Bomb City

It's 1997 in Christian conservative Amarillo, Texas. Football is king. Brian Deneke is a young punk rocker struggling to make his punk club work. His circle of friends are often harassed by the police. Violence escalates between them and the local high school football players as the two sides meet in a deadly clash.

First, I love the twist in the trial. I almost gave up on that part of the movie until it delivers that big surprise. I would like to have Brian's name spoken out loud more. It's a normal movie proposition to accentuate the protagonist. It's also skewed too much on the punks' side of the story. It's expected but it would be more realistic to show some of their indiscretions. It's also missing a police raid on the club which should be expected in this type of movie. Overall, this is compelling true story and the surprise reveal really got me.

Beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, a true love letter to the life of Brian Deneke. I've been aware of the story since 1999. As a young punk at the time, it hit close to home. I grew up in suburbia Ontario (Canada) but witnessed many similar realities. This film had my wife and I both in tears. Very heavy, realistic and an over all eye opener. A+ honored to have it in my collection. A true indie gem. Watch the film.

You always watch a movie differently when it's based on a true story. This one couldn't reflect my vision on society and his morals any better. There's always been a justice for the rich and a justice for the poor, a justice for the so-called 'normal' and a justice for the 'different'. Aspecially in America, where you have to live by the rules they want you to live. There goes there so-called freedom of speech, the land of opportunity. It's all a big farce, and I don't think it will ever change there. People are just brainwashed on how you have to live your life, and anything else is concidered wrong. The movie is well made, with some great music if you like punk music. The end is just sad, even though I never heared about this story, and that I was still hoping for a correct outcome, the reality is just unjust and unfair. My condolences and biggest respect to the family Deneke.

I cried almost as hard as I did at the end of SLC Punk. I'm a Texan, born & raised, and the events depicted here sicken me & make me ashamed to be a resident in a state with such a condemnable justice system. The awful truth is that, in the south, justice is not served for people who are considered "alternative" or outside the norm. People may not consider it "discrimination" to single out those who prefer a certain genre of music, who wear black clothing, or who have piercings & tattoos. But those things neither necessitate a criminal lifestyle, nor can they be used to assume criminal intent. Yet we find the same thing tends to happen over & over when you mix youths of strong, unpopular beliefs or a "weird" disposition with the small-town mob-mentality. The West Arkamsas 3 were wrongly tried & convicted, and spent nearly 20 years in prison based on coerced confessions from a mentally handicapped youth, despite a complete lack of evidence &, in fact, despite alibis & evidence exonerating them. Even after their eventual release, they were made to plead guilty & give up their right to ever contest their wrongful conviction. Those who dole out justice are exempt, it seems, from facing it themselves. And for this reason, I find myself fearful of my state's system of justice as a unique individual, and tearful of the injustices & "singling out" that not only I have faced firsthand, but that everyone even remotely different like me has come to experience.

I'm not gonna tell you what's happening in the film, you can read a summary if you like. but it's best you check it yourself, because this film is great in portraying the punk lifestyle and the problems that come with that, especially in Amarillo, Texas. Myself, I was a punk with age 16, and then become a Skinhead (not a fascist/bonehead, but true to the 60s Skinhead movement) and really like to see a film like "Bomb City" because there are not so many films that portray Punks and Skins properly. Right now I can only think of This Is England (2006), but that one focus more on Skinheads.

Anyway, great film, watch it, Now! 8/10