Best bits? Seriously? The whole god damn film baby! If I have to pick specific highlights I'll take the ether binge featuring a spaghetti legged Raoul Duke attempting to get through the turnstiles of a local casino fairground and the opening scene where they pick up an unsuspecting hitchhiker - 'I'm just admiring the shape of your skull'. Genius
Did it make you think thoughts? Most definitely. For those who don't know, the story revolves around journalist Raoul Duke (Depp) who is sent to Las Vegas to cover an off-road motorbike race and a police narcotics convention. Adding to the unrelenting debauchery that follows is his companion Dr Gonzo (Del Toro). The fact that this is essentially an auto-biographical account of Hunter S. Thompson's journalistic adventures leaves me contemplating my sheltered existence. What we have here is a pure slice of 1970's drug fuelled Americana as our protagonists go off assignment in search of the American dream. Within one minute of the play button having been pushed I was already chortling to myself and by the end I felt as if I had accompanied our hosts on their Vegas hopping drug binge. The combination of director Gilliam and writer Thompson makes for a truly intoxicating movie. This is style, substance, crazy characters, drama, skewed perspectives and life-living all rolled into one. Before I give myself a sore throat from waxing lyrically about this masterpiece I will say this...it's not for everyone. If my girlfriend watched it you'd probably hear her utter lines such as, 'I don't understand', 'This is weird', 'It's rubbish'. Stick in some teen angst, vampires and unrequited love and she'd be well away. However, watching two drug hounds roll around in their own filth while doing copious amounts of mescaline, acid and cocaine, not so much. The film definitely benefits from repeated views and is even better if you've read the book.
This film makes me angry when I think that Depp and Del Toro were both passed over for academy awards. These are arguably career best performances and should have been recognised so. To close, the eagle eyed of you will have noticed the tagline on the Slump homepage that says we're 'chock full of grit', a line taken directly from this ace movie.
Would you watch it again? Absolutely. I'm sure this film gets better every time I watch it
Rating (out of 100%): This is quite a divisive picture but at Castle Chief we love it. I give Fear and Loathing a sky high 92%
