Rude Boy

This intriguing film blurs the line between documentary and reality much in the way 60's classics such as "Medium Cool" do. The story (when it's allowed to tell itself) of the drunken directionless punk is sad, charming and wild. I can see why the Clash disowned the film. It shows how they merely reflect the showbiz side of the struggles of the working class in England. When Ray attempts to tell Mick Jones how much "Stay free" means to him, he is shrugged off with a " I'm watching you." We see Ray being consumed by his own nihilstic rage while the clash use it up to the point of making good pop music with it.

Rude Boy (1980) follows the life of a youth who dreams about working for his favorite band THE CLASH. The band THE CLASH co-star in this picture and some of their live performances is caught on film. This movie was made before they made it big across the pond. The band is shown working on their second album GIVE THE ENOUGH ROPE. A colleague of their's John Lydon once said that the Clash didn't know how to pace themselves, they would be tired after the first four or five songs. Well, he was right. Some of the concert footage shows, the band appeared to be sluggish and tired in some of their performances. I heard that the band wasn't happy with the way they were portrayed and neither was the young man who played the wannabe roadie. I found the band to be very interesting and I became a Joe Strummer fan after I saw this movie.

The film-makers also capture the turmoil that was occurring on the streets of London during this time. Their was a lot of rioting and protesting. They also capture the collapse of the Labour Party and the rise of the Conservatives. Another one to seal in a time capsule. Interesting, recommended for Clash fans.

The Clash's Rude Boy is a misguided, exciting and overall decent attempt at capturing the band the Clash at the height of their crossover from punk pioneers (if there could legitimately be called such a thing) to full-blown rock stars in the UK. The story itself surrounding them is perhaps less great than the band itself, which might be expected considering all that can be done in integrating one character into a band through a fictional script. The movie examines an angry youth (Gange) who works in a sex shop, until he meets up with The Clash and becomes their roadie. The story of Gange (and his view of the situation in Britain at the time it was made, with the occasional communist remark or two depending on the perspective of the viewer) is a little confusing and muddled at times.

Yet when the Clash take the stage, which is fairly often, the film is thriving and alive as any concert film in the history of rock movies. Maybe it may appeal more to punk fans from the 70's than the punk fans- or what bunch of posers that try and act hip from their Hot Topic gear- but it's hard not to pass it up as even a casual fan either. Performances include: I'm so Bored with the USA, White Riot, Janie Jones, White man in Hammersmith, and Police and Thieves, among others.

Read Marcus Gray's The Last Gang in Town.... I watched the film a couple of times, like other contributors, with many questions in my head about what it was really about, how much The Clash co-operated with it, why the film is presented in the way it is, who on Earth Ray Gange is...

This book clears up those questions... The film is flawed, but as a document of the times, and especially the power of The Clash as a live band (there's not any better footage of them around - although they overdubbed the live tracks).... What a band...

Brilliant, if you forget the narrative and focus on the clash footage featured. It has the right message, punk is opposed to racism, which at the time was not always the case, there was lots of Nazi punks. I would have liked to have seen more footage of the race riots. The recent death of Joe Strummer adds a degree of poignancy to this wonderful relic of late-1970s London. Rude Boy distills the essence of the Clash in their prime. I spend hours watching the extras which feature over 20 life clash performances, including four different white riots! Any clash fan needs to own this DVD, also recommended: west-way to the world, and essential clash.

D