Rude Boy

1980 "Grab the future... by its face!"
6.4| 2h13m| R| en
Details

Rude Boy is a semi-documentary, part character study, part 'rockumentary', featuring a British punk band, The Clash. The script includes the story of a fictional fan juxtposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts.

Director

Producted By

Michael White Productions

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Trailers & Clips

Also starring Ray Gange

Reviews

Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
Supelice Dreadfully Boring
Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
ignaciodelgado2003 Brilliant. The live footage is mind blowing. It captures the time perfectly. Ray Gange is spot on. A Clash fan must. If you don't get it, you just don't get it. I could never see this movie too many times. Joe Strummer is part Elvis, Dylan, Springstein, Guthrie. Mick Jones was the perfect composer to bring it all together. Paul Simminon was the perfect art director. Bernie (Sir Not Aprearing in this film) was the mad scientist. Topper (Bruce Lee) is one of the all time greats. Brigade Rosse. As far as I am concerned, the greatest rock movie of all time, though I do love Stop Making Sense and the Last Waltz. But once again, it's all about the live footage. It just reaffirms the complete brilliance of the only band that matters.
mwoodkw I'll start out by saying that I own this film, and I am a big Punk fan. Despite these two factors I simply cannot give this film higher than a 6 out of 10. The story line and acting in this film is pretty lousy...which is probably why one reviewer found it "funny". Ray Grange ("Rude Boy" of the film) admitted in an interview that he didn't agree with his lines. His character is very flat and his dialog with Joe Strummer and the other members of the clash are contradictory from one scene to another.With that being said, there is another element of this movie that makes it worth viewing...more than once. The scenes with the clash were often ad libbed and these scenes play like documentary footage. The performances are from actual shows and they are amazing. There is a "Play the Clash Only" option that plays only these performances. I often just find myself fast forwarding through Grange's solo scenes instead. Basically, If your not a fan of Punk or the Clash...rent a different one...maybe something like "Sid and Nancy" or "SLC Punk". but if you like this film I suggest "Westway to the World" (a Clash Documentary).
acky This intriguing film blurs the line between documentary and reality much in the way 60's classics such as "Medium Cool" do. The story (when it's allowed to tell itself) of the drunken directionless punk is sad, charming and wild. I can see why the Clash disowned the film. It shows how they merely reflect the showbiz side of the struggles of the working class in England. When Ray attempts to tell Mick Jones how much "Stay free" means to him, he is shrugged off with a " I'm watching you." We see Ray being consumed by his own nihilstic rage while the clash use it up to the point of making good pop music with it.
clashfan Rude boy is a brilliant "documentary" which displays both the excellent music of The Clash and the political situation in Britain in the late 70'sRay Gange is excellent as Ray a roadie to-be for The Clash. He does a good job in this film as does Joe Strummer and the rest of The Clash family. The highlight is probably the footage of the "rock against racism" tourDo not overlook this film, I recommend it to any punk enthusiast.