Bukowski: Born Into This

Charles Bukowski, the boozy, plebeian “poet of the streets” who served as the basis for Mickey Rourke's character in the 1987 film Barfly, is much more of a mainstream author today than at the time of his death over a decade ago. Bukowski: Born Into This (the subtitle is taken from the refrain in one of his dark pieces about life) isn't a dispassionate scholarly biographical documentary, but rather a labor of love in which director John Dullaghan has stitched together interviews with the writer, associates, and admirers (a diverse group including U2's Bono, filmmaker Taylor Hackford, and actor Sean Penn), archival film footage and stills, and extended excerpts from Bukowski's writing. The objective here is not merely to offer a thorough account of the writer's career, but also to advance the argument that this rough, hard-talking, hard-drinking man was a major American literary figure: the triumph of Born Into This is that even though Bukowski often comes across as a distinctly unsavory character, by the time the end credits roll, you might well agree about his importance as a man of letters. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include an audio commentary by director Dullaghan, deleted scene, final 1992 home movie footage of Bukowski reading from his work, printed texts of unpublished poems, expanded versions of interviews from the film, readings by Tom Waits and Bono, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a gallery of Bukowski book covers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a fine biographical portrait.] (F. Swietek)