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Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas with a suitcase full of drugs to cover a motorcycle race. As their consumption of drugs increases at an alarming rate, the stoned duo trash their hotel room and fear legal repercussions. Duke begins to drive back to L.A., but after an odd run-in with a cop, he returns to Sin City and continues his wild drug binge.
1998 · Directed by Terry Gilliam · 118 min · Adventure · Drama · Comedy · Screenplay in the scene database · 35 frames
Tagline
Buy the ticket, take the ride.
Plot
In 1971, Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo speed across the Mojave Desert. Duke, under the influence of mescaline, complains of a swarm of giant bats, and inventories their drug stash. They pick up a young hitchhiker and explain their mission: Duke has been assigned by a magazine to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race in Las Vegas. They bought excessive drugs for the trip, and rented a red Chevrolet Impala convertible. The hitchhiker flees on foot at their behavior.
Trying to reach Vegas before the hitchhiker can go to the police, Gonzo gives Duke part of a sheet of "Sunshine Acid" (ultra-purified LSD), then informs him that there is little chance of making it before the drug kicks in. By the time they reach the strip, Duke is in the full throes of his trip and barely makes it through the hotel check-in, hallucinating that the clerk is a moray eel and that his fellow bar patrons are draconian lizards.
The next day, Duke arrives at the race and heads out with his photographer, Lacerda. Duke becomes irrational and believes that they are in the middle of a battlefield, so he fires Lacerda and returns to the hotel. After consuming more mescaline, as well as huffing diethyl ether, Duke and Gonzo arrive at the Bazooko Circus casino but leave shortly afterwards, the chaotic atmosphere frightening Gonzo. Back in the hotel room, Duke leaves Gonzo unattended, and tries his luck at Big Six.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies, Alex Cox
- Cinematography: Nicola Pecorini
- Edited by: Lesley Walker
- Music: Ray Cooper
- Production design: Alex McDowell
- Produced by: Patrick Cassavetti, Laila Nabulsi, Stephen Nemeth
Cast
- Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke
- Benicio del Toro as Dr. Gonzo
- Tobey Maguire as Hitchhiker
- Michael Lee Gogin as Uniformed Dwarf
- Larry Cedar as Car Rental Agent - Los Angeles
- Brian Le Baron as Parking Attendant
- Katherine Helmond as Desk Clerk at Mint Hotel
- Michael Warwick as Bell Boy
- Craig Bierko as Lacerda
- Tyde Kierney as Reporter
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Summit Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Fear and Loathing LLC, Rhino Films
- Budget: $18,500,000
- Box office: $10,700,000
- Themes: journalist, casino, based on novel or book, 1970s, paranoia, cocaine, dark comedy, lsd, hallucination, fake identity
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