I hate it when Bill Murray delivers a fantastic performance.> This is the best movie I've seen with 19% of Rotten Tomatoes.Hunter S. Thompson was a fascinating person. He was an extremely talented journalist who paved the way for New Journalism. He's also a drug addict, crazed asshole. His style is most exemplified within 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', and its film adaptation ('Where the Buffalo Roam' for a bizarre double feature with that movie).
The framing device of 'Where the Buffalo Roam', in which Thompson writes a piece in a cabin, lends itself to a purposefully meandering story that gives us so much insight into Thompson as a person and what his work meant to the culture at the time. 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' captures the intensity of Thompson's style, but 'Where the Buffalo Roam' is a fun watch to see who he was as a person.
What gives this menadeirng story some legs is the connection between Thompson and his attorney, Lazlo. Spearheading this are two great performances by Bill Murray and Peter Boyle.
This might be in my top 3 Bill Murray performances. He is genuinely incredible in this movie, and my eyes never left the screen whenever he was engaging in his antics. He plays off a fantastic Peter Boyle to elevate these bizarre scenarios.
While part of the structure could have flowed better, I found each segment to be thoroughly engaging, with stellar dialogue and action building up to satisfying payoffs. The directing could have added more flair to the insanity, but the performances and writing make it extremely enjoyable.
I'll be rewatching 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' soon for comparison's sake, and no matter how I feel, I hope that more people end up tracking down this movie. It's worth it, even just for Bill Murray's performance.
God, he's such a creep, though (for reference, look up his bit on the Arsenio Hall Show with Geena Davis).
