Rampage The Movie
December 19th 2006 23:24
Rampage is a documentary by George Gittoes, noted Australian artist who uses war as the theme for most of his art. He went to Iraq and made a documentary about the music that was inspired by the deadly situation in the war-torn country, called Soundtrack to War.
There, he met a young black man, who told him that he was in the Army because it was safer than being back home, Elliot Lovett. Elliot is a dedicated soldier, who believes that he's fighting for his country, and when he returns for leave, he returns to one of the worst ghettoes in the country, Brown Sub.
Interesting side note: All you camera happy tourists can take a 'Black History Tour' offered by Miami Transit through the suburb. Woo hoo.
Brown Sub is an awful, awful ghetto... despite the good weather and ample space, all the houses are run down, the shops are beat-up and the residents live in perpetual violence. It's similar to our own Redfern Block, except that it seems no one is interested in redeveloping Brown Sub.
Gittoes makes his documentary, and we hear all the boys doing their rhymes and hamming it up for the camera. They all have dreams of being a rap star, so every one of them has something to show for the film crew. Despite the high spirits, you can still feel the depression and negligence in the area... these kids are all gangsters, of a sort, packing heat and prone to anger.
And why not? Most of them grow up in broken homes, with most of their family either in jail, doing drugs or selling drugs. The only way to get out is by being an athlete or being a musician.
Gittoes draws the parallel between the situation in Iraq and the situation in the slums of America - that's one thing. For me, I thought it was even worse... Elliot was recruited for the army in his school, where the Army propaganda is extreme. They give students fake army ranks and have recruiters around all the time.
So, this is it? The public schools in shitty parts of America are basically farms for poor kids to join the army. How many of the kids in rich New England private schools join the army? It's no surprise... we know Bush's 'war of terror' is being fought by citizens from the poorest third of Americans.
But what's even worse? We see that Elliot goes to fight 'for his country' - then comes home to the ghetto. What's the point? What does he think he's fighting for?
Indoctrination is rife - even the other gangsters cheer his decision to fight for 'freedom' and 'our way of life'. You've got to be kidding me.
Perhaps the most poignant scene in the movie is when Gittoes is being interviewed by Triple J in Australia, and the DJ asks him if he thought his actions as a filmmaker made the lives of the Lovett family even more difficult.
Gittoes is silent as it seems to finally hit him. Filming his documentary and giving the Lovett kids studio time has made Brown Sub even more dangerous by sparking jealousy with the rival gangs.
One of the Lovett brothers gets killed - Marcus, one of the more talented rappers - for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. There's an endless cycle of revenge and hatred about to spin out of control, and Gittoes tries to remedy it by taking the youngest brother to New York.
Like the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, we see that we can't behave as observers and not upset the situation. Did Gittoes do more harm than good? Perhaps...
After all, those of us watching Rampage in the theatres, with our comfortable shoes and eating our expensive ice creams, we're enraged for 108 minutes, then we go home to our peaceful, leafy neighborhoods and forget about it. There's still blood in the streets in Miami.
I say: An emotional, gripping film, albeit one that's tough to follow with the rapid-fire editing and Gonzoish style of Gittoes. I liked it for the window into a terrible part of American society, but it certainly feels like it could have been better produced.
See it for: Let it make you pissed off. Why is there a war in Iraq, when American citizens back home live such constricted, dangerous lives?
*this image is cut from the background at the Rampage The Movie website.
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Comment by mumma mumma
I do live in Redfern though so I'll be there in my cheap ass shoes eating the pop corn I popped from home. Mmm redundancy is great when you have two kids and one on the way.
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
This in now on my must see list.
Comment by Cibbuano
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JD, it was pretty popular in the Sydney Film Festival earlier this year, but it floated under my radar until Trina gave me the tickets..
Comment by Manjula
Comment by Couch Pumpkin
Television the drug of a planet
Mumma Mumma
I won't let them take Redfern! I'll let 'them' keep it! I hope to god, bhudah, john Howard, whoever I can find a way out of Reddy before my kids hit puberty. apparently everyone in redfern are running to marricklville now. Anthony Mundine is planning to run as mayor of Marrickville or something - should be interesting.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by LaurenD
LaurenD
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
This is a really excellent review. It's a film that I wasn't sure about seeing it, but now I'm quite certain I'd like to.
Tracy
Comment by Norm
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I liked it, Norm.
Comment by Trina
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Well written as always, Cibby, I felt the same anger while reading your post as I did when I watched the film. But then what...?
To all those interested in seeing this film, I still have a couple of passes to giveaway so to my lovely fellow Orblers who would like to see this film just PM me your postal address
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I'd love a pass if you still have any
I'll just try and figure out how to send you a personal message, I'm still a novice at some Orble things!
Tracy
Comment by Trina
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Not a problem at all
That's strange, my user page doesn't have a "Send Message to Trina" button.
Well just email me: trina@hiphop.org.au
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Thanks very much, that's great. I just emailed my address to you from my Hotmail account.
Looking forward to it!!
Tracy
Comment by Trina
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Actually I think I know why I couldn't see it on my page, it was because I was logged in.
If you click on my blog tag pic or name and go to my user homepage then somewhere on the right a little under the picture will be a link saying "Send a message to Trina" and voila!
Hope that helps