Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray/Blu-ray] [Criterion Collection]

Director: Terry Gilliam Terry Gilliam

Overview

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 Kerouac-Mailer-Capote 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.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/04/2024
UPC:	0715515297110
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Language:	English
Time:	1:58:00
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	98

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Johnny Depp	Raoul Duke,Raoul Duke
Benicio Del Toro	Dr. Gonzo,Dr. Gonzo
Gary Busey	Highway Patrolman,Highway Patrolman
Ellen Barkin	Waitress,Waitress
Christina Ricci	Lucy,Lucy
Cameron Diaz	TV Reporter,TV Reporter
Tobey Maguire	Hitchhiker,Hitchhiker
Craig Bierko	Lacerta,Lacerta
Mark Harmon	Magazine Reporter,Magazine Reporter
Katherine Helmond	Reservation Clerk,Reservation Clerk
Michael Jeter	Bumquist,Bumquist
Flea	Musician,Musician
Chris Meloni	Clerk,Clerk
Penn Jillette	Carnie Talker,Carnie Talker
Lyle Lovett	Road Person,Road Person
Laraine Newman	Frog-Eyed Woman,Frog-Eyed Woman
Harry Dean Stanton	Judge,Judge
Tim Thomerson	Hoodlum,Hoodlum
Michael Lee Gogin	Uniformed Dwarf,Uniformed Dwarf
Larry Cedar	Car Rental Agent, Los Angeles,Car Rental Agent, Los Angeles
Brian Lebaron	Parking Attendant,Parking Attendant
Michael Warwick	Bell Boy,Bell Boy
Tyde Kierney	Reporter,Reporter
Richard Riehle	Dune Buggy Driver,Dune Buggy Driver
Ransom Gates	Dune Buggy Passenger,Dune Buggy Passenger
Frank Romano	Dune Buggy Passenger,Dune Buggy Passenger
Gil Boccaccio	Desert Room Doorman,Desert Room Doorman
Gary Bruno	Desert Room Doorman,Desert Room Doorman
Richard Portnow	Wine Coloured Tuxedo,Wine Coloured Tuxedo
Steve Schirripa	Goon,Goon
Will Blount	The Black Guy,The Black Guy
Ben Yeager	Barker, the Clown,Barker, the Clown
Christopher Callen	Bazooka Circus Waitress,Bazooka Circus Waitress
Ben Van Der Veen	TV Crew Man,TV Crew Man
Alex Craig Mann	Stockbroker,Stockbroker
Gregory Itzin	Clerk at Mint Hotel,Clerk at Mint Hotel
Troy Evans	Police Chief,Police Chief
Gale Baker	Police Chief's Wife,Police Chief's Wife
Chris Hendrie	Executive Director,Executive Director
Larry Brandenburg	Cop in Black,Cop in Black
Jenette Goldstein	Maid,Maid
Stephen Bridgewater	Human Cannonball,Human Cannonball
Buck Holland	Shopper,Shopper
Mary Gillis	Shopper,Shopper
Jennifer Elise Cox	Shopper,Shopper
Robert Allen	Car Rental Agent, Las Vegas,Car Rental Agent, Las Vegas
David Brisbin	Man in Car,Man in Car
James O'Sullivan	TV Newsman,TV Newsman
Milt Tarver	TV Newsman,TV Newsman
Kathryn Alexander	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Mia Babalis	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Kristin Draudt	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Kim Flowers	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Nan Friedman	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Judith Lieff	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Tane McClure	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Diana Mehoudar	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Geoffrey B. Nimmer	Lizard Performer,Lizard Performer
Marlene Bologna	Trapeze Artist,Trapeze Artist
Chobi Gyorgy	Trapeze Artist,Trapeze Artist
Karen E. Castoldi	Trapeze Artist,Trapeze Artist
Lisa S. Hoyle	Trapeze Artist,Trapeze Artist
Joseph S. Griffo	Trapeze Artist,Trapeze Artist
Verne Troyer	Kellner,Kellner
Debbie Reynolds	Debbie Reynolds,Debbie Reynolds
Ray Cooper	Composer,Composer
Michael Kamen	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Terry Gilliam

Tony Grisoni

Tod Davies

Alex Cox

Hunter S. Thompson

Terry Gilliam	Director,Director,Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Tony Grisoni	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Tod Davies	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Alex Cox	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Harold Bronson	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
Richard Foos	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
Patrick Cassavetti	Producer,Producer
Stephen Nemeth	Producer,Producer
Laila Nablusi	Producer,Producer
Steve Galich	Special Effects,Special Effects
Margery Simkin	Casting,Casting
Hunter S. Thompson	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Laila Nabulsi	Producer,Producer
Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt	Producer,Producer
Andrea Adams	Special Effects,Special Effects
David Acord	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Mick Boggis	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Stephen Bridgewater	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Martin Cantwell	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Paul Carr	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Ditch Doy	Special Effects,Special Effects
John Swinnerton	Special Effects,Special Effects
Rob Bottin	Special Effects,Special Effects
Jay Meagher	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound/Sound Designer