CINEMA: Gonzo

The Life and Works of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

Wilfully anti-establishment, slightly bonkers and never less than highly entertaining Hunter Thompson was the kind of man they just don’t make any more, and this wonderfully engaging documentary by Alex Gibney shows him warts and all.

With brilliantly sourced archive footage Gibney slowly builds a picture of the man and writer who was (as even his so-called ‘friends’ admitted) really two people – one generous, the other mean and cruel. Although he was definitely self-delusional, when it came to his writing Thompson was never less than brutally honest, nailing the dishonesty and weasely nature of most American politicians with pinpoint accuracy.

Long-term fan Johnny Depp (who also paid for the rocket Thompson’s ashes were shot out of after his suicide) narrates this story of a man with a gun problem who was proud to be called a freak with just the right balance of reverence/irreverence, while artist Ralph Steadman contributes some gloriously mad anecdotes. Dee Pilgrim