THE RUM DIARY

With Johnny Depp, Giovanni Ribisi, Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins

Written by Bruce Robinson (based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson)

Directed by Bruce Robinson

Across almost 30 years, Robinson only made around 4 movies, his most accomplished work being his cult classic debut Withnail & I.

Here he returns with his take on the Hunter S. Thompson book about Paul Kemp, a washed-up heavy drinking journalist who decides to apply for a writing job at a struggling newspaper on the island of Puerto Rico. It is the 1960s, and the island is a holiday and retirement destination for many Americans who are not interested in rotten corruption beneath the surface.
Kemp is reluctantly employed by the editor and embarks on a booze soaked journey with the newspaper photographer to experience the island. Very soon he is approached by a wealthy but very dubious businessman who wants to recruit him for a positive journalistic spin on a dodgy development he is brokering. Kemp instantly falls for the man's woman, adding to his already moral predicament.
Run-ins with the locals, cock fighting, setting fire to a cop's head, Hitler speeches on vinyl, and in true Thompson style, an acid experience, this is definitely not your regular “paradise” movie, but while blending drama, humour and a bit of action, it didn't grab me completely. But, that shouldn't deter fans of Depp and Thompson.

4 / C
- Paul Blom

0 1 2 3 4 5 6
- A - B - C

A: Multiple Viewing Potential
B: Deserves Another Look
C: Once Should Suffice