This documentary follows the finalists at the 2007 Red Bull One B-boy championships in Johannesburg where 16 compete in a b-boy battle. We get to meet a handful of these guys who come from far and wide, Senegal, France, Algeria, Japan and Brazil amongst others. We see some of the dancers in the home countries, where we learn a little about their life, their background and their passion. This is all interspersed with footage of the actual battle.
Taking place in a disused power station, the crowd are fully pumped and the atmosphere is electric as the dancers compete, before whittling them down towards the final two. Using some superb camera work including slow motion (think The Matrix), we get to see and appreciate fully how brilliant these guys are. The dancing never fails to amaze; at times it's almost as is the camera speed had been adjusted, but we really are seeing it as it is. The skill, power and athleticism is on full display and after each battle the exhaustion shows.
Of the guys the film focus's on, we get to see them in their own homes and countries; the passion they have almost consumes them and it's this passion that makes these people so wonderful to watch. It's just a shame that more of the finalists are covered in more depth as well and that we only get to meet a handful of the final 16.
For anyone who has seen the brilliant B-boy documentary Planet B-boy, this may disappoint a little. Planet B-boy covered a battle of b-boy groups instead of individuals, but those that they focused on were covered with more depth and there was more of a connection to them. Still, the film while not as powerful as Planet B-boy, is still quite moving as the passion keeps spirit alive of many who have come from difficult backgrounds and is for most crushed as they get knocked out. It's mostly about the dancing itself, but this is never the less fascinating and compelling viewing.
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