Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

"Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings -

These are a few of my favourite things..."

Terry Gilliam's surreal, and wild road-movie is based on Hunter S. Thompson's 1971 novel of the same name - and both of them are depicting the darker side of the so-called American Dream.

The story is about Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), the hedonist journalist, and his samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro - somewhere between 'friend', and 'drinking companion') - they're heading towards Las Vegas to cover the annual Mint 400 motorcycle race. Since they carrying a bag full with almost "every type of drug known to civilized man since 1544 AD", they forget about the whole race-thing soon enough, and get sinking deep into the endless, nightmarish Las Vegas nights, and only Duke's messy notes can get together what's happening.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is now a cult classic, a true document about the passive voidness of the post-hippie era. 

This film has one of the greatest openings: The Lennon Sisters singing 'My Favourite Things' with their sweet, angel-like voice, but the whole thing's a bit dark, mostly becouse the meanwhile black and white archive footages about the Vietnam War, and those, who are protested against the massacre. And, after that, we see Ralph Steadman's characteristic letters in red (almost as it was paint with blood), and, as it melts down, it shows Dr. Johnson's fitting quote:

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man."