AppsScraps Movie Reviews

Dec 7, 2009

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Release date: 20 January 2008 (Sundance Film Festival)

This documentary, directed by Alex Gibney, shares the story and suicide of America's greatest 'gonzo' reporter/author, Hunter S. Thompson, probably most famous for his novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and his reporting in Rolling Stone. Thompson's hollowness was filled with a mix of rage, alcohol, drugs, super-libido, and a genuine concern to make America (or Aspen, Colorado at least) a better place where everyone could, as he did, live with twenty-odd guns loaded and ready to bear. Gibney gives us the man raw, highlighted with insights from his two wives, politicians - whom he generally loathed - including Jimmy Carter and Pat Buchanan, and the team that stood with him in his unsuccessful run for Sherrif of Aspen. In the end what we see is a man ruined by the very character he created. A brilliant writer, sure, but a tragic man.

My rating 8 out of 10.

No comments: