Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp
What's it about: This documentary traces the 1960s-70s heyday of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, who killed himself in 2005.
Wow: Thompson was an original, a journalist who put himself at the center of his stories and never backed down from being as outrageously honest as was possible - about drugs, politics, sports and his own life. This trippy documentary touches on Vietnam, the civil rights movement, the Chicago riots in 1968, the Nixon-McGovern campaign of 1972, the Iraq war and beyond.
Depp pops up as Thompson's voice, whether reading from Thompson's work or portraying Thompson in clips from the movie of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Director Alex Gibney hits the high points but doesn't pull back from the decline that ultimately led Thompson to shoot himself. There's no one like him anymore, just when we need him the most.
Long story short: What a long strange trip.
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