The Godfathers of Hardcore

Ian McFarland's Godfathers of Hardcore isn't merely a great rock doc. It's the rare sort of film created by and entrenched within a genuine DiY ethos that is, at its core, a genuine human story. In it's portrait of the friendship between Cuban born Agnostic Front frontman, Roger Miret and Little Italy born-and-bred guitarist Vinnie Stigma, McFarland has exceeded every film (and there have been a number of them) to date to spring from punk's roughest underbelly: Hardcore.

First and foremost, this is a great story about Agnostic Front's two mainstays: the thoughtful and often troubled Miret and his oft comedic, heart-of gold foil, Stigma. It's a great coming-of-age story, a great New York story and a great rock film. With the notable exception of Don Letts' Joe Strummer biopic, The Future is Unwritten, it hits marks in pacing and production values that make it a singular and affecting piece of work.

It's a buddy flick told with a Taxi Driver-like grit and a snarling soundtrack that tells the story of two men who defined New York Hardcore and never let go of their values. Now, nearly four decades later, there have been successes, failures, wives, children, heartbreak and triumphs with Agnostic Front still taking stages from Boston to Bangcock and waving the flag, not just for NYHC but for their very own spirit of independence.