The Bang Bang Club is Like a Scattered Puzzle



The violence in the movie is shown without context.



Kabelo Chabalala

Do not think of the born frees of the country, do not consider those that says, “Yes we have obtained our democracy through the ANC, so what do we have now?” The director, Steven Silver is displaying the most touching historic epoch of South Africa in a contemporary way.

The density and gruesomeness of the feud between the ANC and the Inkatha is being revealed at minimum impact than what it really was during that era in South Africa. These are the people in the cast, Ryan Phillippe, Tylor Kitsch, Frank Rautenbanch, Malin Akerman, etc. I was expecting to see more local faces. Veteran actors such as Sello Maake Ka-Ncube, Magic Hlatswayo and Jammie Bartlett should have been part of the movie cast. The American accent that tried so hard to sound African was not “Bang Bang”. The location reflected the recognized Townships of Soweto, which was significant.


The movie is inspiring. For an individual who aspire to become a world class photographer. The movie tells you that in order to capture memorable and award winning pictures, a photographer has to go an extra mile which may even extend to putting their lives in Danger.

If umlungu (white person), and you haven’t learned a bit of Zulu, the first 25min of the Movie is not for you. The cinema film has no sub-titles. But then again it’s every South African’s responsibility to know all eleven official languages.

Nonetheless, to somebody who remembers what happened before democracy and when blacks were fighting against each other, this is an insult to the conspicuous memory. The snapshot were cropped harshly, they eliminated the necessary impact. The movie is like scattered complete puzzle pieces that needed someone to come and put them together to make sense and be a true reflection of the country’s history.



The cast of the Bang Bang Club.



The local icon Vusi Kunene is always a marvel to watch. Given any role to play, Vusi plays it to perfection. He will make you think you are watching a live reality show not a movie. The baby who was devoured by a vulture story portrayal was not convincing. I guess indeed a story is best told by people who were part of it. However, its modernity when it comes to education cannot be ignored. The film strides across a number of professions and what they entail. Law, Journalism, photography, Media practitioners and so forth

The Bang Bang Club missed an opportunity to unpack an emotional era in South Africa in a stunning and heart fulfilling way. I give the movie a 6 out of a 10.