The Rum Diary

Okay I lied, it's not a sequel it's a prequel.

The Rum Diary is set in 1960 long before the real Hunter S. Thompson started his own type of journalism, what he called Gonzo journalism. So the potrayal of him in this movie is less drug orientated, more subdued, and pretty much just another reporter (albeit with a love for liquor.). The film still stars Johnny Depp as the man himself and still does great justice to the role. True it's not as fun or as insane as Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, but don't let it turn you down. The movie isn't horrible, but it's not great either. The story is basic, with another of Hunter's psuedonyms named Paul Kemp in this movie, as he travels to Puerto Rico looking for more frequent work. In the process he meets a beautiful woman who he falls for, and is soon faced with a decision: does he continue writing almost sheer propaganda about Puerto Rico, or take a stand and bring down the monopolizing douchebags? Well if you know anything about our friend Mr. Thompson, he is not the kind to go quietly into the night. The film was made six years after Thompson's death and is actually in memory of him, and I have to say they did not screw around with the preliminary story. They got everything down right straight down to the ending. So I must highly commend them for not really taking any liberties with this particular chapter of this man's life. It's a good movie, not great but can still be enjoyed for it's merits. But if I would make a suggestion, watch this movie first. You got polar opposites with these two movies about Thompson's life, and really after watching the hilarious insanity of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, it's kind of hard to watch this movie. Although there is one drug scene and it is pretty funny, the movie deals more with what Paul Kemp is going through, rather than what he is going through in hallucinatory fashion. Final sum up, good movie, watch this one first, and last but not least buy the ticket and take the ride.