OK, is Oliver Stone in the house? Jimi Hendrix: The Last 24 Hours plays like an hour long conspiracy theory mixed with some insight into the life and career of one of the greatest guitar players of all time. Here's the skinny for those who care...
The producers of the DVD present interviews with a bunch of people who shed new light into Jimi's death, conflicting with autopsy reports that the guitarist died from an overdose of sleeping pills. These folks present the case that Hendrix was killed as a result of a plot put together by his management group, who also had ties with a government entity who were trying to rid society of rock stars and entertainers who were involved with racial and militant groups. In Jimi's case, The Black Panthers. Sound a little out there? Well, after you hear how Monica Dannemann's testimony had tons of holes in it (and the fact that she mysteriously died from an apparent suicide just hours before she was suppsed to go on a TV show to tell the "real" story of Jimi's death in 1995), as well as reports from the actual paramedics on the scene who now claim that Jimi was lying in bed, fully dressed, apparently dead for hours, with lungs filled with red wine, and Monica nowhere in sight, you begin to wonder. The producers re-enactment of the hours leading up to Hendrix's death are rather laughable, as the actors playing Hendrix and Dannemann seem way out of their league (although the actress playing Monika is indeed a hottie!) and give parts of this DVD a cheap cable TV feel to it. There is a nice 30 page booklet included that has some great live shots of Jimi and full text explaining what is gone over on the DVD.
If all this seems a little overly dramatic, well it is, and whose to say that any of this holds any truth to it, but a little controversy always makes for an intriguing view. Plus, there are lots of quick live footage snippets from throughout Hendrix's career to enjoy, many you may be seeing for the first time. But if you are expecting full songs and extended live sequences, better look elsewhere. Strictly for rabid fans.
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