Paul Rachman's feature documentary is a chronicle of the underground hardcore punk years in the US from 1979 to 1986. Generally unheralded at the time, the early 1980s hardcore punk rock scenes in Washington D.C., Los Angeles or Boston gave birth to much of the rock music and culture that followed.Hardcore back then was more than music - it was rather a social movement, created by alienated Reaganomics-era kids . A movement which could be self-destructive and nihilistic, but just as reassuring and positive at the same time.
American Hardcore traces this lost subculture, from its early roots in 1980 to its sudden decline in 1985. Recent interviews and great live footage from Black Flag, Bad Brains, Minor Threat, SS Decontrol and Gang Green make this a real gem. Intelligent retrospective.
Check it out.
http://www.american-hardcore.de/
