DemiRonin I saw this movie at blockbuster and almost didn't pick it because it seemed so low budget. But I'm so glad I did. I picked it up b/c I think Ben Foster is just an amazing actor, he just has so much focus in all his roles. Quick Synopsis: Ben Foster was bullied at school and made a bomb threat last year. He starts a new year with all the prejudices of being labeled an "at risk teenager". His art teachers played by Tom Cavanagh still has hope for him and the new girl from California sparks a love interest. Ben wrestles with bullies and the whole town as they try and tear him down. The film is well acted all around. At first it seems like the bullying is a bit contrived and exaggerated but later on it's really given some heart. The cinematography definitely feels amateurish at times but hey, it is a low budget film. All in all the story is great and moving while the performances are quite stunning. Every high school in the nation should show this film to their students.

stef_nijssen What Fast Times was to the 80s, Bang Bang may be to 2002. Entirely different films tone-wise, these two titles may, nevertheless, present each decade's primary concerns revealingly.Bang, Bang, You're Dead gets its title from a play of the same name. That play examines the conscience of a fictional high school boy who went on a killing rampage not dissimilar to the fairly recent all to real ones.Bang, Bang, the movie provides us with a reason to believe that the play is a necessary one. Trevor, the main character, seems to be (to have been) on the brink of the kind of meltdown that could lead to columbine type violence. We encounter Trevor in the middle of his story, as the previous year saw him in trouble for a threat of violence. As a result of this outburst, Trevor is looked upon with suspicion by almost all of the other members of his community. Instead of receiving support from those tasked with being concerned about his welfare, he instead is objectified into a certain kind of _character_ whose options are limited.Mr. Cavanagh gives us a fine performance of what is more or less his TV character, Ed, thrust into the well-meaning and perhaps wiser than the rest of the community, theatre teacher who believes in Trevor's fitness for high school. Despite the outrage of the community, he wants to cast Trevor as the lead character in the play Bang Bang, You're Dead. Unfortunately, the folks in the town only know the basic elements of the play, as is indicated by their systematic failure to correctly recite the title.A study of the tenuous connections that hold a community together, and how those connections can lead to tension that pushes the breaking point, Bang, Bang shows us that we are not always as free from responsibility of our outcasts as we might suppose.Where the film "Bully" gave us a fairly unsympathetic case of teenage power dynamics and the explosive results, Bang Bang takes an intensive (and realistic) look into the conditioning done within high school halls. In the present mood of paranoia about the threats from outside of US culture, it's important for us to see that even in what might seem to be the most protected of our inner sanctums, we may force some elements of ourselves into an almost violent desperation. That this could occur to a middle class white male in a most similarly raced and classed environment, hopefully gives us pause when we think about the marginalization we force on those further from the so-called center.

quende I usually don't comment on movies I watch even though I have a lot to say about a lot of movies. Although after watching this one I feel that I really have to make a comment about it. Because it is THAT good and THAT important.This movie is about the everyday life in high school, focusing on the negative parts of that everyday life. It's mainly about Trevor, a boy who has been bullied for some time by a group of jocks. Although he's not the only victim. We follow him and see school from his perspective. How him and other people are being ridiculed and tortured every day. Some of them eventually snap. Some decide that it's payback time and that's what this movie is about. What happens when someone is pushed over that thin line and turns to violence for revenge.What struck me the most watching this film was how utterly and painfully real the environment felt. This is the school I remember going to. This is the hierarchy and cruelty I remember taking place every day. In at least one comment I read that someone thought that this movie stereotyped people and especially the jocks and maybe that's the case. Still I can't but feel that some of the stereotyping is in fact quite accurate. Because it is the jocks and cheerleaders who are the popular ones, it is they who rule the school. Whether or not they're bullies or not. Bullies comes in many forms and this movies chose to use jocks as bullies. To me that feels unimportant. What feels important is how the movie shows us how things are. How some people take such pleasure in humiliating others and how those victims of bullying actually feel about being victimized. Their pain felt realistic and actually made my eyes tear up a couple of times.Trevor is the most realistic portrayment of bullying I've ever seen in a movie. Because he appears to be so normal. There's nothing special or so called "weird" about his looks, his clothes, the way he acts or anything. He's just a kid that people chose to pick on, just like the bullies in the real world can choose anyone, for anything. There doesn't have to be reasons. What is just is. The character Trevor feels so real and his pain becomes real to you.The acting is good. It's in fact REALLY good and all of the actors does a great job portraying their characters. And as for the play this movie is based on which we see parts of, it's amazing! This movie is a important piece of work and the more so right now because of how common high school shootings are becoming and also because of the fact that this goes on every single day in hundreds of thousands of schools. Hopefully it can make some people think about things they perhaps don't notice.

Kali Kartheiser (Arien_Kartheiser) I've been in school not long time ago, I was in school when Columbine and it kinda scares me how good this movie is, every person remembers the time when something really embarrassing changed the way others look at them, well... this movie shows all that in the most crude way, how a person that act different can be a way to show why NORMAL is not always the best option, this kid Ben Foster is an amazing Actor I knew it when I first noticed him in "Get over it" but this movie must be his best work so far. the way the trogs act, the hurting on those eyes, on those little kids, those lost souls screaming for help, so amazing, so real, so good. I'm sure most of the people have seen this movie but is not a bad option for a day with your childs, it has everything you'll need to make them watch it and get the message.Amazing movie, there's no more words to express it.