It is as deeply satisfying as only the yowling, primal trashing of several rental cars and hotel rooms while in the grips of a hopelessly depraved ether jag and several sheets of blotter acid can be... A cinematic masterpiece.
Gilliam captures the chaotic visions of debauchery with his trademark aplomb, bringing to life the already trippy patterns of hotel carpets and populating the dark bars of Vegas with genuinely reptilian lounge lizards.
The closest sensory approximation of an acid trip ever achieved by a mainstream movie and the latest example of Mr. Gilliam's visual bravura.
50
Film Threat
Film Threat
On this ride we follow the two characters from casino to casino and from hallucination to hallucination with no real destination.
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
The one source of relief comes from the score -- a sampling of period ditties by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and Neil Young.
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
There is a reason why books are books and movies are movies, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas makes a pretty good case that the two don't always mix.
50
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
San Francisco ChronicleEdward Guthmann
Disappointing, pointless and repetitive.
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A peculiar and oddly haunting achievement.
20
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
A lot of talent has gone down the drain, an apt term since bathrooms loom in the picture. [22 Jun 1998, p. 26]
0
San Francisco Examiner
San Francisco Examiner
One long offensive treatise on just how vile two human beings can be.