Friday 21 September 2007

Strummer is a bummer and it's because this documentary's makers have decided, a priori, that there's something interesting here. Cut to childhood: boarding school rules (either be bullied or be a bully), father in the foreign service, middle class upbringing.

It could have got interesting at this point. Instead, the makers use a series of vox pops with those who knew the musician in his youth, to tell a story. But the story never gets off the ground. It sunders in a welter of reminiscence, grainy flashbacks, and brief (too-brief) music grabs.

Reggae seems to be an influence. So, too, the Rolling Stones. The narrative wants to lift off, but there's a tailwind: these guys don't know how to make a film.

Suggest: listen to original tracks, forget the flim-flam.

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