NEW Phillippe/ackerman/kitsch - Bang Bang Club (Blu-ray)

From a technical perspective, Steven Silver's "The Bang Bang Club" is a film that seems easy to love. Filled with grittily realistic action, earnest performances, and a topic that is inherently fascinating and dramatic--this had all the potential in the world. Covering the true story of a notorious group of photojournalists that immersed themselves in war-torn South Africa during the violent post-Apartheid era, these correspondents lived their lives on the front lines as the country unraveled in preparing for free elections. The danger, the pain, the thrills--it was a world unlike any other, but they thrived and excelled in the environment (two won Pulitzer prizes for their photos). But it also took a toll. The moral questions that arise when you report on atrocity but do nothing to stop it is certainly one of the weightier issues that might be explored in a biographical picture of this sort. And yet despite this fantastic source material, Silver's film seems strangely muted and impersonal.

Without a doubt, I think this subject matter might have made for one of the most harrowing and powerful films of the year. Ryan Phillippe plays the lead, who begins the narrative as a new freelance photographer to the area. He immediately makes his mark as, against all better judgement, he wanders into a Zulu encampment and captures some incredibly intimate photos from the inside. His recklessness and bravado endear him to an established group of journalists, and they become fast friends. With Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights) and Malin Akerman as the other more known names in the cast, everyone does well with the material that they are given--but something is missing. The screenplay never really lets us get close to the protagonists. What a tremendously fascinating group of people, but I still have no idea who they were as individuals. It's an incredibly disappointing oversight--because by remaining distant from the characters, the film lacks the devastating impact that would have made it unforgettable.

Kitsch gets some of the film's more effective emotional moments, and is surprisingly convincing. Phillippe never really alters his demeanor and, without any character insight, tends to come across as one note. The other two members of the Bang Bang Club (as they became nicknamed in the press) are likable enough but are never developed with any sort of intimacy. You really want to understand these guys--what drove them into this life and this world and sustained them. But the film maintains a hands-off approach to any psychological exploration. The movie is about the club and, yet, they remain aloof. I wanted to know more and I wanted to love this movie! But the lack of character development and insight diminishes the film's power. Still worth seeing, particularly if you have an interest in the topic, the movie might have been a devastating must-see for adult audiences. As is, it is a rather impersonal (but well made) document of the times. KGHarris, 8/11.

This is the s true story of a group of photo journalists, who came to fame during the civil war that saw South Africa finally end apartheid. It is based on the book of one of them; Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe - `54', `Cruel Intentions' and `The Lincoln Lawyer'). Greg was a freelance but managed to get taken seriously by getting up close and personal with the warring sides. The ANC were in a civil war with the `Authorities' who were being helped by the Zulu Inkatha Freedom Movement. Atrocities were being perpetrated by both sides, but the press was very much on the side of the ANC and working to strict censorship from the ruling white government. Greg went out of his way to hear what Inkatha ha to say - and show him, it is not all pleasant.

We follow the fortunes of Greg and one of the more laid back members of the `gang', Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch) who has a penchant for recreational cigarettes and an excellent eye for a good photo. Greg also falls for the Photo Editor - Robin Comley (Malin Akerman) something which she says she never does. In one scene as they enter a bar there is a poster that proclaims, `A Civil War s not Very Relaxing', well we soon find out why. There are graphic scenes of violence, with extensive use of machetes and not a lot being left to the imagination. There is real tension throughout and loads of extras involved in the street and ghetto fighting. Writer and director Steven Silver has done an excellent job to try to recreate the actions that took place and are both from the book and the actual original photos.

The film tracks mainly the four year period between 1990 and 1994 and for the most part does so as observer with an interloper feel. The question of `when do you intervene', is finally addressed, but to say any more would be a plot spoiler for those not familiar with what took place. I always find that some photographers of death and suffering are almost indecent voyeurs, however; the fear and passion that is needed to do such work is brilliantly captured. It is always easier for the casual observer to be critical of such actions, when they have not actually done the deed themselves.

