Directed by: Alex Gibney
Starring: Hunter S. Thompson (archive footage) and Johnny Depp
Plot: A portrait of the late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Taken from www.imdb.com.
Ever since I saw "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" years ago I have been fascinated with the legend that is gonzo journalist Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. When I heard there was a documentary of his life being made I was immediately interested.
The problem with biographies of a famous person's life is that even the most interesting person can have a boring story if told by the wrong people.
"Gonzo" does a fairly good job of keeping things interesting. It starts on a fairly dull note with Hunter's humble beginnings with his first book "Hell's Angels" and his regular journalism in the early days.
Fortunately the movie picks up from this point, going more into telling about Hunter's campaign for Sheriff in Aspen, Colorado, his family life, his friendship with Ralph Steadman, his trip to Las Vegas, the 1972 Presidential Campaign, his artistic and mental decline in the 80s and 90s, and his eventual suicide.
The people brought in to comment on the journalists life are interesting and often funny. Though some of the appearances, Jimmy Buffett and Pat Buchanan in particular, seem a bit out of place and random.
Aside from the first 20-30 minutes' dull chronicling of Thompson's early years, the film also dwells for far too long on the 1972 presidential campaign, while it was a big part of his fame it seems the movie is more about Thompson's career with bits and pieces of his actual life spliced in every few minutes to validate the extra noun in the title. And with a running time of nearly two hours one can't help but wonder if the movie could have done a little less about the legend and more about the man.
"Gonzo" isn't the best documentary or biography ever made. It suffers from several issues and is a little bloated with a few unnecessary bits, but it succeeds in being informative, entertaining, and funny throughout.
I give "Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson" a 4 out of 5. It's worth the trouble looking for and checking out.
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