Punk: Attitude (2005)

Very well executed

Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Fantastic film , especially for the kids who think punk began and ended with Green Day.Yea the film left out HUGE chunks of the Punk 'scene' (movement ? movements are for hippies , thank you for much)While the 70's were well covered , and rightly so , yea the 80's were left out in the cold , there were a ton of American and English bands that made a difference , not to mention bands from Europe and also no mention of Australia's best - The Saints.. IMO one of the best of the "77" punk bands. Lots of worthy bands were not mentioned , X - The Avengers - FEAR - Negative Approach (the catalyst of true hard core music)- Jerry's Kids , I could go on and on. Honestly though how could one possibly add in all bands unless it became a mini series of DVD's , otherwise there are just too many bands to mention and show in 1.5 hours. What about the Misfits , one of Englands best and far more controversial than the Pistols / SHAM 69 ? How about Stiff Little Fingers or Vice Squad. heheheOverall... A good film that gives a general idea of what Punk is/was , I am glad that they did not try to kiss too much ass to the hippies but I wish they would have pointed out how truly commercial "punk" became. Punk rock was never meant to be on MTV.

There's an old time-travel conundrum that goes "What would happen if a time-machine allowed you to go back and kill your own grandfather?" Keep this in mind while I make a small digression.I was a teenager in the late 1970s and early 1980s. I lived in Brisbane, and while I was only ever on the very periphery of the music scene, it seemed that something fairly special was happening. This is something I lived through, albeit mostly vicariously (I was, and still am, painfully shy), but about which I have some fond and vivid memories of what might loosely be called the punk and post-punk scene.I've recently seen the film "Punk: Attitude", and I'm now convinced that Punk Never Happened. Somehow the director has invented the hypothetical time-machine, and gone back, and replaced what happened with something witless, vapid, inert and, above all, crushingly unspecial.I feel that a part of me has been erased and replaced with corporate switchboard hold music.

Loved the movie, but as far as accuracy is concerned, there is plenty of that missing. First of all, Max's and CBGB's were not the only clubs in NY. There was also 82, plus tons of others and also lots and lots of after hours places. Then the name for Punk Magazine, where did you really get that from? Did you guys forget about your summer listening over and over to the Dictators. I know I read it somewhere that the name came out of the lyrics from one of their songs. And the concept of going back to the 3 minute song. I think the New York Dolls took credit for that one, but I am sure it doesn't belong to them. And there are so many that were unmentioned. Some gone, and some still with us. And some who are mentioned but given nowhere near the credit they deserved. Like the Dictators, though they never made it, they were THE major influence on the Ramons. Just listen to the music. I was there, I lived it. Some of your facts from the early 70's seem to be more what sounds good, then what really happened.

I am always dismayed to see the conceptions many people have of punk rock, so I was elated to find a film that finally hits the nail on the head: Don Letts' "Punk: Attitude." I think I have seen every punk documentary out there, but this is the first film that, in my opinion, finally gets it right. If you want a good, solid overview of the history of punk, and, more importantly, if you want to understand the true essence of punk at its best, this is the film to watch. As the film's title suggests, punk rock was and is always a socio-political attitude, first and foremost. Safety pins, haircuts, instrumentation, tempo: these are not the criteria of true punk. Attitude -- political, social, artistic -- is what matters. Perhaps a mention of the L.A. band X was merited, but once one begins to quibble...