Canted cameras frames, odd angles, and a complete disregard for what is physically possible: This is “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Sure, it might not be a traditional Halloween movie—but it has the word “fear” in the title, and I guarantee that it’s scarier than any “Final Destination” incarnation to come your way.
The flick’s visual tricks aim to make you feel like you’re on as much mescaline as the characters played by Johnny Depp and Benicio del Toro. After being subjected to two hours of director Terry Gilliam’s headache-inducing antics though, you may wish that you had actually popped a few tabs yourself.
For legal reasons, The Crimson cannot officially condone recreational drug use. We can, however, publish an absurd drinking game meant never to be played—that is unless you are 21 and happened to be a Scottish longshoreman with a death wish. In that case: God speed, read on, and drink up!
TAKE A SHOT…
1. One shot if you can understand Johnny Depp. Cease all play immediately if you begin to sympathize with him. You’ve already had enough.
2. Take two shots every time Depp refers to Benicio del Toro’s ethnicity as a handicap or a hurdle, and three shots every time he calls him Samoan.
3. Negative two shots every time a character vomits—it’s only fair.
4. Rejoice and drink when Gary Busey appears as a cop and asks Johnny Depp to smooch. Seriously, it happens.
5. Take a drink every time somebody smokes.
6. Pysch! Number 5 would be way too loco. They’re always smoking. We’re not trying to kill you.
7. Take nine shots when Benicio del Toro’s back turns into a pair of boobs, and his front turns into a minotaur. Then take two more.
8. Take four shots every time Johnny Depp takes off his hat to reveal male pattern baldness. How’s that for ‘fear’?
9. Drink a responsible amount every time your mom-instincts kick in. Anything from thinking, “Use two hands with your revolver, Benicio!” to, “Haven’t you had enough, Johnny!?” counts.
10. Finish the bottle if you come to the conclusion that this is as much a drug movie as it is an anti-drug movie. Then congratulate yourself for the intense irony of your actions.
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