Review:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

So last night I went and saw Terry Gilliam's latest film- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Simply put, the story follows a couple of guys in the early 70's, who acquire an amazing amount of drugs, and go to Las Vegas for a bit. Hit the link below to read my review.

Short answer:I liked it. Let's see, there are many cool cameos (many by folks from previous TG films), some bizarre CG effects (face melting, carpet animating, all of it done quite well), and absolutely amazing cinamatography. From the title, to the moment the closing credits are finally seen sliding down a highway off into the distance, you are treated to shot after amazing shot. Cool camera angles. Bizarre lighting effects. Everything has that touch of a director with complete control of his medium. This isn't a slapped together movie, it was obviously a labor of love, made by a truely talented artist.

Johnny Depp is excellent as Duke. The voice, the attitude, everything is completely convincing. From throwing change on the ground as tips, to butting in between a man and a woman in a restaurant to light his cigarette, he's completely believable, in a bizarre caricaturish way. Depp has made a lot of good career moves- he could easily have had the same career as we would expect from, say, the cast of friends, but teaming up with Tim Burton in Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, and now with Gilliam has really scored him points in my book. He's not afraid to stretch himself into a new role, no matter if its a transvestite director or a total druggie. That's why he's one of the best actors around these days.

The movie is a roller coaster. Basically, things are kinda mellow, drugs are consumed, and things get progressively stranger. First the colors are tinted, then people start talking and walking funny, and eventually everyone in a bar looks like a lizard, there is shouting and fighting, and then things get calm again for a few minutes. This repeats for 2 hours. By the end, I was drained.

A few of the highlights include a hilarious sequence where our "heroes" are staying in the same hotel with a Drug Enforcement convention. They atually attend seminars and watch amazingly hilarious anti-drug stuff (actually, some of the jokes are remarkably similiar to this weeks SouthPark). My other fav was an amazing shot- a single shot. Over a minute long with one guy screaming into a telephone, pretending he's being attacked, and the other ranting loudly to himself. No cuts, no edits, no camera moves. Just a minute of footage. It's an amazing shot- I haven't seen anything like it in a long time.

Addressing the drug thing:the movie isn't really pro-drug, and it isn't really anti drug. It takes great pains to make both sides of the fence look quite terrible, and that's what made it work. It's not preachy in either direction, it's just a crazy story that drugs are a part of.

So anyway, if you're weak of heart, or you're really conservative, stay away. But if you're like me, and you prefer a 'film' to a 'movie', this is quite an impressive effort. I'll probably go see it again.