The Bang Bang Club

Kevin Carter's Pulitzer prize winning photograph is one of those images that gets burned into the back of your mind. It haunts you long after you see it. I saw this photo of the young Sudanese girl, about 10 years after it was taken, and it still fills me with sorrow. It makes you wonder what happened to the poor girl. It makes you question how the world can have both a massive obesity epidemic, and massive global starvation at the same time. It isn't something you can easily forget, and it's the type of image photo journalists spend an entire career searching for.

In this multi-biography, director Steven Silver tells the story of four friends, all combat photographers in the mid 1990's before the fall of the Apartheid. They tell the story of the Zulu and their tribal warfare all the while photographing the constant death, starvation, and violence that surrounds them, all the while building their camaraderie and forming the Bang Bang Club.

It's a very well written film and it brings up many issues. Most notably the hypocrisy of the situation, is that these journalists are living a life of comparative wealth and debauchery in this time of strife, and at the same time trying to make a name for themselves by taking photos focused on the very visceral suffering of others. Where the film really shines is in the background and the violence therein. I was quite impressed with the sheer number of extras for most of the fighting scenes. There are a lot of graphic sequences of course, but it's not the violence that makes the film. It's the exploitation of that violence that makes the film so interesting.

There were a couple of issues I had with the movie. For example, 4 white guys with cameras strapped to their bodies standing in the middle of battles while dodging bullets is certainly unbelievable at times. Yelling "PRESS! PRESS!" doesn't keep you safe in a war-zone. The dialogue is believable for the most part, except when they are joking around in the middle of the battle scenes. I did enjoy Taylor Kitsch's torn and dark portrayal of his character Kevin Carter. Ryan Phillippe does well as prize winning photographer Greg Marinovich, but I thought he was perhaps too good looking to be believable. Compare him to the real Greg Marionovich during the end credits and you'll see what I mean.

That being said, it's an excellent film and Steven Silver certainly has an eye for very personal story telling.

7/10

I avoided this film for a long time because it was set in South Africa and I thought it was going to be political. Instead it is more about the combat photographers that live and work in these zones, witnesses to all kinds of nasty things, but tasked with observing and taking pictures only.

The film has a good cast, but considering it is based on a book written by two of the photographers - one played by Ryan Phillippe, it is strange that the most visible character is Taylor Kitsch's, who steals the show with his acting.

The direction and writing of the film were a little bland, though, less ambitious than the subject of the movie. I wonder if it was intentional, as to show more of the perspective of the original book. Even so, we start with these musketeers of the camera, but we never understand why they got to doing what they're doing and so most of the time we couldn't care less what happens to them.

The change comes at the end, when two of the group die and we are faced with the pain of their friends and loved ones, but it comes too late and on the background of Black people finding their children murdered and having to let photographers in to take account. It felt artificial and condescending, so that is why I rated this film merely average. Otherwise, an interesting story and word watching.

One thing intrigued me: from the few IMDb comments for this film, there is none from South Africa, so they must have done something wrong with the movie.

"Everybody, at the end of the day wants to come back with the best shot." A true story about four combat photographers (even filmed in the actual area) documenting the end of apartheid in South Africa. This movie shows us a side of war we rarely ever see, the side of the photographer shooting a camera instead of a gun. This is a very good movie that deserves to be watched, but it is very slow moving through out most of the movie. This movie seemed to be constantly evolving, much like the characters. Taking the pictures starts as a way to make money, win awards and become famous. Next, it becomes a movie in which the photographers defend their work, and finally it becomes much more then just taking pictures. Their work becomes a way to educate the rest of the world about what is happening in that part of the world. Overall, a very good but slow moving movie. I recommend it, but you must be in the mood to watch it. I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - I don't think I would.

This was a pretty good movie that should have been great. Somehow though it just missed capturing the real spirit of the combat photographers, so that I was left feeling kind of meh about the whole experience. Its been based on the true story of four photojournalists who put their lives on the line to capture the fall of apartheid in the late 1990's.

I think the true character of the men just got overshadowed here by the horrors they were shooting and some random, thrown in love scenes. Ryan Phillippe's accent left something to be desired too.

The cinematography is amazing though, violent and vibrant and really made me wonder how they got some of the shots they did. Carter's (Taylor Kitsch) photo of the vulture and the starving child ...Wow! That's not something I'm going to forget anytime soon. 07.13

I'm afraid I had this in my shelf for 2 years before I saw it, and that us a travesty in it's self. This is the best photographer-film I ever saw, and it's even a true story. Journalism is of the most dangerous jobs in the world, and photographers have to be even closer to the horrific events which occur around in the world. They are obliged to refer and make proof of what's happening.

Directed by the South African Steven Silver, this Canadian/South African film is based in a book, "The bang-bang club", a true story about four journalists working in South Africa, photographing civilian war there, during Apartheid. It's a film which tells a story, gives out the dilemmas, and moral issues in a well played movie. Biggest star, Ryan Phillippe, does once again a great main role. He has no problems carrying this on his shoulders.

This film deserves a bigger audience than it's had. Casting Ryan Phillippe is a smart thing her, giving the film some of it's international audience. And I hope it'll continue. Because this is a very good a realistically told movie. Way better than a Hollywood production would have told it, though I would have been seen of tenfolds more.

As a teacher in media, I would recommend this as a fine media film. Not only about photographing and journalism in dangerous situations around the world, but also as a film showing the dilemma, moral questions involved as well as a good told filmed story. It basically tells that this kind of journalism and photographing is not for everyone.

Photo technically th film learns you some, but it tells more about editing and the media's use of photographers and pictures, even when they don't dare to tell the truth, and when they compete, and try to take credit, even when they where too afraid to use the material early on. Also the very difficult dilemma if a journalist should interfere in a situation or not when able to do so.

The film overall works well. It loses a little tension from time to time, seen as a thriller, but then it is a drama. Maybe a tiny little too much focus on a love story, but for some this will add to the story what they need to enjoy the film fully. It's sometime brutal, but it tells the truth. Brutally honest.

Th rating here on IMDb is too low. In my opinion this should have has a rating of 7,2-7,5 compared to other films in this landscape. I, go myself, think it's a clear 8/10. Recommended!