Hunter S. Thompson’s first novel is adapted for the screen by legendary director and boozehound Bruce Robinson (Withnail and I). A sort of superhero origin story, wherein a young Thompson-alike searches for his true inner voice, you might look at it as a prequel to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This time the action is set in Puerto Rico, where young journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) rolls into San Juan with a stinking hangover, to start a job for the local English language newspaper. His colleagues and new roommates (brilliant Michael Rispoli and Giovanni Ribisi) are sweaty, skeezy caners of the highest order, and it’s not long before the hallucinogens and loudmouth soup start to take hold, and we see the first stirrings of the gonzo outlook in Kemp/Thompson. He finds game adversaries in the shape of his editor (you’ll-recognise-him-when-you-see-him Richard Jenkins) and a despicable real estate developer (Aaron Eckhart).
Immerse yourself in a gonzo double-bill on Monday 28 November – we”ll be playing Terry Gilliam’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas at 6:30pm, with The Rum Diary afterwards at 8:45pm. We’ll have plenty of rum and other assorted liqor on offer – any further toxic inspiration you’ll have to sneak in yourself. Tickets for all films on Monday are £5 or £3 if you’re a Lexi Member.
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