Difference in Opinion

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Released: 1998

Rated R for language and drug use.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, plus a ton of cameos

Rating: 9 out of 10

Runtime: 1 Hr. 58 Mins.

Favorite Quotes: “We can’t stop here. This is bat country” “You can turn your back on a person, but, never turn your back on a drug. Especially when it’s waving a razor-sharp hunting knife in your eye.” “There he goes. One of God’s own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” “Few people understand the psychology of dealing with a highway traffic cop. A normal speeder will panic and immediately pull over to the side. This is wrong. It arouses contempt in the cop heart. Make the bastard chase you. He will follow.” “I’m a relatively respectable citizen. Mutiple felon perhaps, but certainly not dangerous.” Plus a ton more that I won’t put here.

Summary (from IMDB): 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.

The Bad Stuff:

- This movie can be very overwhelming. There are a lot of drug hallucinations that, obviously, don’t fit with the story. After I saw it for the first time, I said to myself, “What the crap did I just watch?”

- It can seem very long. Definately have to be in the right mood.

The Good Stuff:

- Johnny Depp makes this movie. He is simply amazing to watch.

- The relationship between Depp and Del Toro is great. Each plays off the other very well.

- Del Toro can be so intimidating. When he is on acid, he is scary.

- This movie is very funny. It has a lot of memorable lines.

- While being funny, it isn’t afraid to switch the mood out of the blue.

I love this movie. While confronting the mind set of people after the “acid wave” of the 60s, it is very funny and off-the-wall. The search of the American Dream is something we all can relate to.