Monsters!
February 08, 2012
Film Info
- United States
- 1998
- 119 minutes
- Color
- 2.35:1
- English
- Spine #175
It is 1971, and journalist Raoul Duke barrels toward Las Vegas—accompanied by a trunkful of contraband and his slightly unhinged Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo—to cover a motorcycle race. What should be a cut-and-dried journalistic assignment quickly descends into a feverish psychedelic odyssey. Director Terry Gilliam and an all-star cast headlined by Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro show no mercy in bringing Hunter S. Thompson’s excoriating dissection of the American way of life to the screen, creating a film both hilarious and savage.
Cast
| Raoul Duke | Johnny Depp |
| Dr. Gonzo | Benicio Del Toro |
| The North Star waitress | Ellen Barkin |
| Lacerda | Craig Bierko |
| Highway patrolman | Gary Busey |
| Blonde TV reporter | Cameron Diaz |
| Musician | Flea |
| Magazine reporter | Mark Harmon |
| Reservations clerk | Katherine Helmond |
| L. Ron Bumquist | Michael Jeter |
| Road person | Lyle Lovett |
| Hitchhiker | Tobey Maguire |
| Clerk at Flamingo Hotel | Chris Meloni |
| Lucy | Christina Ricci |
| Judge | Harry Dean Stanton |
| Hoodlum | Tim Thomerson |
Credits
| Director | Terry Gilliam |
| Screenplay | Terry Gilliam, Tony Grisoni, Tod Davies and Alex Cox |
| Based on the book by | Hunter S. Thompson |
| Producer | Laila Nabulsi, Patrick Cassavetti and Stephen Nemeth |
| Executive producers | Harold Bronson and Richard Foos |
| Director of photography | Nicola Pecorini |
| Production design | Alex McDowell |
| Film editor | Lesley Walker |
| Costume designer | Julie Weiss |
| Coproducer | Elliot Lewis Rosenblatt |
| Lounge Lizards designed by | Rob Bottin |
| Casting | Margery Simkin |
Disc Features
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION:
- Digital transfer, approved by director Terry Gilliam (with a DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack and an optional 5.1 mix on the Blu-ray edition)
- Three audio commentaries: one with Gilliam, one with stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro and producer Laila Nabulsi, and one with author Hunter S. Thompson
- Deleted scenes, with optional commentary by Gilliam
- Selection of Thompson correspondence, read on camera by Depp
- Hunter Goes to Hollywood, a short documentary
- A look at the controversy over the screenwriting credit
- Profile of Oscar Zeta Acosta, the inspiration for Dr. Gonzo
- Collection of artwork by illustrator Ralph Steadman
- Excerpt from the 1996 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas recording featuring Jim Jarmusch and Maury Chaykin
- BBC documentary from 1978 with Thompson and Steadman
- Storyboards, production designs, stills, and trailer
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic J. Hoberman and two pieces by Thompson
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