Movie Reviews
Gonzo: A Revealing Portrait of Hunter S. Thompson
Greg Kaczynski |
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 Many may know Dr. Hunter S. Thompson as a fringe character, a man besieged by drug use, inexplicable outbursts and gun love. Alex Gibney’s Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, however, sheds light onto the good doctor: his past, his possible motives and logic. It presents the man behind the legend, the human being who, driven by a passion for justice and individual freedoms, created an entire new genre of journalism.
Gonzo begins with footage of the 9/11 disaster, an incident that Thompson wrote about, almost prophetically, immediately after it happened. The voice of Johnny Depp (who reads several of his works throughout the film) intones the grave predictions of unending war, crackdowns on personal freedoms and religious zealots running rampant. It’s chilling to consider these words were written the day after, and Thompson saw it all coming.
One of three children, Thompson was raised alone by a librarian in Louisville, surrounded by friends far wealthier than he was. At a young age, he was confronted with the obscenity of class warfare when, as part of a group, he was arrested for vandalism; his wealthier friends, who had influential family members, were let off the hook while he sat behind bars on the night of high school graduation. It is doubtful that this is the single defining moment of Thompson’s childhood, but it certainly creates an environment to explain his extreme disgust at corrupt politicians, governmental power and the status quo that would define his voice as a writer.
Career-wise, Gonzo picks up in the mid-’60s, when Thompson is asked to write a book about his time with the Hell’s Angels. He spent a year on the road with the Angels, and wrote about everything that happened to excruciating detail: from gang rapes to gang brawls, Thompson saw it all and reported it.
 A particularly poignant clip from a ’60s talk show depicts Hunter being mocked by a member of the Angels and the audience laughing at him. The look on Thompson’s face elicits such indignation and incredulity, being mocked for reporting the truth, that viewers can’t help but see the core of Thompson’s integrity. As an echo from the far-off injustice of being held behind bars while the rich kids got out to play, Thompson is once again tricked into believing the truth would set him and everyone else free.
This is what sets Gonzo apart from other Hunter S. Thompson films. Where the Buffalo Roam and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas both highlight Thompson’s larger than life, live fast and die hard persona Raoul Duke, but Gonzo reveals, without being heavy handed, what drove Thompson. No assumptions are made, audiences are just given the facts about his life and work, and viewers are left to draw the conclusions themselves.
As the ’60s carried on, John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert and the civil rights movement all blossomed and raged respectively onto the forefront of the American way of life, and Thompson rode the wave of Ken Kesey’s psychedelic parade, feeling the hope of positive change. Along with many Americans, that sense of euphoria was succinctly dashed with the assassinations of both Kennedys and, specifically to Thompson, the Battle of Chicago, a race riot outside the DNC in 1968. Writing about the police aggression at the riots, he says that he had never seen such brutality while running with the Angels.
In 1970, Thompson ran for sheriff of Aspen. During that time, the now familiar fist was created (two opposing thumbs with a Peyote button in the palm) and Thompson shaved his head so that he could refer to his opponent as a long-haired hippie. While he never really believed he could win, and he often made a mockery of the establishment through speeches and future plans for his sheriff-ship, Thompson did what he set out to do: scare the establishment and heighten awareness.
 1970 also marked the beginning of his friendship/partnership with illustrator Ralph Steadman. They teamed up for a story on the Kentucky Derby, in which, high on mescaline and booze, they never actually covered the race, but the vicious animals who were spectating. This unique point of view and Steadman’s violent drawings not only gained the duo recognition, but this was also the moment when Gonzo journalism was born.
The film winds its way through the now well-known story of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and spends an appreciable amount of time on Thompson’s companion piece, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72. This lengthy section of the movie details Thompson traveling with Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern, the only honest politician left to elect, according to Thompson. Again, audiences are given Thompson’s passion for justice and hatred of the “pigs” that were currently running Washington (Nixon and his cabinet).
McGovern lost, Thompson’s despondency increased and he began to lose control. His personal and professional life began to fall apart, he moved in to Jimmy Buffett’s place on Key Largo and the film skips 30 years ahead to 2001, where we began.
His second wife, Anita, speaks fondly of Thompson, saying that after Bush’s re-election, he slipped into a heavy depression. Perhaps the times were too similar to the bad times he had hoped he left behind in the ’60s. Gibney doesn’t postulate on the reasons why Thompson killed himself, but leaves viewers with a brilliant portrait of an idealistic and romantic patriot much needed in this day and age: a man obsessed with social justice and freedom for every human being, and who stood by those beliefs until he left this world--on his own terms.
 Gonzo may not be a perfect film (at times, the amateurish background music is distracting and some of the re-enactments are embarrassing), but it is a beautiful and moving homage to an amazing individual. Not only does it fill in the gaps left by the overbearing caricature of Raoul Duke, but it gives audiences the elusive heart of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson.
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson is now playing at the Landmark in West Los Angeles, Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and University Town Center 6 in Irvine.
For more information, visit huntersthompsonmovie.com.
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