Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

It's hard to explain why this film is as enjoyable as it is. The synopsis of "Two middle-aged men imbibe enough illegal chemicals to kill a herd of elephants while failing to complete a single journalistic assignment" hardly inspires confidence that this is anything worth watching, but this film is about the experience. The narration and dialogue is endlessly quotable, as one would expect from an adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's work, and the cinematography artfully portrays a world that isn't entirely stable. The camera will sway and strange angles make the viewer feel slightly unbalanced, as if what you're seeing on-screen is just another level of drug-addled insanity. Both Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro play against type as two men who seem to be tottering on the edge of self-control, and both are magnificent, delivering some of the oddest dialogue ever written with absolute conviction. The rest of the cast is surprisingly star-studded, featuring Christina Ricci, Gary Busey, Cameron Diaz and Tobey Maguire in very short roles. But when you have an ex-Python at the helm, and two multi-award-winning actors in the lead roles, you can get away with that kind of thing. The best way to appreciate this film is simply to watch it, and let yourself get swept along for the ride.


He's nice enough, as long as you tell him about the f**king golf shoes.