Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (DVD Review)

one of the best films to visualise drug trips, F&LILV is a hugely entertaining film thanks mostly to the trippy writings of Dr HST and the performances of Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. Terry Gilliam (who I've never been a big fan) does a solid job with the material, but can't quite distill HST style into filmic form. Never more has non-method method acting been so startlingly surreal, yet in touches a nerve inside us that you can't quite explain. I watched the CRITERION DVD version, and is the recommended choice (unless you just want to test the waters with the basic disc). The disc includes 3 commentaries: Gilliam (who is his usual egotistical self), Depp & Del Toro (entertaining, thoughful and insightful) and Dr HST himself (nuff said, he's quite critical of Gilliam). The second disc has some great extras including deleted scenes, a seventies UK doco on Thompson, some correspondence read by Depp, stills and others. RIP and Excelsior, Hunter!