After the late sixties, "hippies" were left burned-out and broken unlike their previous free and high flying life. This film set in 1971, shows this turning point in the drug culture. Throughout Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the two main characters heavily use psychological drugs that play a leading role in the film and are portrayed in an extremely realistic manner. Many viewers of this film have very strong opinions on it, and some even think that it glorifies the use of drugs; however I do not find this to be the case. .
First we should discuss the summary of the film as it helps shed light to the reasoning behind the characters actions. Duke, one of the main characters is a journalist whom along with his attorney, Gonzo, get caught up in drugs. After they go to Las Vegas to cover an off-road race, drugs distort not only their minds but also the minds of the viewers to a certain extent, to forget the race and just focus on the "trip" along with the drugs. In this trip Duke and Gonzo at one point realize that they stumbled upon "The American Dream" while at a bar in a casino. To them, the "Dream" is not only comprised of winning the gambling game and living the expensive life associated with it (neither of which they accomplish in the movie) but it also includes being at the peak of their high on drugs. This peak could be described as the point when neither of them could distinguish reality from the effected view they had from the drug use. This moment however, is short lived and Duke recognizes that Gonzo is caught up in the drugs and about to have a serious reaction to them, so the "Dream" is once again lost. .
The use and effects of the drugs are so realistic that many viewers feel the film glorifies the use of drugs, although since Duke and Gonzo are presented as barely-functional zombies and washed out hippies, this statement does not seem to be very logical or rational.
