The Bang Bang Club (film)

The Bang-Bang Club is a 2010 Canadian-South African biographical drama film written and directed by Steven Silver and stars Ryan Phillippe as Greg Marinovich, Malin Åkerman as Robin Comley, Taylor Kitsch as Kevin Carter, Frank Rautenbach as Ken Oosterbroek and Neels Van Jaarsveld as João Silva. They portray the lives of four photojournalists active within the townships of South Africa during the Apartheid period, particularly between 1990 and 1994, from when Nelson Mandela was released from prison to the 1994 elections.

Contents

• Plot
• Cast
• Distribution
• Reception
• References

It is a film adaptation of the autobiographical book The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War co-written by Greg Marinovich and João Silva who were part of the group of four photographers known as Bang-Bang Club, the other two members being Kevin Carter and Ken Oosterbroek.

Plot

The film tells the remarkable and sometimes harrowing story of four young men and the extremes they went to in order to capture their pictures in the days prior to the downfall of Apartheid in South Africa.

Cast

The Bang-Bang Club members

Ryan Phillippe as Greg Marinovich

Malin Åkerman as Robin Comley

Taylor Kitsch as Kevin Carter

Frank Rautenbach as Ken Oosterbroek

Neels Van Jaarsveld as João Silva

Other roles

Patrick Lyster as James Nachtwey

Russel Savadier as Ronald Graham

Alf Kumalo as himself

Distribution

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Entertainment One has distribution rights for Canada. Tribeca Film acquired American distribution rights. It was released theatrically in the US on 22 April 2011. According to The Numbers, the film was only shown in nine theatres in the US where it earned $124,791.

Reception

The Bang Bang Club received mixed reviews. It holds a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 45 reviews, while the audience rating is 60% (as of April 2016).