The film perfectly encapsulates the philosophy of extreme over-indulgence that has probably inspired every young mind at some stage, it allows the viewer to both share the utterly unadulterated experience of psychedelic excess in all it's wonderful glory, whilst ultimately reinforcing the likely unsustainability of such a philosophy in the real world.
Freelance writer Raoul Duke and his Attorney come partner in mayhem Dr Gonzo embark on a mission to report on a Desert Rally in Las Vegas, naturally stocking up for the trip with wildly excessive quantities of just about every mind-altering substance known to man...:.
"We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half full of cocaine, a whole galaxy of multi- colored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers... Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of beer, a pint of raw ether and two dozen amyls. Not that we needed all that for the trip, but once you get locked into a serious drug collection, the tendency is to push it as far as you can. The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon".
Sheer brilliant mayhem ensues, the Depp/Del Torro duo deliver comedic excellence, whilst Depp in particular, having spent weeks learning Hunters impulsive mannerisms packs the film full of endlessly quotable Hunter-esquire commentary.
A few days into the trip, with a growing list of offences in their debris-strewn wake, the two lead characters barely know who they are, let alone who won the race, but that's no reason to go home.
An unrestrained portrayal of the semi-autobiographical book, with no content compromise for anyone the story is told as intended, with numerous canny nods toward Hunter S Thompson all adding to the quality of the final product (check out the IMDb Trivia page).
PERFECT
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