Violences sur la ville

The kids are not all right in New Granada!

This film very accurately portrays what life was really like for many teenagers who lived in the suburbs during the 1970s.

Growing up, my own life was very much like those of the teens in this movie: I was a teenager in the mid-70s and I lived in exactly the same sort of constantly under-development, suburban wasteland where whole mobs of kids were pretty much left to their own devices by parents who were too busy chasing the American Dream to notice what we were really up to; a place where there was easy access to lots and lots of cheap drugs and alcohol, and where boredom reigned supreme (remember, these were the days before the Internet, VCRs, or even home video games).

If you were ever rebellious and grew up during the same time period and in the same sort of suburban community, then I guarantee that virtually every character in this movie will remind you of someone you knew back then (maybe even yourself!).

This was a teen movie that wasn't a 'teen' movie.

The best thing about this was how it showed that the parents imagined need to raise their kids in a sanitized environment can lead to mind-numbing boredom. Then to petty crime. Then to worse. But at the same time, the kids weren't made out to be these confused little angels either. You sympathized with them while knowing they needed to take responsibility.

Matt Dillion's debut is also his best film.

Most of the young actors were inexperienced. Some of them haven't been seen since. But they all still did a HELL of a job. Why isn't Michael Kramer better known? He was brilliant.

The one complaint I can come up with was some of the parents emotional overacting. Great film though.

John Evens Jr. High School in Greeley Colorado had a casting call prior to the filming for extras. If I remember right we got 25 dollars for each days work and we got fed.

Greeley was pretty much the perfect place for this movie. There was a huge teen violence problem there. even at age 12 I carried a pistol and roamed the city at will with other kids fearing attack from gangs of older teens. Drugs were everywhere.

The movie captured all that stupidity plus the Apathy and ignorance of the adults. I loved the scenes where we rioted in the Circus tent styled John Evens Jr. High School......made it hard to attend class the following year.

History has proved that the film makers knew what kind of society America would become...Cookie cutter homes,strip malls and teen murderers......Art predicts life.

With all of today's problems plaguing teens and their parents, this movie may seem a bit tame, but at the time of its release, it had a pretty powerful message (assuming anyone paid attention). I remember watching this with some kids who were about the same age as those portrayed in the movie... These kids all thought this was the best movie ever made, and some commented that they wanted to do pretty much everything they saw in the movie. I remember thinking (not unlike "Billy Jack"), "why would you want to live in a community like this, where all the adults either hate you or fear you? To this day, I am drawn to and repulsed by this movie. That being said, I can't wait to get copy of this on DVD!!! It really was a good film, and I think it captured some of uglier realities of life in some of the "planned communities" of the time.

Despite the melodramatic ending this film is very realistic and thoughtful. This is Matt Dillon's first movie and he is very natural and believable. Because the film was shot on location it had a fantastic look and feel. If you want to know what it felt like being a young teenager in 1979 or even now, then rent this film.