Baldrick

hehe.... The Criterion disc for F&L is amazing if you like the movie. The extra features with Hunter S. Thompson are insane - which I guess is apt considering how much drugs this man has ingested over the years.

Oddly enough, Mr. Thompson goes into pretty good depth on why he didn't really like the movie, and wasn't a huge fan of Gilliam. He didn't hate it, but thought it wasn't very true to the book. Although, he pauses several times throughout the commentary to bark, screech, and howl into the microphone, so it's entirely possible he doesn't even remember that he actually wrote the book!

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yournamehere

If you want to see a more light-hearted adaptation, rent <i>Where the Buffalo Roam</i>, with Bill Murray and Peter Boyle (1980). It's a combination of <i>Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas</i> and <i>Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail</i>."

Also - some of you guys could lighten up a little with the responses. Just because someone doesn't agree with you is no reason to attack them personally - the world would be a very boring place if we were all like-minded. This is a discussion board - if you want to make personal insults to someone you don't even know, I suggest Fark.com

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PeaceFrog

Read the book first and was completely blown away. Hunter S. Thomspson is one of my favorite authors, he's insane! Watched the film afterwards and although not as good as the book (that always seems to be the case) it was still an excellent film. Johnny Depp did a fantastic job of portraying Hunter. I love both the book and the film and would suggest them to everyone.

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Kostya

Loved the film, picked up the book in a store once and read a random page, I could not for the life of me stop myself from doing so in a Roaul Duke voice.

mattevil

I own the criterion dvd and for the life of me can't really decide if i love the film or not it's definetly a trip either way.

sherpahigh

I read the book a few years before the movie came out. The book blew me away. First experience with Hunters writing, and I loved it. I've since read quite a lot of his other books including The Gonzo Letters, vol. 1 and 2. Some of the letters aren't all that exciting but overall it gives you some great insight into where Hunter was at while writing some of those books. Hells Angels is another great book of his.

I thought the movie was a pretty good adaptation of the book. I love both the book and the movie.

I didn't like Where the Buffalo Roam as much, but to be fair the copy of the movie I watched was a really old worn out VHS.

On another note, I heard that Hunters first book, "The Rum Diary" is going to be made into a movie as well. I can't recall where I read that though. I think in an article about him breaking his leg in Hawaii recently.

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smooth

I've had the movie sitting around for a while, but haven't watched it yet.

For those of you who have both watched the movie and read the book, which one should I do first to get the best experience?

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Of how much I like Thompson, I feel that Terry Gilliam is what made the movie good. His creations are brilliant

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mattevil

you should always watch the movie first becuse often a movie is way diffrent from the book and you won't have any things imagined in your head for the movie to be spoiled by.

sub zero

The movie was awesome although I ahve yet to read the book. I've had a couple of friends who were on some heavy stuff...and I could their actions mirrored on depp's character

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Rodney

Never saw the movie. Read the book many times in the '70s, back when I was in college. Thompson wrote a lot for Rolling Stone in those days, and I'd buy any issue with his stuff in it. It was all Fear and Loathing. The "Samoan attorney" was in real life a Latino activist/lawyer/politician/alleged drug smuggler (lot of sides to the guy) named Oscar Zeta Acosta who vanished under mysterious circumstances in the '70s and was never seen again. Thompson wrote a long article about it, worth reading.

You all are probably not fans of early '70s politics, but Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail" is just as great a read -- a gonzo look at the Nixon/McGovern presidential campaign of '72. For my money, it's even wilder in places than "las vegas."