Hunter S. Thompson (18 July 1937 - 20 February 2005) was many things throughout his life: political activist, gun fetishist, massive drug fiend and the father of gonzo journalism, a form of absurdist and surreal writing. But more than any of these things Hunter was a great American writer, who peeled back the facade from his country with his powerful writing...

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008 - 1 hr, 59 min, 48 sec) is a documentary written and directed by Alex Gibney. Although Gibney shaped the film, all of the narrated words are straight from Hunter's own works. The film was nominated for two awards.

Hunter lived through the tumultuous years of the sixties with both its hope for a hippy future and the bitter aftertaste of the Vietnam War and the civil rights riots, where it looked like the American dream was on its death bed. The film combines interviews with film of hunter and readings from his works by Johnny Depp.

Nobody involved in the film appears to view Hunter as anything other than a chaotic force of nature; he appears to have indulged in both drink and drugs to levels of extreme excess, and the film revels in his lifestyle which makes for an interesting slant on his story, but never really seems to get at the heart of its subject. Was Hunter so immune to effects of the multitude of pharmaceuticals? I think not. The film only touches on the potentially deep darkness that was at the heart of Hunter's work, a darkness which finally overcame him when he took his own life when the fear and loathing finally overcame him.

This is a problem inherent in any film which tries to look at Hunter's complex  life and work. Hunter’s prose spread over a wide range of subjects from sport to politics. With such a range of subjects and tones possible. The film restricts itself to the period spanning 1965 to 1975, which covered some of his best work, including his work with the Hells Angels; the presidential campaign; his sometimes viciously cutting political writings and possibly his most famous work, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

There is no doubt that the man made an impression on anyone who met him, and the film is full of stories from both his supports and his enemies. Offerings and insights are provided by Ralph Steadmen, Jann Wenner, Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan and many more, everyone adding to the kaleidoscope of Hunter's life. The overall impression is of a passionate and funny man, who seems to have been generally well liked by most people except himself.

The film is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 with a 5.1 audio track, but to honest it is just as acceptable with its stereo track. Obviously, given the period that the film covers, the quality of the prints can be variable as they combine black and white as well as colour television spots, home movies and modern interviews. Still it’s an impressive piece of documentary work, which goes some way to peeling away the legend of Hunter and giving us a glimpse of the man.

Extras on the disc come in the form of a full length commentary from the director, which looks at the choices that were made in what clips were used, including more musings on his life and works. There are thirteen extended interviews (45 min, 44 sec) as well as some deleted and extended scenes (15 min, 03 sec), Wayward and Weary (4 min, 01 sec) is a song, inspired by Hunter’s life, written and sung by Tift Merritt, the American singer/song writer.  There is an interview with Alex Gibney (22 min, 24 sec) about what drew him to the subject; here he speaks extensively about his take on Hunter. Next up is a pretty impressive gallery of Ralph Steadman's work around and about Hunter with over seventy pictures for you delectation. If not sufficiently impressed with that there is also an extensive gallery of Hunter's personal and public pictures. The disc wraps up with the original theatrical trailer (2 min, 32 sec).

Overall the film is a good companion piece to Hunter's often provocative and challenging writing, though I would recommend that you pick up one of Hunter’s books.

9

Charles Packer