MovieChat Forums > Rude Boy (1981) Discussion > Awesome concert footage - terrible movie

Awesome concert footage - terrible movie

posted 17 years ago by minnguy64
3 replies | jump to latest

- This movie would have been one of the absolute worst movies I have ever seen if it did not contain the scenes with the Clash as well as numerous concert scenes which were VERY cool. Just about any scene that did not contain the members of the Clash was pretty much worthless. What a waste of the Clash in a movie - the Clash themselves disowned the movie because it was so bad, but if they could have told a decent story surrounding the concert scenes, it could have been a very good movie.

- The scenes without the Clash were disjointed and did not really serve much of a purpose. There was a subplot with a black kid that went absolutely nowhere and just ended. There were scenes that did not make sense like why did Topper just start beating up Ray for no reason? I guess I would have liked to beat him up too, so thanks, Topper.

-There was no real conclusion. If you are going to make this type of movie, ok I get the whole portrayal of nihilistic youth in 1979 England, but the character study of the Ray and the Clash ended up nowhere. How about an ending like what did Ray learn from his experience with the band, or maybe they helped him discover himself in 1979 England? That might have some sense out of the movie.

- Ray was pretty unlikeable and it was fairly apparent that Mick Jones did not like or trust him at all. I didn't think Mick was portrayed as a jerk so much is he didn't care too much about dealing with this kid through their tour. I'm with you, Mick.

- Paul seemed like a pretty cool guy and looked like he would have been a fun guy to hang out with. Topper wasn't really in it too much, but I could tell
this guy had some serious drug problems at the time and looked sick to me.

- By far the best portrayal though was Joe Strummer who seemed to be a really cool guy. The scenes with Joe are poignant due to his untimely death and I especially liked his scene singing at the piano. I walked away from this viewing thinking he was a genuinely nice guy and I wish I could have met him - he would have been a fun guy to talk to. RIP Joe --- you are really missed by all your fans.

- The concert scenes are really a joy to watch. It isn't that the scenes were filmed very well, it was that the Clash are spectacular when they were filmed. It is really a trip back into time when the Clash were recording and playing some of their best material. There is a selection on the DVD that has the option of "Just play the Clash" and you can just view the concert scenes. The DVD is worth getting just for that function alone. I don't think I will want to watch the movie itself ever again, but I will definitely kick in the concert scenes several times in the future.

Movie itself rating - 3.........concert scenes -- a spectacular 10.

[–] genesisclimber7 17 years ago

I agree. The actual film is a complete mess, goes nowhere. The subplot is completely unexplained. Nothing much happens with Ray. The concert footage of The Clash is excellent and the only thing worth watching.

---
Aren't you relieved to know you're not a golem?

[–] jtyroler 17 years ago

To me, the scenes with Ray are a picture of the self-destruction that many of the original punks of the 70s went through. Binge drinking, taking speed, heroin, etc. were fairly common. Nothing seemed to happen in Ray's life, except for the increase of alcohol he was drinking - there were thousands of people around the same time who were leading lives that went nowhere.

[–] Poison-River 17 years ago

Whilst I agree with most of the points in your Post, there IS a conclusion to the film....the conclusion being that Thatcher sweeps to power amidst social unrest, the rise of the Right, and industrial strife.
The final image of the film(Thatcher entering Number 10 to cheering crowds) is an ambiguous shot from the film-makers....at the time it would have been saying "Well...this is what we've ended up with. All the rioting, political and social unrest, and general urban bleakness have led us to the most right-wing British government EVER! Let's see how it plays out..."
With hindsight however the shot suggests that YES, things are bad now, but things are going to get a damn site worse under Thatcher! Unemployment rising swiftly to three million, riots spreading to Liverpool, Bradford and Birmingham, and even greater industrial unrest, leading to the savagery that was the Miners Strike of 1984.

The entire film is a bleak parallel of the rise of The Clash juxtaposed with the rise of the Right, and therefore it's conclusion is in fact powerful and desolate. A shattering portrayal of a country in deep crisis!!!