User reviews

I just saw this movie at the Seattle International Film Festival. This wonderful film honestly explores the factors that lead teenagers to become violent. Seeing the experience of high school culture through Trevor's eyes really makes you understand what could bring a teenager to kill his/her classmates. This film vividly portrays how high school culture has gotten out of hand during the past 20 years, and also shows how complex the problem is. The blame is never placed entirely on one party (i.e. the parent, school administrators, fellow classmates). Instead, the film remains honest to subject matter, and does not provide any easy answers or solutions.

Is this movie unsettling? Yes. Brilliantly executed? Yes. Exploitative and simplistic? No. This is a film that should be seen in every high school classroom, every faculty meeting, and every home.

On a side note, the acting was fantastic by everyone involved. Most notable was Ben Foster, who portrays Trevor with both brutal honesty and heartfelt compassion. He is one to keep on eye on in the future.

This film tackles the eternal issue of growing up a teenager and the extreme reactionary responses we see growing at an alarming rate in our contemporary times. Some of the events in this movie could easily have been plucked from the headlines of the newspapers in recent years. It does an excellent job of tacking the touch issues of adolescence, guns in schools, and school administrators being completely oblivious to what is really going on in their hallways.

With an intense lead performance by Ben Foster, as the singled out teen, and Thomas Cavanagh, as the teacher trying to get through to both the school administration and its students, the story propels you through a whirlwind series of events over the course of a school year. The theme of the story is very dark and powerful painting a picture of the worst case possible scenario public school; which in my opinion may be closer to the truth then people want to really admit, making the story that much more believable.

I really feel that this is a film to be watched and appreciated because, unless you're in total denial, it's going to make you think more about the ideas and issues that inspired it. This is a movie for all to watch. Everybody goes to high school.

This movie feels like an after school special with teeth. While that may not sound like a compliment, it's good to see a film that has both its heart and its head in the right place: the message of the movie is worthwhile and the delivery of that message doesn't downplay the complexity of all the issues at hand. Doing both of those things and making the film watchable is a rare feat; doing both of those things and making it compelling is a small miracle.

The threat of violence hangs over every scene like a storm cloud. As we watch Trevor (Ben Foster in an amazing standout performance), an "at risk" kid, do what he has to to survive the rigors of daily life as an outsider, we are pulled into the pain of knowing that you don't belong. Several films (the entire John Hughes teen catalog comes to mind) turn outsiders into wretchedly noble characters and their popular and good-looking enemies into wicked brats with inferiority complexes. This one doesn't. It goes right to the root of Trevor's anger and shows how indignation and observation turn into a very rational and almost justifiable form of evil.

Can art redeem him? His do-gooder teacher Val Duncan (Tom Cavanagh, earning his acting chops here after showing his charm in "Ed") certainly hopes so. He casts Trevor for the lead part in the school play he is producing because he is perfect for it. This causes a stir among the student body, the faculty, Trevor's parents, and even within Trevor himself. You get the feeling that he is more concerned with the integrity of his production than potential controversy or consequences. There are even times when you feel like it is his strange, tough-love way of getting Trevor to face his demons head-on.

This is a film that adolescents, teens, parents, teachers, and principals need to see. In its own way, it moves you to hushed, contemplative silence, much the way "Saving Private Ryan" did. At the end of both, you know you have seen something that cuts to the bone, and you have to respect their power and vision.

Most films seek to entertain. This one seeks to educate. The subject here is education itself, specifically American high schools, with their exclusionary social cliques, peer pressure, disgusting hierarchical caste systems, and the inevitable toll that these harsh realities take on students, in the form of depression, anger, and violence.

The film is fictional, but it presents truths that exist most everywhere, to varying degrees. The message could hardly be clearer or more timely. And that message is that for kids, high school functions as an emotional and psychological ... trap.

