American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980-1986

As the only mainstream documentary devoted to the birth and heyday of American punk rock, American Hardcore is important but certainly not definitive: the Dead Kennedys, the Misfits, Hüsker Du, and other influential bands are mentioned only briefly, while other groups such as Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Minor Threat are given ample (and some might say excessive) screen time. Still, what's here (based on the book by Steven Blush) is both fascinating and revelatory, serving up abundant interviews and vintage live-performance video clips offering ample proof that American punk wasn't just a copycat movement that mimicked the British. Rather, it was a vibrant and volatile forum for personal and political expression (mostly outrage at the highest possible volume), and those who rose through its ranks were passionately dedicated to a total refutation of the mainstream corporate music industry (the more "outside" they were, the more they qualified as genuine punk). Director Paul Rachman has clearly done his homework here (the video clips alone make the DVD a one-stop archive of bands that briefly flourished and then quickly faded away), and many of the interviewees are eloquent and occasionally very humorous in their observations, including Henry Rollins (Black Flag), Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat), H.R. (Bad Brains) and others. American Hardcore is full of profanity, anger, defiance, and occasional violence—if it were anything else, it wouldn't be authentic. DVD extras include a director's commentary, deleted scenes, and a photo gallery. A solid companion piece to Punk: Attitude (VL-11/05), this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Shannon)