Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

When Hunter S. Thompson set out in search of the American dream he demanded a Cadillac, took as many drugs as he could and headed for Las Vegas. Here, he decided, was the dark heart of the Fear and Loathing that filled his consciousness.

Alex Gibney sets out to create the definitive film biography of the late writer, capturing the depth of his exuberance, visceral wit and drug-addled brilliance. Thompson’s words dominate Gonzo, narrated with colour and a gentle hint of insanity by Johnny Depp, recalling his role in the film version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as Thompson’s semi-autobiographical Duke character.

Clips from this iconic film, along with documentary footage and Polaroids provide extraordinary imagery to complement Thompson’s work. Gibney’s documentary ignores hefty chunks of Thompson’s life and focuses on his most prolific periods (sometimes at too great a length), such as in annihilating campaigning politicians in Rolling Stone magazine.

His expressive language is matched with ferocious and psychedelic artworks by close compatriot and illustrator Ralph Steadman. At their first meeting, Steadman explains, Thompson introduced him to mescaline and changed his life. Steadman began to aid him in his creation and development of Gonzo journalism, and together they executed strange masterpieces and brutalised corruption and fakery.

Steadman describes Thompson’s moments of self-destruction, such as when he eschewed a high-profile Mohammed Ali boxing match to swim drunkenly in a hotel pool. Several interviewees in Gonzo describe this sulky, childish side to Thompson, which became prominent when he was faced with grim realities of politics or personal relationships.

Thompson was an excitable idealist and it is clear that the interviewees in Gonzo, themselves fascinating characters, were largely helplessly adoring of his crazy behaviour. His son Juan accepts seeing little of his father, who rose at 5pm, because “that’s just who he was”.

There is a note of disenchantment to this story. Close relatives describe his violent temper and passion for guns. His family home at Woody Creek was the scene for parties that distracted from his work and affairs that ended his first marriage and his suicide came at a point when his giftedness asserted itself only occasionally in increasing repetitive writing. His first wife Sandy makes one of few criticisms when she refutes the popular notion that he went out on a high and names his suicide an act of cowardice.

The consensus seems to be that Thompson could have had more to offer the world, particularly during the events of the past few years. It’s clear to see why an enthusiastic audience gravitated towards his charismatic vitality and why his devotees carried out his funeral plans for a giant fist monument to blast his ashes over the mountains.

The realisation of this typically provocative idea looks slightly inadequate compared to the vision, just as the greatest moments in this flawed documentary belong to Thompson’s text. As this biopic’s subject and inspiration, his missing presence is eminently powerful and the tale is all the more interesting for it. This is an engrossing epitaph to Thompson’s force and invention.

Last edited: 6th December 2008