But if high school is a trap for kids, it's a source of income for teachers and administrators, some of whom thus have selfish motives for preserving the status quo. And for parents, their kid's high school is useful to gauge their parenting skills which they hope will lead to a sense of pride of accomplishment ... for themselves.

In no part of high school life is this pressure more apparent than in school sports, and the film rightly zeros in on this culture. For boys, athletic accomplishment or non-accomplishment is the main, perhaps only, criterion by which they are judged and stamped, and sent on their way to fend for themselves in a society that demands competitive performance.

"Bang, Bang, You're Dead" is a clear, compelling story that shines a needed light into a dark corner of American society. The film should be required viewing for teachers, administrators, and parents. But it won't be required viewing, because a lot of adults would just as soon keep that light turned off.

I went back and watched this movie again, and it struck me all over just how real it feels. The performances are so perfectly spot-on that you could swear you know these people--what could have been a string of cliches or platitudes was instead carefully detailed to look like real life. I've rarely seen anything in the theater or on television that struck so very close to home. What makes it all so effective is that absolutely no one comes across as unsympathetic--not the jocks, not the outcasts, not the parents, not the teachers, not anyone. The casting was that sublime. The mains among the young cast are the most impressive group of actors and actresses I've seen in my generation. The older members of the cast are so good I can't believe I hadn't seen them somewhere before. Even the minor characters make an impression and have a bit of flesh to them. You may not like some of these people, you may be angry at them, but you will see where they went astray and understand. No one seems entirely wrong or right, and that's what makes it so unrelentingly human.

Despite having been a girl and not facing many of the physical tortures portrayed in the film, the sense of humiliation and utter isolation resonates very closely with my own grade school experience. If you weren't ever in that place, if you were popular or normal in school, you may watch this film and think the suffering within was exaggerated, that no one really goes through that... let me tell you, it's not an exaggeration. You may feel like it's normal for kids to get teased, and maybe it is... but there's a tremendous difference between getting teased by your friends and getting messed with because you're regarded by the general population as a thing. You can't make friends when everyone is afraid that hanging around you will cause them to be exposed to the kind of ridicule and torment that you're going through. You have no one to tell, your parents don't understand, you are completely alone in your world, and it feels like that will never change. Every moment of every day is spent waiting for the next gallon of gasoline to be thrown on the flames of your living hell. No, it doesn't look that bad when you're on the outside... it's just somebody getting shoved or laughed at or whispered about. But when it's you actually going through it, you end up either wanting to die or wanting to kill someone. That's exactly what this movie addresses--what leads a young person to that place. If everyone around refuses to empathize and understand, tragedy is the almost inevitable result.

Speaking as a high school teacher, I must say that this is one of the most important films on school that I have ever seen. I can see why this play/movie raised such a controversy. The film examines the root causes that bring about events like Columbine. It is easy to hate those people that commit such atrocities against their fellow students. However, this film/play tries to show how these situations are born and can possibly be prevented. It does not try to make you sympathize with the killers, it tries to prevent such tragedies from taking place. I think all high school students should see it. Very powerful.

I saw this film at the Nantucket film festival (2002) with the writer, director and cast member Thomas Cavanagh. It revolves around the school play `Bang Bang You're Dead', and the troubled youth Trevor who is on the brink of a collapse.

The movie was paced fairly well, and the acting was good. Although, I found the plot to go off track for a while, I was emotionally thrilled throughout the film. Thomas Cavanagh put on a great performance as an educator. Ben Foster, as Trevor, was a good cast for the part. Both performances were well executed.

It's a very good movie. You don't know what will happen next. It's a good movie to show your kid if he is having social problems in school. It is also a big promotion for the `Bang Bang You're Dead' play.

well i watched this movie during summer school for my health class and i thought this movie was the best movie i've seen about high school violence.. i know how it feels to be picked on i've been through that but because my school has so many teachers around i don't see many people hurting other people but there are some people who say stuff to you and it hurts and i've been through that too.. it sucks to be different everything stays with you all that anger all that sadness you just want to let it out some how especially on the people who are causing the problem.... this movie really describes how many teenagers feel who is just trying to find themselves and trying to deal with there daily life of hell from the jocks.. well i give my props to this movie its one of the best of seen for a movie that was on television if you haven't seen this movie yet you really got to check it out..

