Product Details

• Actors: Ron English, Shepard Fairey, Sixe, Cornbread, Taki 183
• Directors: Jonathan Reiss
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: DOCURAMA
• DVD Release Date: May 27, 2008
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0012XIGYQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #58,101 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Bomb It" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

The movie also considers that bombing (the term of choice for graffiti painters), once deemed a subversive act, has inevitably been co-opted over the last decade or so, its influences turning up in video games and marketing campaigns, and the work itself mounted on gallery walls. But if the artists shown here making magic with spray paint are any indication, graffiti will never go out of style. It will continue to move with the times; with luck, the filmmakers there to document it will do it the justice that this one does. --New York Times

Genuinely global, multicultural, and multilingual in its urban perspectives, this lively documentary features graffiti artists talking about their work and illustrates their discourse with images shot in Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Cape Town, Sao Paolo, Tijuana, and Tokyo. Filmmaker Jon Reiss also occasionally gives voice to people trying to eradicate graffiti. The relentless quick cutting and pop soundtrack are counterbalanced by the artists' personalities and sociopolitical credos. Unlike Michael Glawogger's more visionary Megacities (1998), this offers neither city symphonies nor overarching theses, but as the title suggests, the theme of rebellion predominates --Chicago Reader

The Bronx subway "bombers" of the '70s had no idea they'd inspire an international movement, but overseas taggers took the spray paint and ran with it. In this graffiti doc, due in theaters and on DVD in May, Blek Le Rat stencils rodents along Parisian curbs; São Paulo artist Zezao "fat-caps" surreal mindscapes onto sewage tunnels; and Tokyo mom Belx2 splatters walls with little girl pictograms. --Wired

Product Description

BOMB IT is a wild ride into the heart of the global graffiti culture where the love of art and ego clashes explosively with law and order. On top of a fresh soundtrack of punk, hip-hop and funk, this high-octane film explores the many manifestations of "bombing."

See all Editorial Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars World Tour of Graffiti Art, Its Purpose, and Its Controversies. June 6, 2008

By mirasreviews HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Director Jon Reiss and producer Tracy Wares take us on a world tour of graffiti in "Bomb It". The film is more supportive of graffiti art than against it, but it does interview individuals who make it their mission to rid neighborhoods of graffiti as well as graffiti artists on 4 continents. There is an undercurrent that questions who should decide what we look at in public spaces, a provocative question but not really the focus of the film. "Bomb It" covers a lot of ground in the history and scope of graffiti art, but to good effect, as we are able to see that graffiti artists are not all alike. Graffiti has evolved over time, and its purpose is different in different cultures and sub-cultures.

"Bomb It" starts by interviewing Cornbread, a Philadelphian whose campaign to tag everything with his moniker in 1967 might make him the first modern graffiti artist. The film avoids the who-did-what-first debate but follows the progression from simple tagging to more elaborate lettering that led graffiti's transformation from an underclass counter-culture movement into one that encompasses a broader artistic movement. Graffiti artists from New York in the 1970s-1980s talk about their exploits before the city began to aggressively clean up graffiti on public property. Other cities whose artists are featured are: Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; London, UK; Berlin, Germany; Barcelona, Spain; Capetown, South Africa; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Tokyo, Japan; and Los Angeles, USA.

I've always thought of graffiti as a means of frustrated, energetic, but mostly irresponsible youth lashing out at what they perceive as the status quo. Now I've learned that graffiti art has different significance in different cultures. In South Africa, graffiti was a tool for political change.... In Los Angeles, it has been part of the Chicano movement and has taken on the trapping of a lifestyle in some quarters. In some cultures, the emphasis is more on putting artwork in public spaces than on counter-culture. Not surprisingly, these artists have a less adversarial relationship with communities and the law.

The fact is that graffiti and vandalism do have a profound effect on the rate of more serious crimes. And many of the artists interviewed come across as extremely self-important people who inflict their spleen on others, because their lives are not as they would like. On the other hand, one cannot deny that graffiti is sometimes an improvement over drab, decaying edifices, or that the artists are talented, or that some of graffiti's opponents are politically naďve philistines. "Bomb It" provides an introduction to graffiti and its controversies by showing us the art, the ideas, and the differences of opinion.

The DVD (Docurama 2008): There are 3 featurettes and a feature commentary. In "Behind the Scenes" (14 min), director Jon Reiss talks about the genesis of the project, filming in different nations, assembling the film, and some themes. "Extended Time Lapse Sequences" (15 min) are 3 sequences, 5 minutes each in England, Brazil, and Japan, where we can watch the artwork being created in accelerated time. There are also "Extended Interviews" (26 min). The audio commentary by director Jon Reiss and producer Tracy Wares is constant and informative. They talk about what they did and did not include in the film, their intentions, and more details on who and what we are seeing. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative and Entertaining! July 6, 2008

By NP

Format:DVD

Great movie! I saw it with a live audience and everyone in the theatre loved it and was cheering at all the right places. Most people, no matter what their background or status, can identify with the right to self expression and the need to make some kind of a mark on the world.

The format of going around the world from city to city, showing commonalities and differences, works really well in illuminating the scope and significance of graffiti art. The discussion of who owns public spaces and who has the right to express themselves in such places is excellent, and in fact I wish this segment were expanded. The comment of the kid in Barcelona feeling raped by the commercial billboards of semi-naked female and male models is poignant and priceless.

Highly recommended.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars damn good July 24, 2008

By T. Johnson

Format:DVD

Nice bio about graff. Breaks all different styles down from all around the world. Very well done, they spent some money on producing this one. Well worth my hard earn coin..True graff heads will like it...

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Bomb March 19, 2010

By C. Chaplinski

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I originally purchased this documentary with the hope of using it in my 7th grade art class. We are discussing graffiti and community art. Unfortunately, the title "Bomb It" could be the way the f bombs were dropping left and right. But that's something you would have to expect when gang members are being interviewed. I found it to be very interesting and informative. It follows the world of graffiti from its start in Philly to places all over the world. The artists that are featured have different styles and stories to tell. Even though I couldn't show the film to the class, I am still able to impart the history it tells.

5.0 out of 5 stars Really good April 1, 2013

By Kevin Welsh

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

This movie was awesome, it made me want to go out and paint the town. Extremely well made and great source of information on the street art

5.0 out of 5 stars Bombin' It September 2, 2012

By L. Ramirez

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've seen this movie already, in fact, I have mp4, I just didn't have it with me over the summer and needed to play it for my class. That's why I rented it and it worked like a charm, I really didn't have any snags with and I would rent another flick from AMazon if I really had to (let's face it, this was my second resort, Netflix didn't have it in its catalog). great movie, though, lots of international graf, Banksy, Os Gemeos, cats from Barca, Berlin, Sao Paolo, Amsterdam and Japan. You really get to see not only the roots, but also its impact on global culture and the impact those locales have on graf/writing.

5.0 out of 5 stars Stays in your head July 26, 2012

By Red

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

I saw this at the local art house theatre years ago and finally got a copy of my own as I kept thinking about it all the time. Still really interesting!

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent look into the realm of Graffiti... December 29, 2011

By J. Ryan

Format:DVD

The documentary was not bad at all, it was put together rather well and seemed to cover many aspects of Graffiti's history. Though I truthfully can't see me watching this more than a couple times. Def worth a look though.