Rude Boy

Rude Boy has built a real following in the US on Criterion Channel and Night Flight Plus, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video among viewers who want documentaries that actually inform. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. 33 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Worth watching in order, from the beginning — the cumulative effect is the point. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Criterion Channel.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Rude Boy earns its spot. Rude Boy approaches its subject with the rigour that makes documentary storytelling worth taking seriously. Rude Boy is a semi-documentary, part character study, part 'rockumentary', featuring a British punk band, The Clash. The script includes the story of a fictional fan juxtposed with actual public events of the day, including political demonstrations and Clash concerts. Ray Gange and Joe Strummer lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1980. What elevates Rude Boy above most documentary work is a refusal to settle for the easy version of the story. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Rude Boy is the kind of documentary you immediately want to recommend to someone else. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. The subject drives every choice here, not the other way around. The kind of production you finish and immediately want to read more about.