The Bang Bang Club (2011)

The Bang Bang Club Poster

In the early to mid '90s, when the South African system of apartheid was in its death throes, four photographers - Greg Marinovich, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and João Silva - bonded by their friendship and a sense of purpose, worked together to chronicle the violence and upheaval leading up to the 1994 election of Nelson Mandela as president. Their work is risky and dangerous, potentially fatally so, as they thrust themselves into the middle of chaotic clashes between forces backed by the government (including Inkatha Zulu warriors) and those in support of Mandela's African National Congress.

Film Overview
"The Bang Club" is a 2011 remarkable movie directed by Steven Silver. The story is based on the real-life experiences of four fight photographers who risked their lives to capture the brutal violence that emerged in South Africa during the end of the Apartheid age. The Bang Club, including Greg Marinovich (played by Ryan Phillippe), Kevin Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch), Ken Oosterbroek (played by Frank Rautenbach), and Joao Silva (played by Neels Van Jaarsveld), caught some of the most graphic and tell-tale images of the time, ending up being worldwide stars while doing so.

Main Plot
The movie starts with professional photographer Greg Marinovich attempting to photo hostilities in between National Peacekeeping Forces and locals in the South African municipality. Marinovich, in spite of the danger, moves deeper into hostile territory, getting trust and access that the other reporters do not have. This bravery (or recklessness) brings Marinovich to the attention of skilled photojournalists Carter, Oosterbroek, and Silva, birthing the so-called Bang Club. Together, the 4 navigate the violent and unpredictable world of South Africa in the 90s, recording extraordinary pictures of the civil war tearing the country apart.

Dispute and Resolution
Throughout the movie, internal and external struggles develop. The members of the Bang Club not just face the vastness of the ruthless violence they witness, however their ethical role in taping such atrocities also taxes them. They deal with making a name for themselves through other individuals's suffering. Kevin Carter, particularly impacted by the blurred lines in between observer and individual, suffers intense psychological impacts due to an especially haunting image he took of a starving Sudanese kid. Carter's internal struggle takes a toll, eventually resulting in his terrible suicide.

End of the Film
Towards the end of the movie, the Bang Club faces even more distress. Oosterbroek is unfortunately killed in a crossfire between UN forces and a mob. The making it through members are delegated grapple with the consequences of their work, questioning the cost of their careers and their psychological and psychological health. Marinovich is severely hurt however survives, earning the Pulitzer Prize like Carter before him. It is in the end, a tale of a group of brave males who are challenge the cost of war, the principles of journalism and their individual principles to record historic and moving photographs through their lenses.

Conclusion
"The Bang Club" is a gritty and haunting portrayal of 4 guys who looked for to record the extreme realities of war-torn South Africa. The film offers a grim and sensible insight into the struggles and ethical issues that war professional photographers face. Their deeds brought the grim truth of Apartheid to the outdoors world, but their individual lives were heavily impacted by the turmoil they were so deeply immersed in. It incorporates styles of bravery, ethical uncertainty, sacrifice, the impacts of the violent environment on the human psyche and the power of visual documentation to affect modification.

Top Cast

  • Malin Åkerman (small)
    Malin Åkerman
    Robin Comley
  • Ryan Phillippe (small)
    Ryan Phillippe
    Greg Marinovich
  • Taylor Kitsch (small)
    Taylor Kitsch
    Kevin Carter
  • Frank Rautenbach
    Ken Oosterbroek
  • Neels Van Jaarsveld (small)
    Neels Van Jaarsveld
    Joao Silva
  • Russel Savadier (small)
    Russel Savadier
    Ronald Graham
  • Ashley Friedlander
    Roxy
  • Patrick Lyster (small)
    Patrick Lyster
    James Nachtwey
  • Nelson Mandela (small)
    Nelson Mandela
    Himself
  • Lika Berning (small)
    Lika Berning
    Vivian