User Reviews

Rockets Redglare was one of that legion of faces you recognize from movies without ever knowing his name or anything about him. I first took notice of him after "Talk Radio" -- a name like Rockets Redglare stood out from the credits.

What the film "Rockets Redglare!" reveals about the man Rockets Redglare is that he led a life more traumatic, more sad, and -- amazingly enough -- funnier, than most of the movies he appeared in. He was a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker who grew up in the 50's and 60's among hustlers and thieves. Rockets tells the camera some jaw-dropping stories about that world and how it contributed to his own addictions and compulsions.

His ability to get laughs out of his stories led him to become the black sheep of an extended family of artists and performers in the East Village in the early 80's. Members of that extended family appear here to tell you how they loved Rockets and how they never lost hope that he could "get it together."

"Rockets Redglare!" mixes home movies and photos of Rockets' past, clips from his film career and interviews taken with he and his circle in the last few years of his life. The result is multi-faceted -- a biography of a charismatic and unusual man, a document of a period in New York cultural history, a cautionary tale of excess.

The only possible flaw with this movie was that I wanted more of it. You are left wanting to hear more of his stories. This may not be a flaw, but the highest compliment for a documentary -- in 90 minutes it took me from knowing nothing to wanting to know everything about Rockets and his world.

"Rockets Redglare" is a documentary tribute to a man (known only as Rockets Redglare) who was a standup comic, a character actor, an alcoholic, a drug addict and a beloved friend of such cinema stalwarts as Steve Buscemi, Jim Jarmusch, Willem Dafoe, Matt Dillon and many others. In fact, Rockets appeared in many independent features including "Stranger Than Paradise," "Down By Law," "Mystery Train," and "Basquiat," as well as more mainstream works such as "Big" and "Talk Radio" (he's the killer who shoots the talk show host). "Rockets Redglare" was planned and filmed before Rockets' death, making it one of those rare posthumous documentaries in which the subject gets to tell his own life story.

Although there are a number of interesting moments scattered throughout the film, I must admit that I began to wonder early on what it was exactly about this man that made anyone think him worthy of a full-length documentary. Frankly, except for some harrowing moments Rockets recounts from his childhood (his mother and father were both criminals and drug addicts), his life doesn't seem really all that interesting, and the insights he provides into life aren't particularly witty or insightful. With no voice-over narration to provide any real cohesion or focus, the film feels slapdash and aimless, relying strictly on Rockets himself and his buddies, Dillon, Buscemi, Dafoe etc. to flesh out the storyline. Although everyone keeps telling us what a wonderful and likable person Rockets was, the charm really doesn't come across all that well on screen, so I guess we'll just have to take their word for it that that was indeed how he was. I guess you just had to be there.

This documentary is simply superb.

Making a portrait of someone isn't easy, first of all because it has to seem effortless. That works wonderfully here, within minutes you'll get the feeling that you've known this Rockets Redglare all your life !

The director has given us a true labor of love, and that same sentiment is rendered by the friends that shed some light on the guy. Without being cheesy or trying to hide any of the darker sides of his 'topic', true friendship beams out.

Both funny and deeply tragic and even disgusting at times, this documentary is as honest and as well made as any portrait will ever get. It'll make you wish you were out there with them...

Rockets Redglare is by far one of the best written and most moving biographic documentaries I have ever seen. Not only is it about a real human being (Rockets) not hiding any parts good or bad, but tells a bit of New York underground history that many people don't know about. The director Luis de la Reguera has done an outstanding job with the resources available to him and a dedication not seen very often. You can tell that Luis and Rockets had the deepest of friendships which also made this movie all that more original and interesting to watch. The commentaries by some very famous actors are more testament to the greatness and big heart of Rockets even though he had become very hard in many areas of thinking. This movie will allow the spirit and story of Rockets to continue to live on even though he is no longer with us. I hope to see many more movies done by director Luis de la Reguera in the future and am sure the quality will continue and get even better as he progresses through his career.

CT Pensacola, Florida, USA

A good documentary is one that tells a fascinating story. What is more fascinating than Rockets' life? I did not know who he was, but after seeing this documentary, I've realized that I've seen 80% of the movies he's been in. Everyone has a life story and needs someone who loves them enough to document it. The fact that this film was made with absolutely no budget and borrowed equipment by ONE person says something about luis's love for this man. The rawness of some of the footage is a good representation of rockets' life.

Film should start a dialog. This film definitely does that and more. Just look at the other review-if someone hated it so much to write such a long and dissecting review, then they must feel something for this film. It's easy to criticize, it's hard to actually do it. I think it's a brave first film and i applaud Luis for having the guts to do it.

Quote: "The only possible flaw with this movie was that I wanted more of it."

I find this impossible to believe unless you are a masochist. The doc seems hell-bent on portraying RR as some sort of figurehead of indie/off-beat cinema & stage...and yet you realise - watching people like Willem Dafoe and Steve Buscemi struggle to come up with anything remotely interesting to say...and looking embarrassed by what little they can muster - that RR's just a *u*ked-up guy with a *u*ked-up life.

There's nothing wrong with being *u*ked-up, but the desperation evident in the way this doc was assembled (I can only assume every single frame of every interview ever shot was used) is too much. It is the antithesis of editing. I ended-up walking out of the theatre (Hot Docs - Toronto - 2003), feeling that this doc wasn't even fit for Interrogation Night at a prison camp.

Reviewer: Liam Chang (Watertown, MA USA) - See all my reviews I saw this documentary at a sold out screening at Sundance last year, (the DVD has footage of producer Steve Buscemi and first time filmmaker Luis Fernandez de la Reguera taking questions from the audience at that same screening, a rare personal look at Steve Buscemi, for fans.)

To me, a great documentary should transcend the typical format of talking heads and spliced file footage and make you feel, on some deep level, some insight on what it means to be human on this planet. For me, this was one of those films.

Although this film was obviously made with more love than money, it shows that what matters isn't the budget but the heart and sweat of the filmmaker.

What could have been a very depressing story (and typical morality tale)of a bad childhood leading to an adulthood of drugs and self destruction, instead focuses on Rockets charm, talent, humor, lust for life, and counter-culture irreverence. The film's not about judging, it's about compassion and understanding, warts (or should I say pus) and all.

I'm afraid some people won't like the film or "get it." I read a review where the critic didn't understand why someone would make a film about someone who, besides his independent film acting career, "never amounted to much." Statements like that make me crazy.

To me, life isn't about the so-called achievements one can type up in a resume, it's more about the relationships with other people you develop in your life. Even with a hellish life, odds stacked against him, Rockets never lost his humanity and managed to make an indelible impression on others. Watching the film, it's obvious how much the people involved in the film deeply cared about him, and after seeing their efforts maybe a little of that will rub off, and you will care about him too.

This is more of an impression than a review, because I only watched the first 30 min. or so. But this film is little more than a string of endlessly lurid, possibly true tales by and about an admittedly interesting guy. And, in the end, so what? There's no insight, nothing of real value - just a cesspool to either wallow in or gawk at. I'm sure RR was completely in sympathy with the filmmakers (though he makes several comments indicating that he thinks the whole project is odd). But his life (assuming his true-crime life story is indeed true) seems to be merely strip mined. Take what you can get, then get out.

If you're interested in stories about child molestation, murder, prison rape, etc., then go for it. Though I've been intrigued by RR since noticing him in Jim Jaramuch films in the 80s, this offered no promise of insight. Watching this is like rubbernecking at a grisly car wreck. Nothing and no one is served.