Michael Ratner

Gonzo @ the Derby

Michael Ratner

The lasting legacy of the 1970 Kentucky Derby has nothing to do with the winner, Dust Commander. Its true impact came from the assignment that Scanlan’s magazine gave to a 32-year-old writer from Louisville named Hunter S. Thompson. Director Michael D. Ratner revisits that story in this 30 for 30 Short, talking with the late journalist’s editors and friends and the actor who tried to revive what is known as “gonzo journalism,” Sean Penn. The piece that Thompson turned in—fantastical, riotous and, by the way, late—opened so many eyes that “gonzo journalism” became an art form. As Thompson’s partner in crime, illustrator Ralph Steadman, says, “We were the face of the crowd we’d gone there to find.”