The film pairs Thompson with illustrator Ralph Steadman, as they travel to Hollywood via Death Valley and Barstow from Las Vegas.
The film's narrator states that Thompson was a former member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
At best, Thompson was an authorized observer and allowed intimate access to the Hells Angels' lifestyle and activities while writing Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.
The narrator also states that Thompson ran for sheriff in his hometown of Aspen, Colorado.
[2] The film is featured in The Criterion Collection edition of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.