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American Hardcore

  R HD Closed Captioning

Paul Rachman

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Plot Summary

Fueled by a ferocious soundtrack, director Paul Rachman's American Hardcore gives fans an all-access pass to the rise and fall of the U.S. punk scene, an explosive musical and cultural phenomenon that shaped everything from the grunge movement to the emo and pop/punk music currently riding the charts. Set against the conservative early '80s political landscape, American Hardcore chronicles the homegrown hardcore scene that was a swift kick in the head to corporate rock and mainstream complacency, as disaffected teens adopted the same collective credo - harder, faster, louder. From downtown warehouses to suburban bedrooms, the scene spread from city to city like wildfire, uniting bored, angry outcasts into an authentic underground revolution. A raw blast of politics, passion, and rage, American Hardcore features never-before-seen live footage from Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, MDC, SSD, DOA, DRI, The Adolescents, 7 Seconds and many more, plus exclusive interviews with punk icons like Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Keith Morris and H.R. (Paul Hudson).

Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews

TOMATOMETER

72%
  • Reviews Counted: 61
  • Fresh: 44
  • Rotten: 17
  • Average Rating: 6.4/10

Top Critics' Reviews

Fresh: American Hardcore is illuminating nostalgia, stuffed with all the right tattooed talking heads (like Black Flag's Henry Rollins), plus grim-looking concert footage of wailing skinny guys. – Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly, Jul 7, 2010

Fresh: Based on the 2001 book by Steven Blush, Paul Rachman's raw and riveting documentary traces the rise of of hardcore punk through Los Angeles, Boston, D.C. and the Big Apple. – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, Nov 24, 2006

Fresh: The documentary is an enlightening journey to a dark corner of contemporary punk's dank little basement. – Scott Martelle, Los Angeles Times, Sep 20, 2007

Rotten: There's a lot of interesting material here, but Rachman doesn't offer any real analysis of his own, and the film suffers from a lack of narrative focus. – Will Crain, San Francisco Chronicle, Oct 14, 2006

Read More About This Movie On Rotten Tomatoes

Customer Reviews

Cathartic?

I'm too cheap to buy this movie so I rented it from my local indie movie place. It brought back many fond memories of hanging out on summer nights getting into trouble and going to shows. That was a fun time and this movie reconnected me with that music. It also and kinda reminded me that I never wanted to be a fat boring dick as I get older. I'm glad to have Fear and Bad Brains on my ipod at age 41. I know that doesn't make me any cooler but I'm glad it slapped some sense back into me.

A tasteless taste of what it was like people.

Skanking, Stage Diving, Spikes and Spiked Hair, F#%&K the man! Yes, that's how it was and this film tells the TRUE stories of how these bands spread Mayhem and Knowledge across this Great Land. Buy it now or I'll make you listen to stories about how RAD it was Back in the Day. The Cameo - Miami Beach Forever.

Really really good documentary

Shows how it was back in the day, incredible music too. Definitely worth watching.

American Hardcore
View In iTunes
  • $12.99
  • Genre: Music Documentaries
  • Released: 2007

Customer Ratings