Bomb City

Throughout history, people have used violence. No matter what reason people choose to use violence, it usually never does anything better. If you are a football hooligan, a skinhead, a punk rocker or just love to be in fights, there are better ways to deal with life. In all honesty, violence is not the key to solve conflicts. Of course, i can´t say that Police needs to be strict sometimes, but they have to act sometimes in different situations. But ordinary civilians, communicating is a much better way. When i grew up, i remember seeing some violent young people in school. And these ones were really causing problems, and they always got beaten up. Especially one guy, that seemed to be looking for trouble. Once he started hitting, he did not stop. I found out later that he had a terrible childhood, so there might be an explanation to his destructive behavior. Too many times, i have read in the paper about violence crimes, and young people being killed. For what ? These young ones are the next generation of people that will continue to develop our society, and they are needed to make the world a more humane place to live. Unfortunately, to make this change, we need to end racism, bullying in any form, and learn to respect each other. Hollywood have tried to tell different realistic stories on destructive lifestyles, such as skinheads. Remember the classic 1998 film American History X from director Tony Kaye ? This film turns 20 years old this year, and is still one of the most powerful, and emotional portrays of racism. I might do a 20 Years Anniversary review on this film this summer, we will see. But this is one of those films you have to see, because the film gives such a clear message on how racism destroy lives, especially for Nazi members in all shapes and organisations. The performances from Edward Furlong, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach and many other actors are fantastic. Recently while going through a selection of VOD releases, i stumbled upon a film called Bomb City. Since i never heard of this film, i read some online about it. Turns out this film is based on the murder of young punk rocker Brian Deneke in 1997. Since i find true stories to be interesting, i decided to give this film a chance. Is this a surprisingly good drama film, or is this a film that could have been a lot better ?

Deep inside the conservative Texas community, there is a battle going on between young punk rockers and students. Brian Deneke ( Dave Davis ) is a young punk rocker, who loves his lifestyle and will do anything to protect his friends. One night, after Brian is assaulted by enemies outside the punk rock society, Brian and his friends seek revenge. It ends with Brian being brutally killed by student Cody Kates ( Luke Shelton ). You would think that this case would be solved easily, but justice for Brian is clearly not going the way his parents and friends are fighting for. A case that have caused a lot of questions about the justice system of America.

Knowing that this film is based on a true story, makes the film feel more personal. We know what happened, but the film tries to give a wider perspective on the life of Brian Deneke. We get to see his lifestyle, his thoughts, his dreams. But most of all, we get to see the tragedy behind the end of his life. It becomes very clear when you watch Bomb City that this should never have happened. Brian was a young man who may have lived a rough lifestyle, but could have had a bright future. The film does a really good job showing the image of a youth, trying to figure out who they are and what visions they have. Lead actor Dave Davis, who plays Brian Deneke give us a very strong and emotional performance. You also get strong performances from Dominic Ryan Gabriel, Luke Shelton, legendary TV actor Glenn Morshower, Logan Huffman and many more. The casting of this film is clearly made very effective, and you can tell that the actors have done a good job portraying these characters. One thing that strikes me with Bomb City, is the dark tone of the film. It feels like you are in the punk rock world in the 90´s, and this is exactly what this film needed to feel realistic. There are some really brutal violence scenes, especially towards the end, but i feel that this was necessary, knowing what happened to Brian. The justice system failed Brian and his family no doubt about that. Director Jameson Brooks ( who also wrote the screenplay for this film with Sheldon Chick ) have made a very honest portrait on the life of Brian Deneke. You can feel he really wanted to tell this story in a very effective way, as close to the truth as possible. I was really moved by this film, since it is a very well made drama, with a very tragic ending. Bomb City is the directorial debut film for director Jameson Brooks, and i have to say for his first film i am really impressed. This is a film that should be shown in schools, or in other educational forms, to show that we must learn to respect each other no matter how we dress, or what lifestyle we choose. This is without a doubt the best film i have seen from film distribution company Gravitas Ventures so far. I really hope that Bomb City gets released on DVD and Blu Ray soon, because i would love to hear a commentary track including interviews with the cast and director James Brooks. Until we know more, please do see Bomb City on VOD, and i promise you will be emotional attached. One of the best drama films of this year so far, no doubt about that.

Rating: DDDD