Ramones - End Of The Century [DVD]

The film outlines their career from humble beginnings in New York's legendary CBGB's right up until their mid-nineties split. The tone of the film is candid, funny uncompromising and ultimately heartbreaking. In the current climate The Ramones would be a marketing man's dream with their uniform surname, leather jackets, t-shirts, torn denim and even uniform haircuts. Most importantly, every song was a potential single, fast, to the point and contained fantastic choruses.

For the Ramones nothing was as simple as that. Cringe as the Ramones inspire the late seventies British punk movement and also the early nineties grunge scene but not the sky high record sales. It was within these contradictions that the Ramones existed...On one hand they were brutally uncompromising; they could also be fiercely ambitious. Ultimately, they carried on making great records.

This film is special. This is because the story is told via candid interviews that reach beyond the music and the cultural significance etc and focus on the band members and associates and examines the complex and often bitter relationships that the band shared and even took to the grave. Joey - the childhood misfit turned lovable rockstar vocalist. Dee Dee - the reckless, talented, crazy but disarmingly sweet bassist. Tommy - the thinker, production wizard, first drummer and sole surviving member from the original line-up. The glue of the band was Johnny, portrayed here as the controlling, single minded and manipulative guitarist, nonetheless he is one of the most complex characters here. Other members Marky, Ritchie and CJ are shown as levellers in the feud between Joey and Johnny that existed after Johnny married Joey's fiancée. To say communication broke down within the band is an understatement.

Make no mistake this is a dark and compelling piece of filmography filled with bitterness and a little regret. Dee Dee's funny but tragic demeanour lightens the mood a little and his brief unsuccessful foray into hip-hop is absolutely hilarious.

The film attempts to do justice to a band who never received the rewards they should have in life and does a good job. I challenge anyone to walk away from this unmoved. See this film if you are a Ramones fan. See this film if you are not a Ramones fan and you will take away a fine story, a piece of history and probably a sense of regret that you weren't a Ramones fan. You don't know what you've got until it's gone.

The Ramones took something ugly and made it beautiful.

Would probably be only three stars - it is kind of repetitive and there's way too much input from the tedious replacement drummers (for me, the Ramones died the day that Tommy stopped playing, and no way was Marky ever a Ramone, far less the ghastly Richie) but gets the four star nod on the strength of the excellent commentary version, feat. Charles Shaar Murray and Danny Baker indulgently and amusingly waxing nostalgic about those heady late 70s days.