A documentary about the life of gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson, featuring footage of his life and the stories he covered, as well as clips from movies about him.

CRITIQUE

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is a fairly solid documentary that provides a good overview of Thompson’s life and career, from his slightly-more straightforward journalistic work in the 1960s to the whacked-out gonzo celebrity he became by the 1970s.  Documentarian Alex Gibney does a good job blending a lot of old footage with a lot of historical info and current interviews; the result tells a compelling story of an offbeat writer who was definitely unique.

Thompson became a caricature of himself in his later days, not helped by crazed film portrayals of him by actors like Johnny Depp and Bill Murray (which we get clips of here), as well as the character of Duke in the comic strip Doonesbury (which Thompson apparently hated).  But Gibney does a good job bringing across Thompson’s career arc, from his 1960s stint with the Hell’s Angels that led to his first book, to the sharp-tongued political coverage and drugged-out rantings that work mark his 1970s work.

Gibney has found a wealth of good material here, from clips of Hunter S. Thompson appearing on the show “To Tell The Truth”, to a lot of footage of him in the late 1960s and early 1970s, during the all-too-brief prime of his career, to archival footage of others talking about him.

It is all given some good context as well, with the movie focusing on some of the events Thompson covered or was involved in (the 1968 Democratic convention, Thompson’s failed 1970 candidacy for sheriff of Aspen, his following George McGovern on the 1972 campaign trail), with Depp reading from Thompson’s writings on each event adding a nice flavor of Thompson’s writing.

Thompson’s career was ironically derailed in the 1970s by his own celebrity, and the film largely skirts over the three decades until his suicide in 2005.  But the result is a memorable portrait of a man who really did want the country to be a better place, which fed the rants and opinions that made him known as the journalist that he was.

THE VIDEO

Gonzo is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen.  The picture quality is generally good, while the archival footage is transferred well.

THE AUDIO

Gonzo is presented in English 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital.  Dialogue, music and sound effects come through clear.  There are English, Spanish and French subtitles.

THE EXTRAS

There is an Audio Commentary by director Alex Gibney that is solid throughout; Gibney is knowledgeable and informative, and it supplements the film well.

There are 19 minutes of Deleted Scenes that is basically made up of often-interesting stuff there wasn’t room for in the movie; the highlight is a 13-minute 1973 bar interview of Thompson.

There are 34 minutes of Extended Interviews that are essentially more deleted scenes there weren’t room for in the movie; a string of people talk about Thompson, including Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan and Tom Wolfe.

The Gonzo Tapes are 7 minutes of audio excerpts from tapes Thompson made in the early 1970s.

“Wayward and Weary” is a live acoustic performance by Tift Merritt of a tribute song to Thompson inspired by the film.

Drawings by Ralph Steadman includes 73 gonzo-style drawings that Thompson’s frequent collaborator Steadman did.

There is an extensive Photo Gallery that includes Thompsons writing, photos and other memorabilia.

Hunter’s Guns is a written description of 18 of the weapons that Thompson owned.

FINAL THOUGHT

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is an interesting and illuminating documentary worth checking out.