This is definitely a film all high school, and perhaps middle school, students should see. As a high school student myself, I recently watched it in my television production class. This film really sends out a message. It tells us that bullying or what many think is just teasing, really does hurt people. Remember hearing about those schools where kids took guns in to shoot the other students? Well this film gives us a view into the minds of those kids. We begin to see why they would ever do such a thing. We see all of the hurt and suffering they go through. This film is a teacher. We learn why such things happen and most importantly, that it is up to us to prevent these kids from ever having to go to such drastic measures.

This is my favorite movie about school shooting. It's interesting from the beginning to the end. All actors did a great job. The plot is very original. Not like all other school shooting movies like "Elephant"or "Zero day" this one has a deeper meaning. It is also revealing. It proofs that hate isn't the best way to deal our problems. It's also teach us to forgive people their mistakes and to help them to come back to a normal life. The movie is very intense and sometimes even shocking so it will keep your attention until the last minute. I think everybody should see this movie. Rarely they make a movie which would be interesting and revealing at the same time. So if you are looking for a good school shooting movie - this is it.

'Bang Bang You're Dead' was made 20 years ago. I wonder if you had told them that 20 years from now very little would be done in that time to prevent them and that they would be even more prevalent than they were back then, whether they would've been surprised or realised it was inevitable. Will they still be an issue 20 years from now in 2042? Let's be honest, almost certainly.

This film is a tough watch. It's pretty heavy material. I find watching film's like this makes me angry. Angry that people don't stand up for themselves. Or if they do stand up for themselves they're the ones that get in trouble. Also people who don't stand up for others. And then there's the useless teachers who couldn't care less as long as they get their pay cheque at the end of the week. It's sad just how realistic this film feels.

I think different people will get different things out this movie, but almost every one will be able to find some part of it to connect with. 7/10.

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.

"Bang, Bang, You're Dead", a Showtime tv flick titled after a school level play of the same name, is a serious high school campus drama which puts a new face on the old "Rebel Without a Cause" character - a disaffected, rebellious teen male. In its prologue, the film purports to have a purpose which it ultimately buries in thespianism at the end. However, its real take on campus life is a useful reminder of the significance of peer, academic, family, and other pressures which the teen must endure. "Bang..." has good intentions, some plot holes, solid performances, and maintains an even, unsensationalistic temperament throughout. An okay family flick recommended for anyone interested in high school campus violence. (B-)

"Bang Bang, Your Dead" is an intriguing idea yet never driven home. The actors try their best to make use of the tame script that is "family friendly". The basic plot involves a loner (Ben Foster) with a somewhat disturbing past involving a bomb threat and a history of being teased and bullied. He finds a haven from the constant barrage of insults and bullying by becoming the lead in the controversial new play "Bang Bang, You're Dead", led by the cliche "teacher who cares". Unfortunatly, things get worse at his school, and he falls in with a group of fellow losers known as the Trogs, and they wage an all out war on the Jocks and popular people, and tensions arise to the point that could lead to an explosive end.

The movie holds back too much to be taken seriously. The dialogue seems to be trying its best to stay in the PG category, and the Jock crowd seemed awfully two-dimensional. Many of the characters seem cliche and annoying, and the ending did not live up to the title. By the way, if this guy is such a loser, then how is he able to start reltaions with a semi-attractive girl? Kudos should go out to Ben Foster, who makes the character as believable as possible. Some things can be overlooked, including the stereotypical high-standard parents and often laughable ideas of bullying and taunts. If someone walked through my school, they wouldn't hear "idiot" or "worthless". You would probably hear more profanity than a Scorsese film. Overall, an unbelievable portrayal of high school life, with little realism and carboard characters that could have been more detailed and complex.

