Famous friends and foes examine the life of America‘s most colourful man of letters with a little help from Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney

　　And so arrives the third feature film ‘about‘ Hunter S Thompson. But while Art Linson‘s Where The Buffalo Roam and Terry Gilliam‘s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas are but thinly disguised biography, Gonzo: The Life And Work Of Dr Hunter S Thompson is the real thing. And much like the man himself, it‘s quite a piece of work.

From his lower-middle-class upbringing in the American South to his suicide in his Woody Creek bunker in 2005, much of what happened to Hunter Thompson between these momentous events is chronicled in Alex Gibney‘s superior picture. Never shy of the camera, much of the chronicling comes directly from the renegade writer. And where the author-cum-gunsmith-cum-would-be-politician isn‘t on hand, Gibney‘s got hold of a remarkable band of contributors to fill in the blanks. Former president Jimmy Carter, one-time presidential candidate George McGovern, Nixon speechwriter and Republican big beast Pat Buchanan, Hell‘s Angel Sonny Barger, ‘Rolling Stone‘ founding editor Jann Wenner, acclaimed author Tom Wolfe - each comes forward to talk about the man they knew. As much as anyone could know Hunter Thompson.

Despite its two hour running time and impressive resources, Gonzo can‘t crack the Thompson enigma. What it can do is reveal the many faces of the man who might just be the finest American writer this side of Ernest Hemingway (a picture of ‘Papa‘ - who also died at his own hands - can be glimpsed in the opening sequence). But while those who made the movie are clearly fans of the good doctor, there‘s no attempt to disguise his less attractive aspects. The testimony of his partners is particularly revealing with first wife Sondi Wright as happy to talk about Hunter the doting father as Hunter the philandering lunatic with the worrying small-arms fixation. Guns have their role to play in Gonzo. So too does Thompson‘s amazing mischievousness, an underrated skill best personified by his claims that would-be Democrat candidate Ed Muskey was hooked on a certain Congolese confection called Ibogain. The story was complete rot but it had a negative effect on Muskey‘s campaign much to the delight of rival George McGovern and the amusement of Hunter. There‘s also a perverse joy to be taken from the Doc‘s corruption of Ralph Steadman, the ever-so-nice English illustrator who became a regular collaborator and partner-in-crime.

If it delights in his loose-cannon crusades, Gonzo is keen to keep the focus on Thompson the writer - a wise move given his skills in the area and the fact that those who‘ve come to him late might be forgiven for thinking his abilities didn‘t extend much beyond the drinking of Wild Turkey.

Johnny Deep‘s on hand to take us on a tour of Thompson‘s greatest hits from debut tome ‘Hell‘s Angels‘ through ‘Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas‘ to his pivotal pieces on arch-nemesis Richard Milhous Nixon. Best of all is the decision to kick-off proceedings with the piece Thompson wrote at the very moment the twin towers were collapsing upon Manhattan Island. As prescient a piece of writing as you‘re likely to encounter, that Thompson could pin-point the events of the years to come at the very moment the crisis was unraveling is all the proof you need that while the eyes might have reddened and the torso thickened, the mind of the man retained its incredible power. If this review seems more in thrall to Thompson than Gibney‘s film that‘s perhaps proof of how good a job the director has done. In fact, you could argue that he‘s been a little too successful - at 120 minutes, the movie might prove a little long for more casual Thompson acquaintances. If this is a mistake then it is wholly forgivable one. No doubt aware that some of the eye-witnesses are reaching their final years Gibney went out and made the most complete movie possible about Hunter S Thompson. For that he deserves the very richest of rewards.

And what of our final take on Thompson? Well, come the end it would appear that the words Gilliam borrowed to describe Dr Gonzo - "There he goes. One of God‘s own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die" - might just as well be applied to the man in the funny hat with the cigarette-holder. There was only one Hunter Thomspon. You really should meet him.