In the early to mid '90s, when the South African system of apartheid was in its death throes, four photographers - Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and João Silva - bonded by their friendship and a sense of purpose, worked together to chronicle the violence and upheaval leading up to the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as president. Their work is risky and dangerous, potentially fatally so, as they thrust themselves into the middle of chaotic clashes between forces backed by the government (including Inkatha Zulu warriors) and those in support of Mandela's African National Congress.
Seldom does "The Bang Bang Club" show much interest in the big picture of South Africa.
– Kyle Smith,
New York Post,
22 Apr 2011
fresh:
This is one of those relatively rare movies that gets better and smarter as it goes along...
– Andrew O'Hehir,
Salon.com,
23 Apr 2011
rotten:
"The Bang Bang Club" divulges little insight into what keeps this dangerous brotherhood banging away around the world.
– Ted Fry,
Seattle Times,
28 Apr 2011
rotten:
Silver cut his teeth in documentaries and it shows in the skilled on-the-ground style of the camerawork. But visuals are only half the story and the plot doesn't keep up.
– Linda Barnard,
Toronto Star,
6 May 2011
rotten:
A queasy mix of high-toned intentions and commercial compromises.