Fans of Terry Gilliam’s take on Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing Last Vegas,” have no doubt been anticipating Johnny Depp’s return to Thompson’s world in the long-awaited “The Rum Diary.”
With no announced festival premiere (Telluride and London have yet to announce their lineups), word on this adaptation has been quiet of late, even with FilmDistrict releasing the film on October 28. Finally showing signs of life, the first trailer for the film dropped last night and it looks like a fun affair.
Based on Thompson’s debut novel, “The Rum Diary” finds Depp playing Paul Kemp, a freelance journalist who makes a move to Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, run by a loony editor (Richard Jenkins). There he falls for Chenault (Amber Heard), the Connecticut-born fiancee of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a businessman involved in shady dealing.
The trailer hints at some of the surreal flights of fancy that made “Fear and Loathing” so memorable, with Depp channeling that film’s wacky performance. The rest of the cast also appears to be in top form.
The gorgeous Heard, who’s become America’s reigning B-list actress of late with strong turns in “Drive Angry 3D” and “The Ward,” seems to be the breakout here. Could this film be the one to catapult her to the A-list? We’ll have to wait and see.
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