Hunter S. Thompson in “Gonzo”

“GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON”
Directed by Alex Gibney
Rated R
Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

“Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson” may be the least of the three documentaries director Alex Gibney has released in the last three years. But with its hippie nostalgia and a focus more pop-cultural than political, it should have more commercial success than his “Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room” or the Oscar-winning “Taxi to the Dark Side.”

Thompson (1939-2005) was the originator of “gonzo journalism,” which one of his biographers explains as participatory reporting. From his whistle-blowing book about the Hell’s Angels to his mind-blowing “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail,” Thompson personified the journalist as rock star, a writer sometimes more important than the story.

Thompson didn’t write much of value in the last 30 years of his life, leading up to his self-foretold suicide, which is about the only new element in “Gonzo.” Thompson’s life, or his version of it, was shown in the movie version of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” as well as “Where the Buffalo Roam” and Wayne Ewing’s 2003 documentary, “Breakfast with Hunter,” all generously sampled here. Johnny Depp narrates from Thompson’s writings, as he did in “Fear and Loathing ... ,” and the soundtrack is laden with the usual musical suspects. Most surprising among the talking heads is politician Pat Buchanan, sounding nonjudgmental, even jovial, in discussing Thompson, his polar opposite.

Gun-loving, war-hating, drug-eating Thompson is a fascinating figure, and his story has been well assembled by Gibney. “Gonzo” is a fine primer on the subject, but may seem overly familiar to viewers ready for an advanced course. 3 STARS—Steve Warren