Brief movie review: American Hardcore

For some reason, I have been on an on-demand documentary rampage this week. First When the Levees Broke, now American Hardcore. American Hardcore is a story of the hardcore punk scene during its heyday from 1980 to 1986. The documentary goes into the political and social climate during this era, and is told through interviews with some of the major (and many not-so-major) players in the scene.

I have always been a fan of 1970’s punk, and bands like the Sex Pistols (obviously), the Ramones (also obviously), X-Ray Specs, the Buzzcock, the Damned, and all those folks. But when it comes to bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Gang Green, and Flipper, I am pretty clueless. Which is exactly what made this documentary great for me, as it was an excellent primer on these early 80’s American punk bands, many of whose members went on to bands that are still popular today.

Even if you aren’t a fan of loud, fast, three chord punk rock, this documentary is great for any rock fan. The attitudes that went along with this era in music have never ever existed, and even though American hardcore punk was a fairly small scene in the grand scheme of things, it certainly made its mark.