FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS

INTRODUCTION: After a long drawn out and incredibly messy production during which Cox was ousted and replaced by Gilliam, this adaptation of Thompson's classic counter-culture novel of the 70's comes to our screen.

SYNOPSIS: In search of the American dream Gonzo journalist Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his overweight Samoan attorney Oscar Acosta a.k.a. Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro) head off to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400, a dirt track motorcycle race, for 'Sports Illustrated'.

With a boot that contains a pharmacy of illegal substances they cross the dessert in their rented red convertible, encountering a swarm of bats and a terrified hitchhiker they finally arrive in Vegas and check into their hotel only to encounter further drug-induced terrors.

Their bouts of drug consumption get increasingly out of hand leaving a trail of destruction leading to a terrifying encounter at the North Star Diner.

REVIEW: Gilliam prefaces his film with the same quote from Dr. Johnson that Thompson used to preface his book 'He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man" and it is this belief that drives the narrative, as Thompson strikes out against Leary's mantra of consciousness expansion through drug use and the arrogance of the generation that it bred.

Depp follows up his essaying of the eponymous b-movie director Ed Wood, with an impressive impression of Thompson, perhaps too impressive as the somewhat addled Thompson is near incomprehensible at the best of times. Del Toro is by turns both menacing and amusing in his portrayal of the ingratiating attorney Dr. Gonzo. While a supporting cast of near unrecognisable celebrities put in brief turns, only Barkin stands out with her stunning appearance as the North Star waitress menaced by Dr. Gonzo.

Gilliam, drawing on his background in effects, is currently figure heading (quite literally) an exhibition called 'Devious Devices' that contains a varied selection of automata. Looking at these one can see how whimsy can often lead to great invention. One could argue that Thompson also achieved greatness through whimsy, with this outlandish story, now often classified as non-fiction, and his theory of gonzo journalism. The times however have changed and this bile-ridden attack on the Woodstock generation, that established Thompson as the godfather of Generation X, seems somewhat outdated as Gen. X finally disappears up it's own arse only to be replaced by the bland conformity of Generation Y, or Generation Next as Pepsi Co. keep insisting on naming them.

Set against the backdrop of Altamont and Vietnam brought to us through the ever present television news reports, Gilliam presents a series of loosely related vignettes from Duke and Gonzo's stay in Vegas, from trips to the hot night spot the Circus, Circus to their covering of a D.A. convention on the dangers of drug abuse. All shown through the haze of drug induced paranoia, courtesy of Gilliam's astounding eye for surreal visuals and complete lack of experience in substance abuse.

Gilliam was a somewhat perverse choice to replace Gen. X'er Cox in the director's seat for this project. The combination of a man famed for his visual flair with a book admired for its verbose ingenuity, could only be a recipe for disaster. Concentrating on the visuals Gilliam is unable to bring the same bite to his film that infused Thompson's book, and the message of the selling out of the sixties was brought home far better by the adverts before hand in which Dennis Hopper used clips from the definitive 60's rebellion movie "Easy Rider" to sell Ford cars.

An opportunity missed, perhaps rightfully so.

Mutt's Rating: ***

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