It's great to see a movie you think is going to be just awful ... and then is anything but.

The film amazed me by taking the issues of high school kids seriously, even those of kids who are about to commit the worst carnage imaginable. One of the best ways of perpetuating a problem is turning those affected by it and those who do bad things into angels and devils. Bang, Bang, You're Dead rejects this out of hand and gives everything a shade of grey, yet moves back, forgivably, from the logical climax to make a point about the theatricality of school life, much like the play on which it is sort-of-based.

It takes troubled kids out to kill seriously, gives them respect and tries to talk to them - and lets them talk, a lot. It is also a genuine drama, and takes no prisoners when it comes to depicting adult hypocrisy and aloofness. That's pretty subversive. Put it all together and you have a ready-made whipping boy for America's right wing. Yet it is this film that anybody who gives a damn about this kind of situation must see.

This makes it sound like a 1950s advisory film where parents and kids would watch what horrible consequences befell reckless teenagers. But it's much more than that: it's a cunning advisory film for everyone. Nobody comes out clean, but everybody is given the chance to become clean again.

The MPAA gave this an R rating, which is further proof that this pathetic star chamber of industry insiders ought to be disbanded.

This movie is excellent in portraying the high school life of these people. I watched this film to find an answer that I was searching for 8 years. And this movie gave me the part of the answer. This movie perfectly portrays who I was 8 years. Unpopular, depressed, emotionally unstable, and suicidal me. I know this story very well because I was one of them, just like Trevor. This movie made cry, and reminded me about everything in my past. Trevor was me, and I was him. This movie described everything about my dark past. But, i was saved, and Trevor was saved. He did what is right. and he had some people who supported him. Those people made him realize what is right, but also to confront it. Trevor was marely a person running away from all these peer pressures, bullying, violence, and himself. But, in the end he realized that he must fight it in order to do what is right. Now, I'm not talking about the usual "right" that others teach you, but your rights, freedoms, and will to stand up for yourselves. I never gave up to fight because I have people who love me, who admires me, who cares about me, and therefore I can continue to fight on. I was once a person with nothing, but now, I have something to long for, something to protect, something live.

This movie is great. It presents a real problem in high schools, it is sympathetic to both the bullied and bullies... There is nothing quite so terrible in the modern US for many people, than the bullying that goes on in high school. This movie captures the visceral pain that too many adults fail to empathize with, but nearly all of us who have been bullied understand only too well. I especially love the role played by the drama teacher; he really represents some of the kindness that teachers can deliver to their lonely, scared students. There are multiple messages in this movie. We should try and understand social outsiders better; we should try and enhance communication between students and teachers. This is a great movie, good acting, amazing plot; it keeps you keyed up from start to finish, where a great song, Runaway Train by Oleander

this movie is my life, with a few less trashcans. it's so good, i loved it. i have to warn you, it is sad. i guess it was worse for me because i "identify" with Trevor so much; i'm sure a lot of people have for a moment, or jokingly, but this is my life. the movie deals with real live issues that so many people, including myself, are going through. so many feelings going through our heads. its so good. every thing in it is real. the thought of killing everyone. the thought of dying yourself. it's all there, in my life and in Trevor's. but, be warned, if you have any true thoughts of murder and/or suicide, it will be as a shock because i know i understand more of what i feel. I'm not saying that this movie will make you better. hell, it may have made me worse. but even so, you should see this movie. it is so totally sweet. i loved it man. its heavy, but awesome.

A troubled teenage boy, Trevor Adams (Ben Foster) returns to his high school for his sophomore year after being expelled for threatening to blow up the high school football team. This time he carries a video camera everywhere he goes, catching things on film usually ignored by administrators in the high school setting. He is casted as the main character in the school play, "Bang Bang You're Dead", in hopes to bring the town to understand what drives these kids to hurt their classmates and shoot up their schools.

