Rude Boy

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.

I was torn about what rating to give this as it's not without it's merits. The film works as a time capsule of late 70's Britain with real life footage of National Front protests and anti-fascist counter protesters clashing with police. The concert footage of the Clash in action is undoubtedly the highlight. As a narrative led film it's kind of all over the place. Ganges unsympathetic main character fails to hold the viewers interest. He basically wanders the film in an alchoholic haze, can in hand. His character is utterly useless in his capacity as a roadie for the band and leads to some continuity confusion when two other roadie characters are talking about him as though he's gone yet the next scene has him still there. The sub story about a group of black youths falling foul of the law which seems to have no connection to the main Clash story is puzzling as well. It appears to be a critique of police harassment of black urban youth yet the featured characters are actually portrayed as engaging in criminal activity so it kind of misses the point.

Brilliant, if you forget the narrative and focus on the clash footage featured. It has the right message, punk is opposed to racism, which at the time was not always the case, there was lots of Nazi punks. I would have liked to have seen more footage of the race riots. The recent death of Joe Strummer adds a degree of poignancy to this wonderful relic of late-1970s London. Rude Boy distills the essence of the Clash in their prime. I spend hours watching the extras which feature over 20 life clash performances, including four different white riots! Any clash fan needs to own this DVD, also recommended: west-way to the world, and essential clash.

D

Read Marcus Gray's The Last Gang in Town.... I watched the film a couple of times, like other contributors, with many questions in my head about what it was really about, how much The Clash co-operated with it, why the film is presented in the way it is, who on Earth Ray Gange is...

This book clears up those questions... The film is flawed, but as a document of the times, and especially the power of The Clash as a live band (there's not any better footage of them around - although they overdubbed the live tracks).... What a band...

This film is interesting on lots of levels despite also being a bit rubbish! The historical value is high, an excellent depiction of the time. The Clash footage is great, the sound is really good. The character Ray is very believable and a realistic portrayal of the hangers on that bands attract and can't seem to get rid of! Even though the acting ain't great. So while most of the film's value is historic and sociological in nature, it does hold the attention.

Well done to London Live for finding this one!