Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Julien Temple

Release Date:

18 May 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

A celebration of Joe Strummer - Before, during and after The Clash

Plot:

As the front man of the Clash from 1977 onwards, Joe Strummer changed people's lives forever. Four years after his death...

Plot Keywords:

Clash | London Underground | Black And White Segment In Color Film | Rock Star | England

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Brigitte Bardot	...	Herself (archive footage)
Bono	...	Himself
Steve Buscemi	...	Himself
Terry Chimes	...	Himself
John Cooper Clarke	...	Himself
John Cusack	...	Himself
Peter Cushing	...	Winston Smith (archive footage)
Johnny Depp	...	Himself
Matt Dillon	...	Himself
Tymon Dogg	...	Himself
Joe Ely	...	Himself
Dick Evans	...	Himself
Flea	...	Himself
Alasdair Gillis	...	Himself
Ian Gillis	...	Himself
Topper Headon	...	Himself
Mick Jagger	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jim Jarmusch	...	Himself
Mick Jones	...	Himself
Steve Jones	...	Himself
Anthony Kiedis	...	Himself
Don Letts	...	Himself
Bernie Rhodes	...	Himself
David Lee Roth	...	Himself (archive footage)
Joe Strummer	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

Strummer (International: English title) (informal short title)
Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (Australia) (poster title)

Runtime:

USA:123 min (Sundance Film Festival) | UK:124 min

Country:

Ireland | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Finland:K-11 | USA:Unrated | Japan:PG-12

Company:

Parallel Film Productions

Movie Connections:

Features Straight to Hell (1987)

Soundtrack:

Corrina Corrina

An inspiration

You most certainly do not not have to be familiar with the work of the Clash to enjoy this film. It focuses on Joe Strummer the man and the myth more than his music.

The opening is one of the most spine-tingling introductions to a film, ever. And we go on to learn about Joe's childhood and early life from those that knew him. The rest of the film uses a mix of interviews and archive footage to document the London scene of the 70's, the formation and break-up of the Clash, along with Joe's personal story and latter hippie period. The film can be accused of being being short on anything particularly revealing but I think it's only right and proper that information the late Strummer didn't feel was public commodity when he was with us, shouldn't become so now. It isn't all hero-worship though as some of the less complementary aspects of Joes' character are also openly discussed.

If I could have one criticism it is that some of the interviews with the Hollywood lot seem superfluous, I doubt whether some of them had even met Joe let alone "knew" him.

What you get is a really colourful illustration of the punk scene and life-affirming message of Joe's life - it wasn't his music that made him a great man, it was his great big heart.

John 15:12 - "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you".