Summary
A self-confessed gun nut, [Hunter S. Thompson] was candid about his suicidal tendencies, so few were surprised when he finally pulled the trigger on himself in 2005. Reading between the lines of [Alex Gibney]'s film, one can imagine that Thompson's life was one long downward spiral that started with the hope and promise of the 1960s and kept heading south: Vietnam, the assassinations, [Nixon], Watergate and so on. There's a suggestion that John Kerry's loss to George W. Bush in 2004 was more than he could take.
This time, his subject is the definition of an iconoclast. Gibney's unlimited access and sense of objectivity allow him to place Thompson in his proper historical context, while offering a candid glimpse behind his persona. He follows Thompson's life in fairly conventional fashion, starting with a brief overview of his impact on journalism and pop culture before going through the chronological report. The filmmaker's sourcing is impeccable, as family, colleagues, friends and even enemies recount Thompson's misadventures as reported in Rolling Stone.See the full content of this document
Extract
American Iconoclast
American Iconoclast
Skilled documentarian Alex Gibney trains his lens on Hunter S. Thompson in Gonzo.Hunter S. Thompson wasn't just a great storyteller; he was a great story himself, partly because he bec...See the full content of this document
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