Kevin Carter: They're right. All those people who say it's our job to just sit and watch people die. They're right.
Four war photographers capture the uprising in the final days of the Apartheid in South Africa. For photographers Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva it was about getting deep within the action and getting a photograph that captured the inner ... read more
Description:Here is the true life story of four adventure hungry conflict photojournalists working in South Africa during the country's violent transition to democracy in the early 1990s. Although they are very competitive with each other they band together in the Bang Bang Club.
Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe) is the newest member of their gHere is the true life story of four adventure hungry conflict photojournalists working in South Africa during the country's violent transition to democracy in the early 1990s. Although they are very competitive with each other they band together in the Bang Bang Club.
Greg Marinovich (Ryan Phillippe) is the newest member of their group. He wins their respect by gaining access to an impenetrable gang of violent men and taking pictures of them beating a man to death they consider to be an enemy. Greg also breaks all the rules by dating an attractive photo editor (Malin Akerman) who is enchanted by his charms.
Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is the first to befriend this outsider but he has a higher allegiance to his all-consuming drug addiction. He wins a Pulitzer Prize for his photograph of a vulture sitting behind a sickened and bent-over Sudanese child who seems to be at death's door. When news of his award gets out, Carter is interviewed by the press. One reporter wants to know whether the photojournalist did anything to help the child. He says no.
Ken Oosterbroek (Frank Rautenbach), who seems to be the spokesman for the Bang Bang Club, dies covering a shootout just before the historic South African elections. Another one of their group eventually commits suicide.
Writer and director Steven Silver does succeed in reminding us that the demise of apartheid in South Africa was preceded by bloody battles between the ANC and Inkatha in black townships. This film also commends these photojournalists for trying to show the world what was really happening in the country. But the four leads here lack the idealism and the compassion of James Nachtwey, the American profiled in the extraordinary documentary "War Photographer." These two character qualities are necessary to lend dignity to this perilous job that is so competitive and morally questionable.... (more)(less)
"Deals with an interesting and important subject that isn't treated very often, and it even indicts characters that have rarely gotten indicted elsewhere, but it pushes its points so hard to the point that, pardon the pun, but it feels like you're being banged on the head with them. Can someone tell me why it was necessary to include the line "Since when are journalists exempt from helping people?" No subtlety whatsoever.
"
“Kevin Carter: They're right. All those people who say it's our job to just sit and watch people die. They're right.
Four war photographers capture the uprising in the final days of the Apartheid in South Africa. For photographers Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Joao Silva it was about getting deep within the action and getting a photograph that captured the inner struggle and the ruthlessness of the rebellion. The story of The Bang Bang Club is not just about them going out to find these photos, but it is also about the emotional toll
their jobs took on them as human beings.
Director Steven Silver did such a masterful job of bringing these four people to life. For an hour and 40 minutes my eyes were glued to the screen, watching them get de” read more
Explore
Join Listal
Movies
TV Shows
DVDs
Music
Books
Games
Lists
Reviews
Images
12 comments
The evolution of Taylor Kitsch
Watched in '11
2011 by star rating
