FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998)

RATING: 8/10✅

Drama/Comedy/Action

In 1971, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo speed across the Nevada desert. Duke, under the influence of mescaline, complains of a swarm of giant bats, before going through the pair's inventory of psychoactive drugs. Shortly afterward, the duo stops to pick up a young hitchhiker and explain what they are doing. Duke has been assigned by an unnamed magazine to travel to Las Vegas and cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race.

[ Watch/Rent/Buy ]

THE FUTURE OF PORTABLE CINEMA

Details:

Directed by: Terry Gilliam

Produced by: Patrick Cassavetti, Laila Nabulsi, Stephen Nemeth

Screenplay by: Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Alex Cox, Tod Davies

Based on: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Starring: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro

Music by: Ray Cooper

Cinematography: Nicola Pecorini

Edited by: Lesley Walker

Production Company: Rhino Films, Summit Entertainment

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Release Date: May 22, 1998

Running Time: 118 minutes

Country: United States

Language: English

Budget: $18.5 million

Box office: $13.7 million

Production

According to Gilliam, there was no firm budget in place when filming started. He felt that it was not a well-organized film and said, "Certain people didn't... I'm not going to name names but it was a strange film, like one leg was shorter than the other. There was all sorts of chaos." While Depp was on location in Los Angeles, he got a phone call from comedian Bill Murray who had played Thompson in Where the Buffalo Roam. He warned Depp, "Be careful or you'll find yourself ten years from now still doing him… Make sure your next role is some drastically different guy."

Shooting on location in Las Vegas began on August 3, 1997 and lasted 56 days. The production ran into problems when they wanted to shoot in a casino. They were only allowed to film between two and six in the morning, given only six tables to put extras around and insisted that the extras really gamble." Exterior shots of the Bazooko Casino were filmed in front of the Stardust hotel/casino with the interiors constructed with a Warner Bros. Hollywood soundstage. To get the period look of Vegas in the 1970s, Gilliam and Pecorini used rear-projection footage from the old television show, Vega$. According to the cinematographer, this footage heightened the film's "already otherworldly tone an extra notch."