Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Art Linson

Writers:

Hunter S. Thompson (stories)
John Kaye (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 April 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy

Tagline:

I hate to advocate weird chemicals, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone... but they've always worked for me.

Plot:

Semi-biographical film based on the experiences of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson.

Plot Keywords:

Gonzo Journalist | Presidential Election | Super Bowl | Journalism | Cannabis

Cast

Peter Boyle	...	Carl Lazlo, Esq.
Bill Murray	...	Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Bruno Kirby	...	Marty Lewis
Rene Auberjonois	...	Harris From the Post
R.G. Armstrong	...	Judge Simpson
Danny Goldman	...	Porter
Rafael Campos	...	Rojas
Leonard Frey	...	Desk Clerk
Leonard Gaines	...	Blackie
Otis Day	...	Superfan
Mark Metcalf	...	Dooley
Jon Matthews	...	Billy Kramer (as John Matthews)
Joe Ragno	...	Willins
Quinn K. Redeker	...	Pilot
Lisa Taylor	...	Ruthie

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-18 (2004) | UK:18 (1984) | USA:R | West Germany:16

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

In an early scene, the establishing shot outside a seedy bar contains two seedy characters standing outside it, lighting cigarettes. They are musician Neil Young and music producer David Briggs, who contributed to the soundtrack selection and recording.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the courtroom scene, 21 minutes and 5 seconds into the film, Thompson sets down his glass which is almost full. A second later, a close-up on the glass shows it sitting on the floor, empty. All further scenes in the courtroom show the glass once again almost full.

Quotes:

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson: [into tape recorder] Forecast is for "bad craziness".

Movie Connections:

Featured in Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film (2006)

A great, great film

Most negative reviews seem to come from people who saw Depp before Murray. Pity. For serious HST readers or even those who only know The Great Shark Hunt, WTBR offered a comic relief side so sadly lacking in Depp's one-dimensional, cardboard, just quote your lines performance (and I'm a big Depp fan). As for "Murray being Murray" - such a comment can only come from people who saw this after the rest of Bill's work. It was one of the earliest and best - indeed laid the base for much of his 80s and 90s work. Boyle is frenetic, allowing Murray to play sidekick for a change. A great option. HST's written rants were always harsh but always fair, no doubt composed coming off a bender. Who then is to say WTBR's omission of much of these is wrong, rather than simply a portrayal of the benders. We all know what he wrote and how he wrote - I'm glad WTBR chose to portray who HST was and the chaotic situations he put himself in rather than become some art-house naval-gazing about the tortured creative process of a scathingly intelligent commentator. Mind you - I did see it as the second part of a double header with Eraserhead ! Sadly, no video copies of WTBR exist in Australia. Can anyone help me ?