'The Rum Diary' Preview: Johnny Depp Plays Hunter S. in Puerto Rico
by Richard Sharp
Before Hunter S, Thompson was hanging with Hell's Angels, wielding suitcases full of drugs upon the unsuspecting populus of Las Vegas, or firing his guns willy-nilly all over Woody Creek and running for sheriff, he spent a brief, wonderful time in the sunny climes of Puerto Rico, where he perfected the art of writing voluminous amounts of startling prose and bludgeoning expense accounts in the process.
The momentous period in Thompson’s life was memorialized in his wonderful debut missive “The Rum Diary,” wherein the Gonzo godfather tells stories of days drenched in drink, debauchery and dangerous women.
Luckily, as this is one of Thompson’s most easily digestible and enjoyable works, he (or more precisely, his alter-ego “Paul Kemp”) will be played by Johnny Depp.
Depp was a personal friend of Thompson’s, and did a whirling dervish of a job of playing him in the Terry Gilliam-directed classic “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”
Quite simply, no one else should ever play Thompson besides Depp, if you ask me (not that you did).
This film has been talked about for over a decade, and shooting started back in 2009, so it’s well past due to hit the big screen. Starring Depp, the ridiculously hot Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, and Giovanni Ribisi, the film hits screens this weekend.
Watch the preview for "The Rum Diary":