DIFF2017: Bomb City

This film took an extremely wild culture and gave it humanity. It follows Brian Deneke, a punk rocker, and his group as they navigate their lifestyles in a Texas town while constantly encountering challenge from the football kids. What culminates the film is the brutal and tragic death of Mr. Deneke that occurred in the late 1990s as the film is based on a true story.

This project really took a dive into the world of punk rock during that time and examined the meanings of the interactions between the young people. While viewing these depictions of events on screen, I developed a further understanding and empathy for these rockers that I would have not expressed before. In the first two full days of the Dallas International Film Festival, this incredible movie has touched me tremendously and is, therefore, the best yet for me.

As the story gets underway, one can feel uncomfortable about the heavy profanity and alcohol consumption that these rockers partake in. As one realizes the relationships that these young men and women have with each other, they get to share their pain in the scorn that they receive from the townspeople. The death of Brian, being that it was a clearly fierce murder, is piercing and shocking especially during the last revelations of what transpired in the aftermath.


What one gains from this film is the notion that these rockers were individuals who loved one another and cared for their fellow peers. They also understand the gross differentiation of treatment that this specific group was subjected to in comparison to the “normal” football kids. Dave Davis, the actor who plays Brian, fully executed this man’s wild energy, friendliness, and utter frustration at the dynamics presented by these hateful football players.

There is a scene where King, Brian’s friend, is alone in their residence and the window is suddenly broken by these vicious prep brats. King, subsequently, drives to where the footballers have huddled and is beaten on the ground by eight or so players. This despicable behavior made one realize that these “normal” kids had horrible traits that were overshadowed by their privilege.

A fabricated police raid in the film displays the inequity in the life experience of Deneke’s group. In this scene, one of the officers sticks a gun in Brian’s girlfriend’s mouth and says that she is such a disappointment. I was significantly disturbed in seeing a depiction where the actions executed constituted sexual assault by an officer. In sum, my experience in watching Bomb City rendered incomprehensible value that made an indelible impact on all of us in the theater.
(Review by Wyatt Head)