Wow! Such a good movie.

The Worst Film Ever

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Brilliant Conflict

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998) **** (out of 4)This third and to date final entry in Penelope Spheeris' series takes us back to the punk rock scene just like the first film but instead of looking at the people on the stage this here takes a look at the punk kids who are mostly homeless and living on the streets.This third film in certainly a lot different than the first two in the series and if you're looking for a fun time you're aren't going to find it here. I say that because these "kids" are all a rather sad bunch and I can't help but be somewhat judgmental here. Sure, the film itself doesn't judge this kids and that's what makes it great because the director really digs into the subject but as a viewer you can't help but form an opinion.The film takes a honest look at the subjects and that includes some of them that were abused by their parents as well as many who see only death in their future. The film shines a spotlight on these kids who are homeless, living in the streets and bugging people for a little change to try and earn a few bucks for alcohol. They steal what food they eat and they have very little to no plans to be an adult, get a job or do something with their lives.As I said, I respect Spheeris for not being judgmental and instead just showing the kids and their situation as is. Of course, it's rather ironic that the kids are constantly badmouthing the police yet look at how they live. It's easy to see why these kids would hate the "establishment" and it's because they don't want rules and instead want to do things their way. Watching this twenty-years after its release I can't help but wonder what happened to these kids.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part III: In the third of the Decline films, director Penelope Spheeris revisits the punk scene she illuminated in her first Decline film. Here she finds the struggle of street kids and young adults in West Hollywood trying to make it day by day, fighting off attacks from skinheads and following the ever decreasing number of punk bands that remain in the scene.The Good: Like her previous two films Spheeris highlights some bands and one of them is actually pretty good. Naked Aggression led by lead singer Kirsten Patches seemed like America's answer to Chumbawamba. The band even shows their not inconsiderable classical music chops. As Todd in the Shadows would say they deserved better.The Bad: In 1999 Rory Kennedy made a documentary about a family in Appalachia that had been beset by poverty for the last 100 years. Being the youngest daughter of Robert F Kennedy this was a topic that was close to her heart. Her film American Hollow would expose us to the real people behind the poverty and help bring in a new age of help for those folks dependent on handouts whom the American Dream had passed by.Unfortunately for Rory, her film features the laziest bunch of yokels this side of Jerry Springer. Rory simple didn't see it. One cannot watch her film and not think we need to cut welfare of yesterday and get these people a clue.Spheeris doesn't see it as well. Yes, the kids featured are broken. In reality, many of them are pretty horrible people. There is a scene where they all crash at a poor black man's apartment. He is in a wheelchair from an auto accident, doesn't drink and lives in a humble one bedroom. About sixty of these street hooligans pile in there as if it was a scene from Aronofsky's Mother!. They trash the place beyond recovery and the look of pain in the man's eyes is haunting. He just wanted a friend.Spheeris does her interviews like the previous two films and once again most of her subjects are understandably about as deep as a puddle. She seems interested in the dirt about how they left home but leaves some obvious questions on the table. Starting with why are they dressed in fashions that went out of style before they were born.In conclusion: Punk is long dead by the time the documentary starts. The bands, with one exception noted above, are barely garage bands and the fans are begging for a dollar to buy a pint of MD 20/20. Apparently, there are skinhead Nazis that prey on these youth but we never see one and Spheeris really drops the ball not getting one to sit down and tell their story.On some level, it is an interesting look at a slice of life on the margins but the combination of bad people and bad music make this an unpleasant ride. One wishes for a filmmaker who could see what she really was looking at.

Having now watched the entire Decline of Western Civilization series, newly restored and released as one, I can officially say Part III is my favourite of the trilogy. While the previous films focused on beginner punk bands in L.A. (part I), and then the heavy metal following of the 80s (part II), part III nearly completely abandons the musical aspect of the series to instead focus on the punk followers. Spheeris engages with a group of homeless youth living in downtown L.A. They are mostly teens and mostly look healthy and okay but as she interviews the children they reveal, with unflinching honesty, the abuse that led them to the streets, the boredom of their lives, and their total lack of hope (in one truly touching sequence Spheeris asks her group of misfits where they think they will be in 5 years; most of them reply that they'll be dead. A truly heartbreaking look at the forgotten youth of America.

Before seeing this movie, i heard a bit of hype that it was the bell tolling the end of Punk. Now, i wouldn't attribute it with that kind of importance, but in defense of that statement, the music of the bands depicted in this installment of the "Decline of Western Civilization" series, pales in comparison to the music of the bands featured in the first of the series, (i.e. the Germs, the Circle Jerks). But, it must be said that this movie is more about the lives of a handful of homeless punks in LA. It is a touching film, despite Penelope Spheeris' constantly embarrassing and exploitive interviewing techniques. The punks in the film are too interesting to be exploited to the point of their own embarrassment, however, but i couldn't help but want to see their lives documented by a better, more trustworthy director.