Review: ‘Gonzo, The Life & Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson’

I have been looking forward to this film all year. Being old enough to have seen and read the work of Hunter S. Thompson, I knew a documentary chronicling his life and work was going to be good. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is a unique look into the man and the personality of the rebel journalist of the 70’s and 80’s. It was rare in the pre-Internet era for a reporter to have the celebrity status of a rock-star… but Thompson did!

Gonzo starts with Thompson’s time spent cutting his writing “chops” while being embedded with the Hells Angels in Southern California and follows him to the 1972 McGovern Campaign trail. There are rare TV clips from his time on To Tell the Truth and numerous television interviews. There is also commentary by his wives, friends and even President Jimmy Carter. Laced through the film is personal friend Johnny Depp reciting some of Hunter’s work. Hunter did everything to the extreme..drinking, drugs, women and came up with a phrase for it: “Gonzo journalism” that continues to this day.  Thompson came within a few votes of being elected sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado near his home in Woody Creek. The film also has personal accounts by Thompson himself of numerous assignments as reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine. Like a trip to Zaire,Africa where Thompson met Muhammad Ali and then began a party that kept him from reporting on the heavyweight fight.   Thompson a visionary and primary character in the Doonsberry comic strip, also had a Gonzo plan for his grand exit from this world. He planned his funeral to a T, having a giant 153′ tower (Hunter designed it to resemble a clenched double thumbed fist) on his estate at Woody Creek and planned to have his ashes shot out of a cannon at the top so he wood be spread all over the Aspen area. The world lost Hunter on February 25, 2005 at 5:42 pm. to a self inflicted shot to the head. The last thing Thompson wrote was “No more games. no more bombs. no more walking. No more fun. No more Swimming. 67. that’s 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy.No Fun-for anybody.67. Your getting greedy. Act your old age. Relax-this won’t hurt”. The funeral was a star studded event with friends and family and some of Hollywood’s A-list side by side with the Hells Angels. To his exact wishes, Thompson was shot from the fist and is now floating on the winds of Woody Creek.

I encourage you to pick up (if you haven’t already) the films Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Where the Buffalo Roam.   Those combined with this fine documentary from Alex Gibney, will give you a quick lesson on Gonzo journalism and a view of an American legend. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.   I just wonder what Hunter would have thought and more importantly would have written about the times we are going through today. Maybe Fear and Loathing in Iraq. Thank You Hunter..for making us laugh and more important for making us think.

[rating:5/5]