Sky Atlantic aren’t launching their new Documentary Films strand by half-measures, with the acquisition of Chris Paul’s long-gestating Ralph Steadman documentary FOR NO GOOD REASON. Taking its title from an oft-used expression by Steadman’s journalist friend Hunter S.Thompson, the production also features none other than Johnny Depp, who acts as a sort of reference point for the casual viewer. Depp visits the artist at his studio for an expansive chinwag about his life and times as well as seeing how his work is created. With its elaborate opening titles reminiscent of Terry Gilliam and Steadman’s commentary about the organic nature of the project, I thought maybe this would be a feature-length exercise involving wee-wee and wind. How wrong I was, for as the film evolves we are presented with a lively portrait of a man who has worked with some of the most dangerous minds in creative fiction and not only lived to tell the tale but transcended the experience and shaped his own ferocious take on the world.
Not that any of that ferocity is evident in Steadman’s demeanour. He is a relaxed, wry presence who quickly informs Depp that if the film wasn’t being made he’d be having a lie down. The strength of Paul’s subject is his honesty and the unpretentious way he goes about his business. Starting with a blank canvas he splats a payload of ink onto the white surface and from this act of vandalism is formed an intricate but highly unfortunate animal. Paul utilises animation, archive footage and even a model plane to tell Steadman’s story but at the heart of the film is this open access to his savage technique. The director is also keen to show a softer side too, with Ralph painting an affectionate tribute to his dog, tempering the image of a man raging against the machine.
The other crucial element of the piece is Steadman’s role as a cultural commentator as he broke out in the Sixties and Seventies. The way in which his passion for truth was energised first by the tragedy of homeless people on New York streets before being ramped up to screaming pitch by the activities of Richard Nixon forms an interesting microcosm of the attitudes of the time. Along the way he just so happened to begin a working relationship with Thompson who had written a little book called Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and the concept of “Gonzo journalism” was born. Defined by Steadman as a Brazilian word for “hinged/unhinged”, a typical experience involved the pair travelling to Zaire to cover the “Rumble In The Jungle” fight only for the bender to reach such epic proportions that Thompson ended up selling the tickets. The reporters rapidly became the subjects. Using BBC footage of Thompson and Steadman working together, Paul chronicles their highs and lows and just when you think you may be watching a Hunter documentary by the back door the film moves on and you see how one made it down the road while the other stayed in his rut.
Many years later Steadman would create the poster for WITHNAIL & I and his friendship with Thompson mirrors that of Bruce Robinson’s two protagonists. We are shown some very sad home movies of the men at each other’s throats as Thompson tortures birds and shoots his guns and Steadman acknowledges they’re no longer on the same journey. Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner remarks: “Hunter realized Ralph was crazier than him.” Not in terms of the lifestyle but the work. In the end it seems the artist had the capacity to take on the real world, a prospect his mate arguably couldn’t face. To Thompson, this was the genuine insanity. Theirs is a saga that essentially relays itself but together with Paul’s stylings we are given an immersive treat. The overarching theme of the documentary appears to be that of the ethos Steadman embodied reaching its end. Just as Richard E.Grant walks off into the rain at the close of WITHNAIL, the participants are in melancholic mood. Terry Gilliam praises Ralph – “I wish I had that ability to explode… and control it at the same time” – but is obviously bitter about whether his youthful self achieved anything at a time when the anti-establishment truly existed outside a status quo. The spirit of the Sixties went and its generation are now going with it. The film is a fitting tribute to these ideals.
In such company the charismatic and clearly reverential Depp becomes an incidental presence, at one point asking a question and surprising me as I’d forgotten he was there. He’s the perfect accompaniment to Steadman with his echoes of Thompson in Gilliam’s FEAR AND LOATHING adaptation and he even reprises the infamous drawl for narrative purposes. The two men work well together as they are good friends and seeing the older and younger generations united over a common cause puts out a positive message for the future of art as social commentary. Towards the end Steadman reveals that he still isn’t convinced he is a proper artist, to which Depp reassures him in the closing moments he is, describing him as an inspiration still. Not everything about the film works – some of the eclectic music I found a bit dirgey, with some of the ballads apparently created around Steadman’s life rather cringe-inducing – but Paul gets kudos from me for bunging some Crystal Castles over the section on Leonardo Da Vinci.
It’s a testament to FOR NO GOOD REASON that this review only scratches the surface of Steadman’s life and experiences. Though initially depressed to find the running time was a whopping 100 mins, this is appropriate for a life that in a sense is unquantifiable. It gave me a wonderful introduction to Steadman’s world and even if you merely want to gaze at Johnny Depp this is a ride well worth taking. Within minutes you’ll be clambering into the Cadillac and fighting off an army of giant bats.
[usr=4] FOR NO GOOD REASON opens the Sky Atlantic Documentary Season on Wednesday June 4th. For all our Sky Atlantic Documentary Season coverage, please click here. It’s also available on Sky’s On Demand services, and through Sky’s multiplatform TV service Sky Go.
