I’d like to tell you a bit about one of my all-time favorite films, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998). For starters, it’s based on the (somewhat) true story of a reporter covering the Mint 400 race, embellished by certain elements. It features a couple of the most beloved actors of our time, Benicio Del Toro and Johnny Depp, who pull masterful performances. The movie starts with their characters driving through the Nevada desert, while high on all sorts of drugs. This should probably tell you that it’s not really a movie that impressionable kids should watch.

Basically, you will be seeing the entire movie through the eyes of two extremely intoxicated people, so you can expect a unique cinematic experience. I found this element relatable, as I have often been under the influence of alcohol while gambling in Las Vegas. Let’s face it, when you start to work those slots in the casino and you get cocktail waitresses hooking you up with all kinds of free drinks, you are going to find it extremely hard to stay sober. And when you get drunk enough, all those sounds and lights emitted by the slot machines can be extremely confusing. At least that’s what I was reminded of when Johnny Depp hallucinated about other bar customers that they were giant lizards and having an orgy. I was never really that far gone, but you get the point.

The guys seem to overdo absolutely everything in this movie. They are never completely sober, and this is why their misadventures always seem so over the top and out there. The movie also has a very “in your face” attitude about drugs and alcohol. It doesn’t actually depict them in a positive way, but let’s just say it wouldn’t take much more to do so. It basically shows the actual reasons why people would take them, but also some of the reasons why we should stay away from them. A Las Vegas casino will never give a customer drugs, but alcohol is never in short supply.

This is how, in my opinion, the movie stays connected to the modern casino scene in Las Vegas. Well, through that and also by showing how fun a stay in Vegas can be. You just never run out of things to do, it’s absolutely impossible. You may run out of energy and money, but you will always have something fun to do on the strip. As a man with a passion for gambling, I like nothing better than getting a bit woozy and playing some poker at a casino or trying to win big at the slots. Sure, I lose a lot more often than I win, but that’s just all part of the game. Somehow, the house always wins, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have an awesome time while going at it. In my opinion, that’s what Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas conveys, at least from a gambling point of view. Finally, I think you should also watch it if you want to see more about how things were back in the day.