Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
A probing look into the uncanny life of dr hunter s thompson - inventor of gonzo journalism & author of the landmark fear and loathing in las vegas. Studio: Magnolia Pict Hm Ent Release Date: 11/18/2008 Starring: Narrated By Johnny Depp Run time: 120 minutes Rating: R
After Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Taxi to the Dark Side, Hunter S. Thompson seems like an odd subject for Alex Gibney to take on. Unlike the Enron executives or Baghram guards, the gonzo journalist didn't bilk old ladies out of their savings or torture Iraqi citizens. Nonetheless, the director's follow-up to the Oscar-winning Taxi shares an interest in the uses and abuses of power. Gibney recounts the major biographical details, from birth to suicide, but his film really comes alive when he gets to the late-1960s. Though Thompson remains best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Gonzo concentrates on his coverage of the 1968 and '72 presidential elections. The author was particularly excited about George McGovern, and chose advocacy over non-partisan reporting. McGovern, Pat Buchanan, Ralph Steadman, Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, and others testify to Thompson's enthusiasm for the South Dakota senator--and hatred for Nixon. Gibney argues that the fire started to die after Hunter witnessed the brutal treatment of protesters at Chicago's Democratic Convention. Disillusionment led to an erosion of his talent and an escalation of his self-destructive tendencies. As Johnny Depp, who played him in Fear and Loathing, reads passages from his work, the doctor's friends and family provide a glimpse of the insecure man behind the brash image. Gibney's evenhanded depiction may disappoint true believers hoping for a glorified puff piece, but Thompson's ability to speak truth to power with wit and passion comes through loud and clear. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Review by Bruce J. Meyer from Aspen, CO:
If you're a fan of HST. This is the best history of his life to date.
If you've never met him, you'll know him after watching this...
If you've never met him, you'll know him after watching this...
Review by M. Monaghan from :
This is a very good DVD of Hunter's work!! Very much enjoyed it! Delivered very fast!
Review by Elmyr from :
One of the best documentaries I've seen in a long time. This was very well done, and if you're a Thompson fan, this needs to be in your collection. I thought they did an excellent job of capturing the sentiment of ennui Thompson had for topics such as the collapse of the 'free love' movement, and the pretentious facade of corrupt politicians. It's narrated by Johnnie Depp and has interviews with many of the late Thompson's friends and family. Any fan of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would love this documentary.
Review by Katie L. Crow from MO:
I bought this for my boyfriend who's a huge Hunter S. Thompson fan. This movie is basically a complete biography of Hunter's life, told my his closest friends and family. I really enjoyed and it so did my boyfriend. It gets pretty personal, but doesn't disappoint. I would definitely recommend this!
Review by Bob from Divided States:
It's a bit less than I built myself up to expect. I'd heard the director explain that he had approached his subject detached and with an intent to show the darker side of the man but what's revealed that already hasn't been in the spotlight for years?
A film critic wondered about the hangovers (Ebert). Actually I was curious about the substance abuse myself because one of the most interesting things about Hunter Thompson was that he lived a lifestyle that kills people usually decades before the age he sort of made it to. The exploration of the conflict with the media persona Dr. Gonzo and the man Hunter Thompson was good. I didn't know about his helping Jimmy Carter get started toward the White House. Now I'm totally in the minority on this--but it would have been better to use a little bit less classic rock. I know! I know OK??! Yea, yea the music is great and it brings back that time, etc., etc. I think every documentary I've seen on 60s figures or that era has these 60s rock songs and I could do with them less--not played throughout the whole thing. You don't need a doc on a writer in the 20s with swing playing loudly the whole time. So, anyway this was MY impression. And Depp is cool sitting in a bar properly dressed for his scenes reading famous passages with a pistol in one hand and classic Thompson book in the other, but.. Well I don't know how cool that is. And well, again, what *I* was hoping for was a real outsider perspective that took a cold, hard, sober critical view--not another celebration of a 60s icon. And that's OK but not as interesting to me. Some of the commentators have an interesting thing or two to say. They collected many famous friends in politics and the entertainment industry. I would have appreciated some brilliant rightwinger nut come on and slam Thompson and the counterculture. (Pat Buchanan spoke only as a friend which was very entertaining btw, BUT, he's no nutcase. I'm talking a real Allan Bloom type, although he's dead.) Maybe have a conservative literary critic dismiss his work or a historian to place in better context the social phenomenon of Thompson/Dr. Gonzo. Have a doctor explain in detail that it is a miracle Thompson didn't die form liver failure years ago. Or, here's a good one--have a leftist or two take issue with the politics. Mix it up more I say. It's not like most Americans even to this day approve of what Thompson stood for--let's explore more *why* and why perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to celebrate the counterculture. But look man, if your a fan this doc is must-see and you'll really dig it. It's a small step-up from another Thompson doc BUY THE TICKET TAKE THE RIDE but doesn't go much furthur.
A film critic wondered about the hangovers (Ebert). Actually I was curious about the substance abuse myself because one of the most interesting things about Hunter Thompson was that he lived a lifestyle that kills people usually decades before the age he sort of made it to. The exploration of the conflict with the media persona Dr. Gonzo and the man Hunter Thompson was good. I didn't know about his helping Jimmy Carter get started toward the White House. Now I'm totally in the minority on this--but it would have been better to use a little bit less classic rock. I know! I know OK??! Yea, yea the music is great and it brings back that time, etc., etc. I think every documentary I've seen on 60s figures or that era has these 60s rock songs and I could do with them less--not played throughout the whole thing. You don't need a doc on a writer in the 20s with swing playing loudly the whole time. So, anyway this was MY impression. And Depp is cool sitting in a bar properly dressed for his scenes reading famous passages with a pistol in one hand and classic Thompson book in the other, but.. Well I don't know how cool that is. And well, again, what *I* was hoping for was a real outsider perspective that took a cold, hard, sober critical view--not another celebration of a 60s icon. And that's OK but not as interesting to me. Some of the commentators have an interesting thing or two to say. They collected many famous friends in politics and the entertainment industry. I would have appreciated some brilliant rightwinger nut come on and slam Thompson and the counterculture. (Pat Buchanan spoke only as a friend which was very entertaining btw, BUT, he's no nutcase. I'm talking a real Allan Bloom type, although he's dead.) Maybe have a conservative literary critic dismiss his work or a historian to place in better context the social phenomenon of Thompson/Dr. Gonzo. Have a doctor explain in detail that it is a miracle Thompson didn't die form liver failure years ago. Or, here's a good one--have a leftist or two take issue with the politics. Mix it up more I say. It's not like most Americans even to this day approve of what Thompson stood for--let's explore more *why* and why perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to celebrate the counterculture. But look man, if your a fan this doc is must-see and you'll really dig it. It's a small step-up from another Thompson doc BUY THE TICKET TAKE THE RIDE but doesn't go much furthur.
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