Review of Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008) by Mark P — 31 Aug 2008

Documentaries are very often rose-tinted love letters to the subject by their biggest admirer, with the person concerned bathed in a divine golden light. This however, was refreshingly more insightful than the average docco showing both Thompson's successes and shortcomings as a writer and a person.

The strength of this film was the massive amounts of previously unseen interviews and candid footage of The Doctor and of course, the many players in his life. It was very refreshing that it placed a greater emphasis on his less well known, but arguably better 'On The Campaign Trail '72' Nixon-baiting era rather than the infamous and flogged-to-death 'Las Vegas' work.

Thompson fans will of course greatly enjoy this as I did, but hopefully even the uninitiated will find him an interesting character, if not always a likable one.