Years ago, I shared an apartment with a bass player who I also happened to be in a band with. One day, as a joke, I taped a sign to his bedroom door that simply said “Bass Solo = Beer Run”. He proceeded to write a diatribe across that sign that I still have in a keepsake box to this day. The thing is, I was only half joking. I remember going to concerts in the 1980s and suffering through 
some truly boring bass solos. Most players just don't have the chops to pull off a memorable solo and instead cover that up with theatrics (Gene Simmons, I'm looking at you).
John Entwistle never had to cover up anything. He was a masterful player who truly redefined how the instrument could be used within the rock band framework. During his time as bass player for The Who, Entwistle actually stood out as both a musician and a personality. That's really saying something when you consider that The Who was made up of Entwistle and three other strong personalities in Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend. While he may have been considered the quiet one, he carried on with Moon just as much as the other two did and was no stranger to rock star excess.
Thunderfingers: A Tribute To The Legendary John Entwistle of The Who could easily have been nothing more than a quick overview of his playing style or a conversation with other bass players about his importance to the genre. Instead, it is way more entertaining than it has any right to be. Basically a combination of portions from the last interview he gave before his untimely death and interviews with friends, family and other musicians, the film does a good job of painting a portrait of John Entwistle, the man, as well as the musician.
Everyone from his mother and his son to his driver is interviewed. His lover, who died two years after Entwistle, is also included, and at the time of the interview is obviously still hurting. All of them tell stories ranging from childhood all the way through to his death. Musicians interviewed include Lemmy from Motorhead, Rick Wakeman from Yes, Jeff “Skunk” 
Baxter from Steely Dan, and there's even a short clip from Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones. Weirdly enough though, not one other member of The Who participates in what is for all intents and purposes a truly heartfelt tribute to a great musician. More than a few of these people come to tears just thinking about Entwistle's death and the one thing this documentary avoids is coming across like a quick way to make cash.
The portions of the interview with Entwistle feature him demonstrating his unique playing style and also showing interviewer Gordon Giltrap (possibly the most annoying person on the planet) his extensive collection of guitars. These exchanges show Entwistle's sense of humor in a big way.
Entwistle's death was more than untimely, it was completely unexpected. When it's all said and done, Thunderfingers: A Tribute To The Legendary John 
Entwistle of The Who is just what any fan of the The Who could want to help bring about some closure.
Presentation
Like I said above, this thing is really a talking head fest with some bits of Entwistle playing bass thrown in for good measure. It looks fine but there's not much here to really point out. The audio is in 5.1 Surround Sound but that is kind of a waste. There's no music to speak of here other than Entwistle fiddling around on the bass. Everything else is interview footage.
Extras
The only extra here is a longer version of the John Entwistle interview with Gordon Giltrap. This could be really good except for one thing (and this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine): Giltrap spends so much time trying to answer Entwistle's questions for him that you just want to punch the television. Seriously, you can tell as Entwistle begins answering that Giltrap isn't even listening and instead is thinking about the next point he wants to make. It's so distracting that I just could not get into the interview at all. Still, big fans could suffer through and maybe pick up something worthwhile. More time is spent with Entwistle's guitar collection in this than in the feature, and many will find that appealing.
The Bottom Line
While it's not going to be for everyone, Thunderfingers: A Tribute To The Legendary John Entwistle of The Who is a good film for any fan of The Who, casual or otherwise. If you're looking to find out more about the baSnd, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for more information about the man, this may be a great place to start.
