It is not entirely a coincidense, but when I rented this documentary I was not aware that the man from the title is the author of “Fear And Loating In Las Vegas” of which I recently reviewed the film, a great film that was made when Thompson (1937-2005) himself was still alive. In this documentary we get to learn a man that was quite much like his character in Gilliam´s film in real life. Always under influence of alcohol and drugs, a journalist that wrote the weirdest descriptions about the most common events, often a drug-influenced mix between real events and fantasy. Reporting several election-campaigns, sport events and writing descriptions of the decay of the American dream, Thompson became a cult-figure during his life-time. The documentary shows footage of the good man, readings of his writings by Johnny Depp (who apparently became a friend of his during the filming of Terry Gilliam´s film) interviews with both his wives, his friends, employers and the producer of the film. The result is a colourfull and highly entertaining portrait of a man I know close to nothing about, but I can tell you: if you liked “Fear And Loating In Las Vegas”, you will definately want to see this documentary.
