NDSU Spectrum: Video review

‘Bully’ a harrowing, painfully real murder story

By JOHN HANSEN

Jan. 25, 2002

Now here’s a film that does justice to the adjective “harrowing.” “Bully,” the controversial film from “Kids” director Larry Clark, is based on the true story of a premeditated murder of a bully in South Florida. While films like “Scream” treat murder as something exciting and TV shows like “Law & Order” treat it as something to make sarcastic quips about, “Bully” reminds desensitized American entertainment consumers just how horrible the killing of another human being is — even if the guy had it coming.

The cast is phenomenal from top to bottom. Brad Renfro, who had already played a confused teen in the brilliant “Apt Pupil,” plays Marty, a kid who hasn’t had any breathing room his whole life thanks to his overbearing “best friend,” who punches him in the nose while he’s driving and blatantly insults him in front of everybody.

The best friend is Bobby (Nick Stahl), one of the most despicable characters ever put to film. Much like that real-life bully you always avoided in high school, Bobby is impossible to like. Hints are dropped that Bobby is gay and in love with Marty and self-loathing (he spits at himself in the mirror), but he’s still far more scary than sympathetic.

The cast is rounded out by Ally (Bijou Phillips), who wants revenge after Bobby raped her; Marty’s girlfriend Lisa (Rachel Miner), who also wants revenge after being raped by Bobby; Abby’s boyfriend Donny (Michael Pitt), a stoned video game player who wants to show his real-life killing skills; Derek (Daniel Franzese), an overweight youth who is easily manipulated by his secret crush Lisa; the hitman (Leo Fitzpatrick), who pretends to be an expert on how to kill someone; and Heather (Kelli Garner), a drugee who is just along for the ride.

Clark, working from a gritty script by Zachary Long and Roger Pullis, really gets his money’s worth on the R-rating. Rather than filling his film with harmless swearing, Clark delivers enough violence, dirty sex and gratuitous nudity to make an aficionado of late-night HBO uncomfortable. The killing scene is almost unwatchably realistic, and it seems like the main characters were naked in at least half of their scenes. And apparently the unrated version is even more graphic — it no doubt includes the Lisa-Bobby rape scene, the absence of which causes some confusion in the R-rated version.

While these characters would never be confused with model citizens, they come off as tragically sympathetic. Marty goes through the whole movie on the verge of tears, and just when he sees an out (murdering Bobby), he finds himself in the even worse reality of fearing being caught. Heather, as played by fresh-faced Garner, seems to be one step removed from the cradle and in way over her head; but even this least-important character makes a huge impression on the viewer.

Being picked on by a bully may not excuse murder, but it sure as heck makes it difficult for a viewer to advocate the ultimate fates of these already-trapped kids: locking them up and throwing away the key. Needless to say, “Bully” isn’t aimed at the popcorn-and-a-Coke crowd.

Title: “Bully”

Starring: Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Nick Stahl, Rachel Miner, Michael Pitt

Written by: Zachary Long and Roger Pullis

Director: Larry Clark

Grade: A

(To be released on video Tuesday, Jan. 22.)