Bomb the System
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| Bomb the System | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster |
|
| Directed by | Adam Bhala Lough |
| Produced by | Ben Rekhi Sol Tryon |
| Written by | Adam Bhala Lough |
| Starring | Mark Webber Gano Grills Jade Yorker |
| Music by | Sebastian Demian El-P Ethan Higbee International Friends |
| Cinematography | Ben Kutchins Ben Rekhi |
| Editing by | Jay Rabinowitz |
| Distributed by | Palm Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 2002 |
| Running time | 91 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English / Hindi |
| IMDb profile | |
Bomb the System is a drama film written and directed by Adam Bhala Lough, which was released to film festivals in 2002 (see 2002 in film) and American theatres in 2005. It revolves around a group of graffiti artists living in New York City who decide to make a mark on the city (in graffiti, the phrase "bombing" means painting many surfaces), and stars Mark Webber, Gano Grills, Jaclyn DeSantis and Jade Yorker. Bomb the System is the first major fictional feature film about the subculture of graffiti art since Wild Style was released 1982. The film's score and soundtrack was created by El-P.
- In January 2004 the film was nominated for an IFP Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.
Brief History
The film was produced on $500,000 US, expanded from the director's thesis project at NYU. The director, producer, cinematographer, and other key members of the crew had recently graduated from NYU Film and this was their first film. The film played at over 26 film festivals on 4 continents. It was first offered distribution by Now On Media in Japan after the company's president saw a 1 minute clip at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. The film received a wide theatrical release in Japan and extensive press coverage. Six months later Palm Pictures bought the film in the US and gave it a 2 theater release (NY/LA) with little to no press. It made no mark on the box-office despite positive reviews in the New York Times, LA Times, Variety, Rolling Stone and Village Voice (see links below).
Critical Response
Rolling Stone Magazine called the film a "next-gen update of 1983's Wild Style. With strong whiffs of Trainspotting and Kids," that "distinguishes itself with streaky, Krylon-bright editing and El-P's eerie soundtrack beats." Village Voice noted the movie was "Birthed from a blunt-fueled blend of Aronofskian frenzy and nostalgia for the agreeable griminess of mid-'90s Wu-Tang Clan videos" and complimented cinematographer Ben Kutchins, calling him a "Thugged-out Christopher Doyle." Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Crust wrote "Lough's impressive, if uneven, debut feature captures the adrenaline rush and contradictory nature of the simultaneously creative and criminal activity." The New York Times review was the most positive, "The movie runs on the synergy between this grimy but glamorous urban landscape and the emotional intensity of characters who at moments suggest contemporary descendants of the innocent, tormented teenagers in "Rebel Without a Cause" "Bomb the System," which rides on a subtle hip-hop soundtrack, might be described as soulful pulp; cult recognition awaits it."
The negative reviews were mainly scathing. The New York Post called the film "a mild, slow-moving drama that belatedly tries to argue that graffiti writers are political artists, not an urban blight." The New York Daily News called the film "brashly passionate in its desire to express the power and validity of graffiti art. But it's also preachy and single-minded, populated by a world of sympathetic heroes and hissable villains" and Sean Axmaker in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer likened the filmmakers to "tomcats spraying in their own yard."
Jim Jarmusch on Bomb the System: “''For BOMB THE SYSTEM director Adam Lough takes far more inspiration from the on-going graffiti culture than from the depleted stylistic formulas of recent commercial cinema. His refreshing use of skewed camera angles, blasts of color and inventive cutting are deftly blended, becoming much more than calculated atmosphere. The performances are also consistently strong, and Mark Webber in particular, in the central role, never hits a false note. BOMB THE SYSTEM is welcome proof that the spirit of graffiti writing has a continuing cultural influence on both the subtleties of form and explosive personal expression"". “ Parts of the quote ran in a Village Voice ad on the 2nd weekend of the film's release.
Sticker Controversy
Shortly after the theatrical release a movie theater in Delaware was closed down after a promotional Bomb the System sticker was found illegaly posted in the theater. Due to fear of terrorism the theater manager called the police and bomb squad and the theater was shut down for a few hours while the canine unit sniffed for bombs. Nothing was found. [1]
