DVD Review

Bang Bang You're Dead

Bang Bang You?re Dead, a cable film that was inspired by the Columbine High School massacre, attempts to establish a point of view on teenage violence. This basic idea is a good one and can retrieve terrifying results if executed properly. However, the end result is a poorly written movie that sheds very little light on its topic. There are a few half-decent aspects about the movie, but in the end, you can clearly understand why this only premiered on cable.

Ben Foster stars as Trevor Adams, a high school student who is constantly bullied by other students for being an outcast. When the drama teacher confronts Trevor about being in the upcoming school play about teenage violence, Trevor is given an opportunity to dive into the psyche of this subject matter on a more intimate level. The story consists of Trevor?s life on campus, as very few people understand him, and he struggles every day, contemplating death.

Bang Bang You?re Dead has a promising concept, but you wish the writing was so much better. The directing also lacks, as the story is told very ordinarily with rather unconvincing performances, and we never get to know our characters beyond vague and general details. The script glides along just scratching the surface of obvious notes, assuming that we will discuss all the important factors about violence and its origins that the screenwriter never researched. Touted on cable as unique, I was thoroughly disappointed at the movie?s straight-to-video quality.

Lee's Grade: C-
Ranked #93 of 143 between We Were Soldiers (#92) and Waking Up In Reno (#94) for 2002 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%