Mythologizing documentary, although not much of a recruiting film for the agnostic, on the scurrilous poet, novelist, postal worker, boozer, and cult hero, Henry Charles ("Hank") Bukowski, pieced together out of testimonials from friends and admirers (Taylor Hackford, Tom Waits, Sean Penn, Bono, et al.) and candid footage of the man himself, in images of varying degrees of blurriness. A few highlights: the poet making himself cry in a private reading of one of his poems; a nasty spat with his last wife, Linda; a visit to the spot in his boyhood home where his father used to take a strap to him. Idle observation: it's a pity he could never have been portrayed on screen by John Ireland, a close contemporary, and a good likeness to him in his eyes, chin, mouth, voice, delivery. Directed by John Dullaghan. (2004) — Duncan Shepherd
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