This is an excellent piece of cinema that has brought to the screen an essential piece of African recent history, if you are interested in that period then this is a must see. A word on the acting, everybody puts in excellent to well above credible performances and the direction is great too. There has been criticism of the shaky camera during certain scenes, but as these are street battles I found it totally unobtrusive and even fairly realistic. I feel all involved should be justifiably proud of the film they have made.

Judge Josh Rode, DVD Verdict-- The Bang Bang Club doesn't have a strong narrative arc; it is more a group character study than a true story. The summation of the film is this: novice photographer Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe, Flags of Our Fathers) makes a name for himself by going where few would dare to tread--into a Zulu compound--and witnesses the brutal slaying of an outsider. His bold move gets him a spot with The Star newspaper, and soon he is whizzing around South Africa with three other photographers. They spend their days finding all the hot spots and clicking away with their cameras at everything they see. But the more pictures of death and despair they take, the more walled off they get from their emotions and the people around them.

There's a fine line between chronicling events and being a part of them; lacking a traditional plot, this dichotomy is what carries the film forward. Greg is present when a man is executed. He tries to stop it, but his protests only make him a target, and he finds himself helpless to do anything but take pictures as the victim is set on fire and then chopped down with a machete. The resulting picture wins him a Pulitzer...and haunts him every day.

The other photographers are immersed in the same situation and deal with it in their own ways. Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) turns to drugs and alcohol, only to find that they add to his problems instead of alleviating them. He wins his own Pulitzer when he takes a shot of a child apparently being stalked by a vulture, but his joy of winning is quickly tempered by the hordes of people denouncing him for taking pictures instead of helping.

Silver does a fantastic job of finding the balance to keep the film moving without dipping into cynicism. Instead, the audience gets to feel the rush of adrenaline that comes from being surrounded by hostile crowds with weapons and a very low tolerance toward outsiders. We understand the need to keep a camera between the horrors being witnessed and the cameraman's soul. The Bang Bang Club is very much a war movie, and just like a soldier who can't afford to think about what he's doing when he's spearing an enemy with a bayonet, the photographers must keep their distance from their surroundings or risk going mad.

On the other hand, the audience recognizes the cold-hearted nature of taking a picture of a starving child who's about to become a vulture's dinner and then walking away once the picture is snapped. What this movie does so well is teeter-totter between these opposing mindsets without relieving us of the burdens of either issue.

The principal actors are superlative. Phillippe is the weakest of the four, but he also has the longest character arc and the most to do. Frank Rautenbach (Hansie) brings a quiet confidence as Ken Ossterbroek, the leader of the group, and Neels Van Jaarsveld (Goodbye Bafana) plays Joao Silva as alternately terse and spastic. He comes across very much like the real Silva does during the "Making of" segment. Kitsch steals the show as the laidback Kevin. His easy smile lights up the screen and he has a smooth, natural charisma that makes him the unconscious focus of every shot he's in. I only wish they had re-created the real Kevin's haunted eyes; Kitsch looks much too bright and innocent for someone who has witnessed his character's life. Casting Director Deirdre Bowen (The Red Violin) deserves a huge heaping of credit for finding this group of relative unknowns, especially since they all look remarkably similar to their real-life counterparts.

The secondary characters aren't given more than a quick basecoat characterization. The Star's editor is rumpled and fearful of printing anything too controversial. The photo editor strikes up a relationship with Greg but aside from one "I can't do this" scene where she gets a taste of Greg's world, she doesn't really grow. The other photographer's girlfriends are given even shorter shrift; we're told their names, but little else. More's the pity, since the best scene in the film is Viv's response to Joao's proposal.

The 1080p 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer comes across well in most cases, with excellent balance. The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is good too, although more use could have been made of the surround speakers. I never felt surrounded, even though the photographers often were.

The director's commentary is great, full of insight into all aspects of the film and the characters. The forty-five minute "Making of" featurette is likewise great, which is a rare treat. The extra not to be missed is the cast and crew interview segment by Kgosi Mongake. There are also deleted scenes, every one of which was a good cut, and a short slideshow of production pictures.
-Full review dvdverdict.com