Movie Review – Attack Of Life – The Bang Tango Movie – A Drew Fortier Film
[Enters confessional booth] Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I must admit that I was EXTREMELY late to the Bang Tango party. It was only after hearing Joe Lesté fronting Beautiful Creatures and my friend/tattoo artist Travis Chadwick of Sinners & Saints Tattoo Company in Wichita, KS. raving about the brilliance of Bang Tango that I gave them a shot. I suck, I know! I promise to do better! Amen! [Exits and heads to the Strip Joint]
In all seriousness, I was extremely late to the Bang Tango party but the two Beautiful Creatures albums, a handful of Joe’s performances on tribute albums and Travis’ raving quickly got me up to speed. I quickly bought up their back catalog and have kept up over the past ten years. For as much as I digg their music, I still didn’t know much about the history of the band…..until now, thanks to a fantastic documentary by Drew Fortier entitled ‘Attack Of Life:The Bang Tango Movie’.
If you are looking for a slickly produced, homogenized and “shot in hi-def” documentary about a Rock N’ Roll band, I suggest you watch something else. If you want to watch a “warts and all” documentary containing fantastic interviews, career-spanning live footage presented in chronological fashion where you get a true sense of the subject matter then ‘Attack Of Life:The Bang Tango Movie’ is the film for you.
The opening scene starts with a hilarious narration from Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider & progresses to the formation of the band, signing with a major label, the obvious failure of the label & management to do their job, infighting, creative differences, lineup changes, addictions, a near fatal car crash, unfair labeling of the band, dismal attendance of recent live shows and health problems. You live through it all.
I enjoyed hearing the perspectives of current and former members as well as those who played key roles over the course of the lifetime of Bang Tango. It adds a sense of depth to the overall story. You’re not just getting a one-sided portrayal but multiple perspectives that allow you to appreciate all parties involved that make up the collective story.
It would have been nice if Joe would have discussed his time with Beautiful Creatures and the reasons for the re-formation of Bang Tango post BC just to fill in the gap of his career timeline. Kudos to Joe for keeping the Bang Tango name alive through all the adversity he’s endured over the past twenty-five years. This documentary is so thorough that not only do past members discuss their time within the band but you also get to see where their lives have taken them.
I walked away from viewing this documentary feeling like I’d been a fan of the band since day one. It really is that thorough. Drew Fortier does a fantastic job documenting the complete history of Bang Tango & I look forward to more documentaries from him. Take a bow Drew, it is well deserved!
Attack Of Life:The Bang Tango Movie Trailer
The Bang Tango Movie Official Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/BangTangoMovie
The Bang Tango Movie Official Twitter:
https://twitter.com/bangtangomovie
Category: Reviews
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