As a punk hardcore kid myself, I went to the London premiere expecting a traditional rock documentary. You know, the regular talking heads, the story of the band, the ups and downs of life on the road....The Godfathers of Hardcore delivers something different.
The director chose to focus on the human side of things, the two contrasting personalities whose friendship kept the band alive for almost 40 years now. I believe that adds so much more depth to the movie and it's quite a different way of telling the story. It feels more like a documentary about life than music itself.
Yes, it's a niche film and if you're not familiar with hardcore/punk and the overall history of Agnostic Front you will feel a bit left out sometimes. This is not a biopic of the band and its members. Maybe a bit more context could have been added at times to back some of the past events that are presented, and the more recent live footage from the gig in Germany doesn't really add that much to it, other than the "on-stage" perspective that the director explained further in the Q&A.
Ultimately this is the story of two special individuals that grew up in a very specific (and rough) time and place and a snapshot of what they done with their lives and the challenges they face in getting older. It's a very unorthodox and beautiful perspective, something that appeals more to human emotions than nostalgia.
