25 years of ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, the delirious film with Johny Depp that the critics massacred

‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’ turns a quarter of a century. The history, one of the most irreverent pieces of the 90s, it was based on the novel by journalist Hunter S. Thompson, and followed the journey of writer Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp) and his lawyer, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), who had the mission to cover a motorcycle race in the desert. This, with the two characters under the influence of the most varied narcotics.

Directed by Terry Gilliam (Who better to be in charge of such a psychotropic feat?), the film was released in the United States on May 22, 1998 and was not well received by the specialized press. The film received negative reviews., calling it “delusional”, “repetitive”, and “without form or purpose”. The collection was not very brilliant either: earned just over 10.5 million international dollars, having a budget of 18.5 million. However, and as often happens, It has remained for posterity as a work of worship, in addition to being considered an epitome of psychedelia within the seventh art. Next, we review some of the most succulent details of Gilliam’s great work.

A novel with many suitors

Written by Hunter S. Thompson, the book on which it is based was published in 1971 and since its release it has attracted the attention of many filmmakers. In fact, in every decade there is an attempt to take it to celluloid before the Gilliam premiere arrived. Directors of the stature of Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone wanted to direct it. And not only were there a lack of applicants behind the camera. In front of him he had several powerful proposals to give life to the protagonists: stars like Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando came to hold talks to play Duke and Gonzo, respectively. However, delaying the project caused them to be considered too old for the roles.

The following options arrived already in the 80s: actors like Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were groped until the latter’s untimely death. John Malkovich and John Cusack were also considered for the role of Duke. However, when Thompson met Johnny Depp in person, he felt that no one but him could play Duke.

Bill Murray’s advice

In 1980, Bill Murray played Hunter S. Thompson in the movie ‘Where the Buffalo Roam’, also based on the figure of the renowned author. The plot follows the journalist and his peculiar way of covering events, called by himself “gonzo journalism”: it is based on going to places filled with acid or any other type of similar substance.

murray, who had worked with Depp on ‘Ed Wood’ four years earlier, advised him to be careful. Otherwise she would find herself playing your typical idiot character for the next ten years. The ‘Lost in Translation’ actor also recommended that he make sure his next movie role was as different from Thompson as possible to avoid being typecast. And Depp took this advice to heart, as seen in his following projects: ‘The Face of Terror’, alongside Charlize Theron, and ‘The Ninth Door’, by Roman Polanksi, based on a novel written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. .

Johnny Depp’s favorite to direct

When Johnny Depp initially joined the project, he sought out acclaimed English filmmaker Bruce Robinson to direct.since he had loved the work he had done in ‘Withnail and I’, released in 1987.

Robinson turned down the offer., claiming that the novel was too difficult to shoot. However, Depp was able to remove the thorn of working with him a few years later: the British agreed to direct the adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s first novel, ‘The Rum Diaries’ in 2011, which Depp would star in, in a role who was clearly an alter ego of the American writer and journalist. By the way, in this film Depp and actress Amber Heard met, the protagonists of one of the most media trials in recent years.

new friends

Depp and Thompson became fast friends while making the movie. It was Thompson who shaved the actor’s head for the role.. Said hairdressing session took place in the kitchen of the famous journalist (an image that has remained for posterity and as another anecdote from the iconic film). Additionally, the movie star spent four months with the writer preparing for the role, and many of the clothes he wears playing Duke came from Thompson’s closet.

He Tobey Maguire’s expensive charge

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie involves Duke and Gonzo picking up a hitchhiker on the way to Las Vegas. That is none other than a very changed Tobey Maguire.

Due to several retakes of the scene being reshot months later, a slight change from one frame to the next can be noticed in the blonde hair that Maguire sports. In the DVD extras, Gilliam explains that this change in the scene is due to additions that had to be made after a few months. And also, it is due to another fact: the contract with which he would be the future Spider-Man four years later, contained a clause in which the cost of shaving his head before putting on the wig would have been $15,000. Since the budget was already being exceeded, Gilliam decided that Tobey would not cut his hair and they fixed the hair issue with makeup and digital effects. A solution that was more expensive.

Terry Gilliam and the unrecognized script

Gilliam entered the production replacing director Alex Cox (‘Repo Man’, ‘Sid & Nancy’) after production was already underway. Creative differences with Cox led Gilliam to rewrite the script. in a few days to adapt it to your visual style.

The filmmaker co-wrote the script with Toni Grisoni, who found themselves involved in a dramatic dispute with the Writers Union, the WGA (yes, the one that has been playing lately these days due to the strike, which will affect several series on its scheduled schedule). Gilliam and Grisoni’s text was considered too similar to the adaptation previously drafted by Cox and Davies. As a result, Gilliam and Grisoni they did not manage to be credited as the main authors, but as secondary ones. This led the director of ‘The Fisher King’ or ‘Twelve Monkeys’ to burn his WGA card at a public book signing. That and that he started the film with a message explaining the denial of said credit.