Dec
29
2007
“Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride” honors the life and death of Hunter S. Thompson, one of the most important writers of the past century, and the inventor of “Gonzo journalism” (and shotgun golf).
The film tells the story of Hunter’s life by providing the viewer not only with a biography of the writer and excerpts of his work but, and that is the more important thing, with statements and stories about Hunter, told by personal friends, his wifes Sondi and Anita, colleagues like Tom Wolfe and also celebrities like John Cusack, Sean Penn, Johnny Depp and others. Further, lots of photos also show Hunter’s private side, along with interviews with and clips of Hunter himself. The film makes wide use of the split screen concept, which enables the viewer to see both the interviewees and pictures of Hunter taken during the respective period in his life.
The film starts out from several statements about Hunter S. Thompson, then telling his biography from his childhood days and juvenile delinquency up to his start as a writer for Rolling Stone Magazine and his collaboration with Ralph Steadman, his long-time illustrator from “The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved” (1970) onwards, the story being told by Nick Nolte. The invention of “Gonzo journalism” gave Hunter’s life a new direction – the beginning of fame and the creation of a cult.
Fame brought with it the inevitable decision to turn Hunter’s works into movies for the silver screen.
read full article