliam went too in order to bring this drug soaked story to life is extraordinary. If you take note of of who actually did cameos in this film you too will be amazed (Cameron Diaz, Ellen Barkin, Harry Dean Stanton, Tobey Macguire) although I must admit my favorite was the timely cameo by the 80’s action Legend Gary Busey as the “Lonely” Highway Patrolman (A scene which still has me in hysterics to this day). It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I really enjoyed some of the latter works of Terry Gilliam mainly The Fisher King and The Brothers Grimm. 


I especially became a fan of the psychedelic visual effects and camera angles he constantly uses and in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas he uses all all these tools with masterful skill in order to get the key points of the story across to the viewer as he also does with the brilliant usage of the Soundtrack to get across that atmospheric eerie yet chilled “Drug Psychosis” vibe which engulfs the viewer and draws them further into the story. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is one of those films that not only takes you too another level of film immersion but it can also make you feel like have been taking drugs after seeing it, much like Wes Andersons brilliant big screen adaptation of Fantastic Mr Fox which in itself is a Celluloid gem. 


These films not only take you into a different realm as an avid movie watcher, but they also have that very rare ability to make you feel as if you are having your mind sandblasted with pure oxygen after seeing them for the first time. In my opinion this is one of the best literary adaptations of all time and is a truly stunning experience on its own.

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