Bang Bang Club, The (2010) [Blu-ray]
Drama

Tagline: It's not always black and white

As apartheid comes to a violent end, four fearless photographers, bonded by their friendship and a sense of purpose, risk their lives to capture the bloody struggle and expose the truth. Starring Ryan Phillipe, Malin Ackerman and Taylor Kitsch. Based on the incredible true story.

User Comment: gradyharp from United States, 23 April 2011 • THE BANG BANG CLUB, A MOVIE TIE-IN is as fine an introduction to the quality of the film just released, a film based on this book. The political history surrounding South Africa into which the four photographer journalists involve themselves is confusing at best and should be required reading before the audience steps into the grim realities of the cinematic format. Another aspect that makes both the book and the film of utmost importance is this past week's report of the deaths of two brilliant photographer journalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros in a very similar situation in Libya.

South African writer/director Steven Silver adapted this book by Greg Marinovich and Joćo Silva for the screen and using some of the images from the original book and enhanced by reenactment of the horrors by cinematographer Miroslaw Baszak has successfully preserved all of the brutality and gore of the situation in South Africa in 1994 - before the country was joined into a nation by Nelson Mandela. Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe) is a free lance photographer in and around Soweto and follows his instincts for a good story by wandering into dangerous territory. He meets the three photographers who produce footage for Star picture editor Robin Comley (Malin Akerman) whose crew consists of pothead Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch, in a fine, sensitive performance), Ken Oosterbroek (Frank Rautenbach, a very promising young actor), and Joćo Silva (Neels Van Jaarsveld). After proving his worth with a Pulitzer prize photograph of a burning man the four young men bond closely as the Bang Bang Gang and proceed to capture all of the fighting and incomparably cruel hostilities as the three fighting forces in the struggle for power in South Africa create the chaos of 1994. In a particularly touching scene Kevin photographs a starving child being stalked by a hungry vulture and his photograph wins a second Pulitzer Prize for the group. But war is war and takes is mental and physical tolls on the Bang Bang Gang and only two survive to write the book whose journal like content provides the story for the film.

This is a difficult book to read and the resulting cinematic version is equally as difficult to watch. The cast of characters is excellent down to the smallest cameo appearances by the South African people describing the atrocities that till their existence. An excellent book has been transformed in to an excellent film, albeit a film that is harrowing to watch unfold.

Summary: The Book is Brilliant, The Film is even Superior.

User Comment: napierslogs from Ontario, Canada, 23 May 2011 • The war rages on in the final days of apartheid in South Africa. "The Bang Bang Club" is a group of four, young, fearless photographers who drove in head first into the racial fighting. Why they did such a thing is certainly in question. At first, I would chalk it up to the male-driven need for action. Other reasons will be there, but even they question it after awhile.

Writer and director Steven Silver is an established documentarian and this marks his transition into something a little more accessible. This certainly is. It's the type of recent historical story that I want to know more about. We only see the conflicts that are going on in South Africa through the lenses of these young men. The conflicts that take center stage are the internal ones between the good of documenting the violence versus doing something about it. Interestingly, it's when two of them win the Pulitzer Prize that their moral fibre is called into question.

As fearless as the protagonists are, the filmmakers seemed to be a bit more timid. Although the violence is there in full view, it lacked most of the emotional impact it should have had. Unfortunately, this is the reason for the low critics' rating. By the end you will be moved by the story, but you could have been moved all along.

I found that it was a great point of view to an interesting time. It was shot on location and achieved a great look for an independent film with the fraction of a Hollywood budget. "The Bang Bang Club" is a good movie, a great story, and it's worth experiencing.

Summary: Internal conflict between observation and action.

[CSW] -2.4- Movies based on reality unfortunately have to report facts and can't build a plot that tells a story in true storytelling fashion, and because of this most movies based on true stories can leave you with a feeling of a hollow plot. Although I thought the acting was great and the story realistic the harshness and hollowness of the storytelling left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The horrors and brutality that these photographers captured although very important in helping to form world opinions was still something I didn't particularly care to see. So even though I applaud the effort and thought the film was well made I still have to give an overall rating that mirrors my dislike of the brutality and gore that this film depicted. This is a must see film for anyone who has no idea of what the photojournalist due to capture the horrors of war. But if you already have a good idea of how they capture some of these gruesome images then I would suggest that you skip this film.
[V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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