Directed by:
Bruce RobinsonScreenplay:
Bruce RobinsonCinematography:
Dariusz WolskiComposer:
Christopher YoungCast:
Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Amber Heard, Michael Rispoli, Giovanni Ribisi, Marshall Bell, Amaury Nolasco, Bill Smitrovich, Enzo Cilenti (more)VOD (2)
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Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson, “The Rum Diary” tells the increasingly unhinged story of itinerant journalist Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp). Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America, Kemp travels to the pristine island of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, The San Juan Star, run by downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins). Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson, a businessman involved in shady property development deals, is one of a growing number of American entrepreneurs who are determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt businessmen’s financial benefit, or use them to take the bastards down. (official distributor synopsis)
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Let me put it this way - some movies will evaporate from your mind by the next morning, some will disappear from your memory within three days, and others may take a week or even months. The Rum Diary dissolved the moment I turned off the TV. All I know is that Johnny Depp was in it, it was set in the Caribbean, and there was a lot of talking and drinking. This movie left no other traces in me, and I will definitely never come back to it. If I had to characterize The Rum Diary, I would describe it as confusing. Overall impression: 35%.
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Bland and dry. A much better Depp than we’ve seen in a long time, but the story is ultra simple. A fight to save paradise? The strength of the media? They touched lightly on everything, but it lacks oomph. There are only very few funny situations and the only thing that make it worth (your while) watching is Amber’s symmetrical smile.
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It's almost a shame that in retrospect, The Rum Diary becomes the film about Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's infamous affair, somewhat obliterating much else. For example, the great theme from Hunter S. Thompson's book. After all, who wouldn't want to get drunk on the beaches of Puerto Rico in the late 1950s?
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Johnny Depp is currently an actor who can get viewers into the cinema simply because he is in the film. I think he also saved Tim Burton's latest film "Dark Shadows". "The Rum Diary" is not a film that I would go to the cinema for, but it was Depp himself who made me watch it. It's not a bad film, at times it's not a bad comedy, but I just have the feeling throughout the whole film that it relies solely on Depp. Put someone else in the lead role and it won't have the same success. It won't be as funny. "The Rum Diary" tells a not-so-exciting story about a journalist who finds work in Puerto Rico. It's the setting that spices up the film. The setting and Depp. Thanks to him, the film comes alive, although it's true that Giovanni Ribisi or Aaron Eckhart also did a good job. But the film didn't stick in my mind as much as I would have liked.
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If the subgenre of alcoholic films existed, Bruce Robinson’s directorial debut, Withnail and I, could be held up as a typical example. The British cult comedy about two friends who do everything they possibly can to avoid getting sober is characterised by adjectives such as “coarse” and “decadent”. Even with the best intentions, these modifiers cannot be applied to Robinson’s fourth film. At least not soberly. ___ Hunter S. Thompson naturally somewhat dramatised what he actually witnessed in the Caribbean at the time. Observation is the activity that his cinematic alter ego spends the most time on. His effort to not get too involved and to keep his distance generates most of the conflicts in this boldly undramatic spectacle. Kemp first becomes familiar with the new environment and then tries to understand it, only to find out in the end that he still doesn’t understand. The only plot line that undergoes any development from the beginning, and which relates to the dramatized suspicious businessman Sanderson, fades into nothingness instead of leading to a dramatic denouement. The secondary romantic storyline, which was probably written into the film just for the sake of sneaking in a few shots of Amber Heard, isn’t any more satisfying. ___ The film’s structure has the most in common with the titular diary, in which there is also no rule ensuring that the individual entries are connected to each other. Instead of a cohesive story, we see a series of various obscure incidents, most of which are connected with alcohol and others with drugs and black magic; a rooster and a frog play a role in the most bizarre of them. The protagonist observes the events happening around him, but he doesn’t much interfere in them, rather letting himself be led by other, more substantial characters. The filmmakers somewhat desperately try to save the incoherent narrative with a closing textual explanation, according to which Kemp’s Caribbean drinking has the nature of an initiation, so it would be presumptuous to expect a better-formulated protagonist with a clear goal and motivation. Kemp is only just finding the path that he will follow later in life. ___ At the same time, the final message retroactively explains that the film was intended as a tribute to Thompson. It’s no wonder that, of all the characters, only Kemp exhibits some understanding for the Puerto Ricans’ situation and, instead of listening to the great white man, he stands in opposition to him. He displays foresight by rejecting the cynical colonialist approach in the twilight of colonialism. The contemporary political context of the film is not treated with complete indifference, but like most of the other motifs, it remains only implied and undeveloped. ___ The digression from the already vaguely defined main storyline is the cause of two crucial flaws that make it impossible to just simply enjoy The Rum Diary, namely the inconsistent pace and the incoherent atmosphere, which could be explained away by the filmmakers’ attempt to emulate Thompson’s “gonzo” style. The power of each new emotional experience breaks down the more coherent structure and makes it impossible to work with the pre-defined concept. Due to Kemp’s adventurous nature, the events in Puerto Rico are unpredictable and the film can thus be assigned various genre labels at various times. The variety of genres is also apparent in the heterogeneity of the visual aspect. The postcard-like shots of the landscape contrast with the close-up of Kemp’s bloodshot eyes and the brutal cockfight. The film is simply appealing for a while and then it becomes unpleasantly authentic. ___ The Rum Diary is a dramatically fragmented film without a clearly defined genre and its satisfactory ending is decidedly not a great attraction for viewers. The film goes nowhere, lacks a main theme and is not about anything important. Though it may be an accurate depiction of how the Caribbean affected Thompson in the 1960s, I would be reluctant to describe this load of impressions as a high-quality film. 55%
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