As a journalist, I almost feel like I did something wrong not getting to know the works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson during my days at the University of Washington. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve read a little bit of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (and have, of course, also seen Terry Gilliam’s completely unhinged adaptation of it), but that’s really where my connection with the noted writer both begins and ends.

A painting from Magnolia Films' Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

I guess that’s probably not a thing I should freely admit. Any reporter or writer worth their salt probably should spend days (if not weeks and months) going over the man’s Rolling Stone articles or his best-selling books. But I haven’t done any of that; hopefully none of you reading this will think any less of me for the admission.

After watching Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Darkside) latest documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson I find the sudden urge to fix that inadequacy. The person on display here, isn’t just fascinating, he’s absolutely revolutionary, and in this day and age of sound bites, snap judgments and YouTube mania learning abut a guy willing to do anything (and I do mean anything) to get at the core of story is downright refreshing.

The film primarily covers Thompson’s peak creative period during the late 1960’s through the 1970’s. Narrated by Johnny Depp (using the author’s own words) and features interviews with a multitude of individuals from throughout the media spectrum including visionary artist Ralph Steadman, politicians Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan and George McGovern, singer Jimmy Buffett ,and acclaimed writer Tom Wolfe (who once called his compatriot America’s “greatest comedy writer”). It travels many of the same roads the man himself did during his short life, everything culminating in the raucous party sendoff after his suicide in Big Sur, California.

The film is a full-throttle blast on multiply dizzying levels. Gibney lets Hunter’s spirit guide him, almost hypnotically, through the multifarious unhinged rhythms of the man’s life and work. It goes this way and that, bobbing backwards and forwards almost pushing harder harder harder and going out of its way to probe deeper deeper deeper.

At times it’s a bit too much to take. More than once I kind of couldn’t help but wish the whole thing would just slow down and act a bit more PBS and give me a straight answer. Yet, that wasn’t Thompson’s style and I’d probably be jumping down Gibney’s throat if he went after the man’s mythos attempting to use it. More, I seriously doubt if this were your normal, staid, laidback documentary I’d have been so amazed, the almost haphazard filmmaking style only amplifying the picture’s entertainment value.

In the end, the best thing you can say about the film is that it works on three completely different levels. For those who know and love the writer, Gibney’s work is only going to make them revel in the guy’s pugnacious originality even more. For those who loathed him, it’s going to force them to admit his talent (even if it might pain them to do so).  

As for that third set, my gut instinct tells me that, like me, the uninitiated are going to be struck a little dumb by what they learn here. Even better then that, they’re probably going to want to learn even more about the guy when it’s over, Gonzo the perfect high-flying and weirdly schizophrenic introduction to a literary titan who could still, even today, be rightly regarded as being eons ahead of his time. 

Film Rating: êêê1/2  (out of 4)

Additional Links:

-  2008 SIFF Blog by Sara Michelle Fetters
-  2008 Seattle International Film Festival Home Page
-  Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Theatrical Trailer