Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

One of the most accurate depictions of a brain on drugs, Terry Gilliam’s adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s fever dream of a novel was always intended to be, as the director said, ‘one of the great movies of all time, and one of the most hated movies of all time.’ Those who love it see Thompson’s gonzo journalistic piece faithfully translated into a demented, frantic visual masterpiece featuring both Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro’s most unhinged performance. On the other hand, those who don’t love it see an agitating, episodic and vulgar film made by a deranged filmmaker. Love it or hate it, Gilliam’s dizzying, drugfuelled vision of American depravity is certainly the closest thing to getting a contact high from a film – including the ugly crash after the ecstatic peak.

Cannes Film Festival: In Competition