- Joined
- Jan 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,067
I'll admit, I'm generally not the kind of person for documentaries or true stories, but when I saw a DVD about Hunter S. Thompson, I had to check it out. As a fan of Hunter, I was interested to see his life and maybe even learn about some of his work I may not have known of.
In the end though, Gonzo was a great film. It's a documentary style look into his history, starting at his death in 2005 and moving backwards from his time in the Hell's Angels back towards his death; covering everything from his various political campaigns, the writing and basis of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and the creation of Gonzo Journalism. The film is propelled by Johnny Depp's occasional narration, but rather than just narrate his life, Johnny Depp narrates by reading passages from Hunter's works. You can tell Johnny has a deep liking of his work because he reads it with enthusiasm and a certain feeling that fits his writing style, this is what made his performance as Raoul Duke in Fear & Loathing so great, and in my opinion the only redeeming factor of the film travesty.
Whether or not you'll like Gonzo depends on your tastes. If you like this kind of film, you might like it. If you like Hunter S. Thompson, you'll probably like it. Other people might not. Either way though, it's a very well done film and I would assume accurate, considering the many sequences in which they use real footage of Hunter S. Thompson interacting with the various people who contributed to the film.
Gonzo is a fascinating documentary and very well worth watching.
9/10
In the end though, Gonzo was a great film. It's a documentary style look into his history, starting at his death in 2005 and moving backwards from his time in the Hell's Angels back towards his death; covering everything from his various political campaigns, the writing and basis of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas and the creation of Gonzo Journalism. The film is propelled by Johnny Depp's occasional narration, but rather than just narrate his life, Johnny Depp narrates by reading passages from Hunter's works. You can tell Johnny has a deep liking of his work because he reads it with enthusiasm and a certain feeling that fits his writing style, this is what made his performance as Raoul Duke in Fear & Loathing so great, and in my opinion the only redeeming factor of the film travesty.
Whether or not you'll like Gonzo depends on your tastes. If you like this kind of film, you might like it. If you like Hunter S. Thompson, you'll probably like it. Other people might not. Either way though, it's a very well done film and I would assume accurate, considering the many sequences in which they use real footage of Hunter S. Thompson interacting with the various people who contributed to the film.
Gonzo is a fascinating documentary and very well worth watching.
9/10
