Going into this preview screening, I knew very little about Dr. Hunter S. Thompson's life, except that he lived on the edge in a very take no prisoners and unconventional manner, often assisted by drugs and alcohol, and that his highly charged descriptive journalism was poetic and amazingly beautiful. I didn't know about his far reaching political and social impact, nor the parabolic curve of his meteoric rise, and eventual decline.
It was not a good sign that the theater was about a quarter empty, highly unusual for an independent film preview, which usually packed the house.
However, from the first scene, until the credits, some two hours later, I was hooked, visually and emotionally. Nothing was sugarcoated, none of his excesses with drugs, booze, or women, or his at times manic conduct, but the effect on myself and the rest of the audience was surprisingly sympathetic, shown by loud clapping as the lights came on at the end. Another positive sign was that the two hours flew by without boredom, because of the visually stunning footage, the engrossing interviews, and the historical backdrop and its relevance to the current political scene.
Mr. Thompson was a rebel with a cause who spoke blunt truth to power, and he used language as if touched by both genius and a higher consciousness. I came away enlightened and saddened by the foreshortened arc of his life.
This is a very beautiful, brilliant gemstone of a film, with many sparkling facets. I hope you may enjoy it as much as I did.
It was not a good sign that the theater was about a quarter empty, highly unusual for an independent film preview, which usually packed the house.
However, from the first scene, until the credits, some two hours later, I was hooked, visually and emotionally. Nothing was sugarcoated, none of his excesses with drugs, booze, or women, or his at times manic conduct, but the effect on myself and the rest of the audience was surprisingly sympathetic, shown by loud clapping as the lights came on at the end. Another positive sign was that the two hours flew by without boredom, because of the visually stunning footage, the engrossing interviews, and the historical backdrop and its relevance to the current political scene.
Mr. Thompson was a rebel with a cause who spoke blunt truth to power, and he used language as if touched by both genius and a higher consciousness. I came away enlightened and saddened by the foreshortened arc of his life.
This is a very beautiful, brilliant gemstone of a film, with many sparkling facets. I hope you may enjoy it as much as I did.