Browse all reviews by letter     A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0 - 9

USA 1982
Directed by
Tony Silver / Henry Chalfant
70 minutes
Rated M

Reviewed by
Bernard Hemingway
4 stars

Style Wars

If you’ve ever wondered what “tagging’ is all about, Style Wars is the documentary for you. Back in the late '70s and early '80s when it started it was called “bombing" and along with break-dancing and rapping it was a cultural phenomenon belonging to lower class black kids from Brooklyn and the Bronx that is now known by the generic name of "hip-hop". Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant purport to cover the three aspects but it is really bombing that get most of the action. There is a small amount of break-dancing shown and the rap is largely on the excellent soundtrack, but the main players are the kids who “write” their monikers on wall and above all subway cars in what no doubt cultural theorists have related to the primeval origins of artistic expression.

You may not like the result but Silver and Chalfant give a sympathetic portrait of the kids who, to their credit, are passionate about what they do. The other side of the fence, notably Mayor Koch get their say but they hardly come off looking good. One of the funniest naysayers is a mother of one of the taggers who accepts her son’s activities with good-natured exasperation. The kids themselves are a colourful lot and with their '80s fashion and jive talk make for an entertaining 70 minutes.  The directors know how to make their material work, editing the footage dynamically and mixing it with the rap soundtrack to yield what is deservedly recognized as an important record of the roots of hip-hop culture and a classic entry to the documentary field.

 

 

back

Want something different?

random vintage best worst