The Rum Diary

The Rum Diary is a labor of love for star Johnny Depp. He also produced this film and dedicated it to his friend, author Hunter S. Thompson. The two Louisville, Kentucky natives became close when Depp was hanging with Thompson in preparation for Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. The Rum Diary is the first book Thompson wrote but it wasn't published until long after he became famous. When the book was finally published I approached it with some trepidation. A heralded author's unpublished early books are usually unpublished for a good reason, but that was not the case with The Rum Diary. This book fit well into Thompson's literary canon and while it isn’t his best work you can clearly see the seeds of his style sprouting in his first novel.

Depp chose Bruce Robinson to adapt and direct the film and he is an ideal choice. Robinson made the legendary, Thompson-esque Withnail & I as well as How To Get Ahead In Advertising. Since then he has been largely absent from the film world. Robinson’s adaptation has retained the humor and wit of Thompson’s novel while bringing many of the books best episodes and dialogue to raucous life on the screen.

Depp plays Paul Kemp, a fictionalized version of the young Thompson. A budding journalist with a rough attitude and a penchant for booze, Kemp has just arrived in 1960s San Juan, Puerto Rico for job at an English-language newspaper. After an unconventional job interview with the publisher - when asked how much he drinks, Kemp answers “The high end of social” - Kemp begins his expat misadventures.

Filmed on location, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski's camera shows the beauty of San Juan’s beaches, water and palm trees along with the grittiness of the living conditions for the island’s poorest inhabitants. The movie looks gorgeous and, despite what decadent action may take place, is a picture postcard for Puerto Rico. The art department also shines in recreating the 1960s with period island fashions, sets and shiny American automobiles.

Beyond this beautiful surface the film is a story of how Kemp is pulled between the temptation of easy money and beautiful women and the idealism of exposing the truth about corruption and the exploitation of Puerto Rico. Kemp is seduced by Sanderson, a slick PR man for local developers who wants to use Kemp to push his agenda through stories in the newspaper. Even more of a lure for Kemp than the money is Sanderson’s sexy girlfriend, Chenault. Chenault is an unattainable tease who stays frustratingly outside of Kemp’s grasp.

Along the way he meets other down-and-out newspaper men and some certifiable lunatics that add humor and eccentricity to the story. Fellow journalist Sala becomes his closest ally and in the film’s funniest moment they have to race drunkenly in their car to get away from angry locals only to speed directly into the police. This scene and its aftermath is pleasantly reminiscent of the classic drunk driving and sobriety test scenes in Robinson’s Withnail & I

Throughout it all, Kemp seems more of an observer than a participant in this story. Unlike the Thompson character in Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas who was the wild whirlwind of the storm, Kemp is the calm eye of the hurricane as the storm swirls around him. Like Thompson at the time he wrote this novel, Kemp is a young writer watching the world and attempting to find his own voice within that world. Depp proves just as adept at playing the observer Kemp as he was playing the manic character in Fear & Loathing. In each portrayal Depp uses his spot-on imitation of Thompson’s mumble to perfect comedic effect.

Of course, if you are a fan of Thompson’s writing you know that Kemp will choose to take on authority and battle for truth rather than take the money and run. The craziness ratchets up as Kemp and his crew attempt to fight the system by finding a way to publish the truth about the corruption in Puerto Rico. Although they fail in the end, Kemp has found his voice and chosen the path he will follow in life. He is casting his lot with idealism and truth over cynicism and greed. In the long run, this single battle isn’t important because the young Kemp has chosen to use his talents to fight the long war. It doesn’t hurt that he also gets the girl.

Robinson’s script and Depp’s brilliant portrayal make The Rum Diary a fitting memorial to Thompson. The humor and the sun drenched, rum soaked local add a unique flavor to the age old tale of a young, rebellious artist coming of age. Available on Blu-Ray, DVD and multiple streaming services.