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Style Wars

  • TV Movie
  • 19831983
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 9m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
3K
YOUR RATING
Style Wars (1983)
DocumentaryMusic
A documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing... Read allA documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.A documentary that exposes the rich growing subculture of hip-hop that was developing in New York City in the late '70s and early '80s, specifically focusing on graffiti art and breakdancing.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
3K
YOUR RATING
    • Tony Silver
  • Stars
    • Demon
    • Kase 2
    • Eric Haze
    • Tony Silver
  • Stars
    • Demon
    • Kase 2
    • Eric Haze
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 14User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos137

    Tony Silver at an event for Style Wars (1983)
    Tony Silver at an event for Style Wars (1983)
    Tony Silver at an event for Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)
    Style Wars (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Demon
    • Self
    Kase 2
    • Self
    • (as Kase)
    Eric Haze
    • Self
    • (as SE 3)
    D. 5
    • Self
    • (as D-5)
    Spank
    • Self
    Trap
    • Self
    Kay Slay
    Kay Slay
    • Self
    • (as Dez)
    Butch
    • Self
    Skeme
    • Self
    Zone
    • Self
    Ces157
    • Self
    • (as CES 157)
    Kid167
    • Self
    • (as Kid 167)
    Min One
    • Self
    • (as Min)
    Cap
    • Self
    Michael Martin
    • Self
    • (as Iz the Wiz)
    Shy147
    • Self
    • (as Shy 147)
    Quik
    • Self
    Li'l Seen
    • Self
      • Tony Silver
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Brad Pitt, James Franco, and Flea have made donations to help the film get restored.
    • Quotes

      Cap: I am not a graffiti artist. I am a graffiti bomber.

    • Connections
      Edited into And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Siegfried's Funeral March from The Ring
      (uncredited)

      by Richard Wagner

    User reviews14

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Interesting and cool documentary on New York subway graffiti
    I was curious to see how this film played for me because to some degree I am target audience while also not being target audience. I love hip hop (and no, 50 Cent does not fit that category for me so much as Black Star, for example, would) and I like the culture around it of break-dancing and graffiti writing. However on the flip side I do see graffiti on public property (or others' property) as being a nuisance and part of dragging areas down by giving the impression of lawlessness and a lack of safety. Whether it is true that it does encourage crime, it is of little doubt that the clean and well-lit subway stations of modern New York feel a lot less threatening than the ones that you see in this film.

    The film does a good job of showing both sides of argument and, although the focus is the cultural side, it doesn't play down the fact that the graffiti is both creative and a nuisance and that it is possible to see it both ways at the same time. Here we see some great pieces on trains and walls but we also see idiots like Cap who literally spray their names on top of other peoples' work, the former producing some imaginative work that does make the "art" claim fly, the latter very much demonstrating the criminal damage side of it. The contributions from the bombers or taggers are mostly good, with plenty of typically Noo Yark characters of all ages and races talking with an energy and passion on the subject as it was happening.

    The link to break-dancing and hip hop is not as strongly made as I would have liked and it doesn't manage to explore the birth of this street culture as well as I would have hoped. That said though it is still interesting to see a documentary about the graffiti trend and have captured it as it was in its heyday before it was stamped out. The film doesn't pander to either side but clearly sides with those being creative and allows the quality of the work to shine through, mostly ignoring those who would just seek to quickly spray their names on a train with nothing else to offer.

    Not as culturally important as I would have liked it to have been but nonetheless interesting and cool at the same time and well worth seeing for the real heads.
    helpful•6
    3
    • bob the moo
    • Sep 10, 2007

    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 26, 2021 (Japan)
      • United States
      • Official site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production company
      • Public Art Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 9 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Color

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