I've read mixed reviews on this film, but I honestly can't understand why anyone would only give this film one star. People complain about the cliché cliques (well those usually exist in the high school setting), the "teacher who cares" cliché (well, he was needed to drive the point home), and the fact that the "loser" caught the interest of a semi-attractive girl. (Well, he's not exactly ugly, and she has a mind of her own. How is that unrealistic? I've seen it happen a lot.)These clichés are hardly evident to most viewers - I've seen the film twice and barely noticed them. Who cares if there are clichés as long as the film makes a point and does it well? That's what made me rate this film so high. It moved me, it made me think, and it aroused mixed emotions within me. Anger at the ignorance and the bullying, hopeful that Trevor will make everyone see the truth in a nonviolent way, and relief that a film had the balls to point out that the thing many schools turn their back on is the cause of many school shootings.

The cast was amazing, especially Ben Foster as Trevor. He really brought the character to life, and I doubt the film would have had the same effect on the viewers if he wasn't in it. The supporting cast did a good job as well, but his performance was the most memorable to me.

I loved this film and I feel it does a great job of showing what these students go through every day - and they do it without having to use profanity. It shows that a little violence, and even the slightest name calling can push someone over the edge. It's intense, and probably one of my favorite films to come out after the year 2000.

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.

I like this film because it shows the "other side", and tries to go to the root of the problem of school violence, not just deal with its consequences. It's easy to see kids who commit violence in schools as monsters, but it doesn't help the matters much. This film gives a different perspective on those very individuals. The reasons why young people slip so badly into antisocial behavior go so much deeper than "oh he's just a bad apple" and this movie has made a good job at showing that. Not that those who have committed mass murders should be forgiven just because they were such martyrs, but perhaps preventively, the American educational system should think of a different approach towards misbehaving teenagers, and look more into removing the causes of their frustration, rather than just try to whip them into good behavior with punishment. Classical disciplinary measures like detention, suspension and expelling tend to only worsen their isolation, which only reinforces their hatred of life,(and not just their own!). I believe many tragedies could have been prevented if the society had done less frowning upon children who have a hard time fitting in, and I like the fact this film hints that if you give a young person so full of anger and frustration a bit of respect instead of contempt, it may significantly change the way they see life.

The movie gave a very realistic perspective on teenagers in high school in todays society and the issue of bullying. It was terrifying to see how the victims of the bullies suffered and were abused the sad part is its happening every day. The movie addressed the issue throughly and gave empathy towards the viewer to feel for the victim. The protagonist was beat and constantly under attack as the public viewed him as the criminal within the community when in fact he was the one being victimized which was only discovered in the end. It was very eye opening and surreal and had a good plot and potential. I found myself drifting through out the movie as it seemed to drag on a lot and i guess i was expecting more especially in the ending.

Ben Foster proves he can act and displays great length as disturbed Trevor Adams who is constantly bullied and tortured by the "Higher ups" of the high school. He begins to show violent behavior after he begins hanging out with a group of Loners called the Trogs. We get to see him descend into violence but he is not completely alone as he is constantly defended by his teacher Val, aptly played by Thom Cavanaugh, who is also equally great. Though, true, the movie does tend to force sub-plots on us and never follows through, this is a grim disturbing portrait of high school violence without poiting the finger at certain characters like society does when these types of things happen. Noone is portrayed as the victim and noone as the enemy, and in the end we ask, "What's the morale?" What is the morale? Noone knows.

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.

Having only just seen this film, my comments are a little late in comparison to others, but it deserves the recommendation. An outstanding central performance by Ben Foster as the troubled teenager who favors pyro-vengeance on his aggressors, this film dissects the causes for the violent wrath that occurred so tragically in high-schools such as Columbine. The extremely effective use of video-diary as explanation to both the tutors of the school and the audience leaves a chilling scar that has a greater impact than that used in Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant', though this film is of not of equal standing to Van Sant's eloquent jigsaw. Powerful however.