With the recent death of Hunter S. Thompson, what a perfect time to re-release this classic adaptation of his screwed up book, based on his life. Many complaints were heard at the time when the film came out that it was rambling and unfocused. If these reviewers had bothered to read the book they will know that Thompson was a drug-soaked animal with no self-control who did anything he wanted; his recent suicide while talking to his wife on the phone was a great example of that. I was actually always surprised by director Terry Gilliam’s ability to get even the smallest semblance of a film out of the mess the novel was. Ignoring the drug equation of the story as being a strong influence on the events is stupid as well, as all they were doing was drugs, and all the associated paranoia and stupidity that go along with massive consumption. This is the film where the cult of Johnny Depp really started taking off, and you can see why. He stayed with and studied Thompson to perfect the role, and from the interviews I have seen with the lunatic, he had him down perfectly correctly. So, if you’ve never seen this film, it is well worth watching. If you have seen it, you probably don’t remember a thing so should watch it again.