Contact high

Fear and Loathing is the latest in Terry Gilliam's cinematic revolution

By Skylaire Alfvegren

Dallas Observer: Published: May 21, 1998

Gilliam has called the film a "cinematic enema." And since we're ensconced in the rabid climate of the "War on Drugs"--the drug use in Fear and Loathing seems lifetimes away--the rest of the story is just as relevant now as it was 27 years ago. "We're hoping it will cause a stir--touch a nerve," says Gilliam. "See, the beginning of the '70s was kind of interesting because the Hunters were still out there. They were angry and disillusioned but were still alive and kicking and fighting. But now, I don't know who's alive and kicking and fighting anymore.

"And at least at that time it was clear who the enemies were --you had Nixon, you had the war in Vietnam. Now it's harder to know what's wrong and why it's wrong and what needs fixing. I get a sense that people--not people, but people who are alive and thinking--realize that something is lacking here, and it must be dealt with. There are a lot of furry mammals coming out from under the rocks saying, 'Man, we've got to change something,' and I'm not even sure if people even know what it is that needs changing or what should be done."

Whatever the film's failings, you do leave the theater with a definite contact high. You may not be contemplating methods to overthrow the government, though the film gives you the sense that something is wrong, terribly wrong, with the world. You just can't put your finger on it. You'll have been too busy gorging yourself on Gilliam's visuals to walk away with a message. But you'll have absorbed something strangely revolutionary, and God knows what you'll be up to later.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Directed by Terry Gilliam. Written by Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies, and Alex Cox; based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson. Starring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro.

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