Great Look at the Punk Scene

Michael_Elliott

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

**** (out of 4)

The first film in Penelope Spheeris' trilogy takes a look at the punk scene in Los Angeles during the 1979-80 period where bands like Alice Bag Band, Circle Jerk, Fear, Germs and Catholic Discipline were all the rage.

I've heard a lot of people say they wouldn't watch this movie because they aren't a fan of punk music but that always seemed a bit strange to me. I mean, do you need to be a fan of serial killers to watch a documentary on Jack the Ripper? I'm not a big fan of punk music but there's no question that this here is one of the greatest documentaries that you're going to see on the subject.

I say that because you can just smell the beer, the sweat and everything else that you might expect to see and smell in one of these small clubs. Spheeris really did a remarkable job at paining a picture of what the scene was like and really getting in there to show people what was going on during this era. There's a lot of great footage inside the clubs where we hear the music as well as see the people coming to these shows and what they were doing there.

The highlight of the film is actually the various interviews with the performers. Obviously you get to know them as the director does a terrific job with the questions as well as just getting in there and getting answers to the questions the viewer would have. Some of the best moments come from her trying to figure out why these men (and women) are into the violence and what the violence means to them.

Whether you're into punk or not, this documentary is a highly entertaining look at the people who perform as well as react to what the music means.

score /10

Michael_Elliott 16 August 2018

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw4288072/