The film has had a long developing process and delays that caused some concern whether this film will see the light of day (just like Thompson wrote the book in 1961 but never got published till 1998).
The first time Johnny Depp delved into the mind of Hunter S. Thompson was back in 1998 which he starred in a film called, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The film was directed by Terry Gilliam, known for his bizarre and surrealist work with Time Bandits, Twelve Monkeys and Brazil. It centered on two characters; Raoul Duke (Depp, impersonating the embodiment of Thompson) and his attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio del Toro). They travel to Las Vegas to pursue the American dream but with some drug inducing results. It was a box-office failure, but slowly got a cult following. Thompson’s other autobiographical book, The Rum Diary, had been pursued by Hollywood since 2000. Going through different distributors, filmmakers and film stars (Thompson calling the whole long process a “waterhead fuckaround”). Eventually Thompson committed suicide in 2005 and Depp got financial backing along with Graham King (Oscar winning British producer of The Departed). Bruce Robinson joined in to adapt and direct the film. The film’s production lasted a year in Puerto Rico, Mexico and post-production took two years to complete. So the result is actually much better than one may expect but it isn’t entirely without faults.
Depp plays Paul Kemp, an American journalist who moves to Puerto Rico to work at The San Juan Star (comes in a day late for his interview). He then meets various interesting individuals; Bob Sala (Michael Rispoli), the news photographer. Moberg (Giovanni Ribisi), a political correspondent who likes to listen to Hitler’s speech and brings over 400% proof alcohol. Then there’s Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart), a shady business man and his girlfriend, Chenault (Amber Heard). Depp gets involved on being part of Sanderson’s scheme on writing about his future development in Puerto Rico but also gets entangled with Chenault and things start to get bizarre.
The screenplay by Robinson is very witty and quite funny, the actors play their parts very well. Although Depp seems a bit miscast, as the character should be played by a younger actor (Thompson was 22 during the time he worked in Puerto Rico). though the story is where it falters. It starts off really well, introducing our character straight in from waking up an event that we only see the aftermath and then seeing the political stress of 1960s Mexico. Kemp then arriving for his interview, learning afterward he was the only applicant. Then the story at the second act goes a bit inconsistent, having a sub-plot between Kemp and Sanderson and a romance sub-plot that doesn’t feel developed. It all seems tacked on and out of place, though some argue that’s probably the point and all to do with Thompson’s unstructured psyche. Especially when he hangs out mostly with Bob, getting chased by locals and Kemp using Moberg’s alcohol as a flamethrower to defend themselves.
The cinematography is very nicely shot, seeing the different scenery of the setting and using high vibrant colours. The score is quite subtle, using jazz and orchestral music with the different tones and emotions going through the story.
Overall; not a complete waste of time but was unfortunately not up the league of comedy genius compared to Withnail & I. Thompson’s memory should’ve been blazing, but sadly only with a flicker.
3 out of 5