American Bully (2009)

A middle-American teenage boy who is affected by 9/11, terrorism, and the war in Iraq becomes involved in an isolated high school altercation that escalates into a hate crime that shocks the entire nation.

Director:

David Rodriguez (as Dave Rodriguez)

Writers:

Zak Meyers, David Rodriguez (as Dave Rodriguez)

Stars:

Matt O'Leary, Marshall Allman, Jonathan Halyalkar

3 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Matt O'Leary	...	Brandon O'Leary
Marshall Allman	...	Mike Grossman
Jonathan Halyalkar	...	Eric Singh
Sam Murphy	...	Bo Aznabev
Ross Britz	...	Kyle Castranovo
Brooke Johnson	...	Michelle
Meghan Stansfield	...	Charlotte
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Principal Wheeler
Natasha Henstridge	...	Carol Mills
Dan Wells	...	Deputy LeBlanc
Sam Blan	...	Video Executioner
John Savage	...	News Producer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Brendan Aguillard	...	Young Boy 1
Chase Alan	...	Young Boy 2
Raphael Barges	...	Courtroom Attendee

Storyline

A middle-American teenage boy who is affected by 9/11, terrorism, and the war in Iraq becomes involved in an isolated high school altercation that escalates into a hate crime that shocks the entire nation.

---

Plot Keywords:

school | 

---

Taglines:

america's innocence lost.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing violent content, a scene of sexuality, drinking, drug use and pervasive language - all involving teens

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Ben-Victor and Natasha Henstridge previously appeared in Standoff (1998).

---

Quotes

Eric Singh: Hey, fuck you, you redneck pieces of shit!

User Reviews

Where did the vision go?

American Bully focuses on the topic of American prejudice towards foreign cultures after the horrific events of 9/11, one of Americas most darkest times where their nation became over zealous in their pride and selfishness, isolating themselves from Middle Eastern nations to the point where a shade of skin or a grown beard is considered a threat on their way of life.

The story follows 4 everyday American teens, Matt, the main, has been expelled from his school for showing a live decapitation video(not shown) to an Indian who he assumes is middle eastern of origin. Seething inside and like any other teenager, decides to party with his friends before he is shipped out to Iraq where his brother is serving. It is until the group come across the helpless kid that had accidentally gotten Matt expelled does the situation go from bad to worse as the American boys themselves submit to the extremists they think they're not.

Fantastic idea but was sadly poorly executed and focused too little on the tension that could have made this film gripping. Most of the actors didn't have much to really work with so it came out as a poor performance.

It is possible that American's could appreciate the film more for living with this type of prejudice right outside their door but fell short anywhere outside their native shores. For similar but a more driven movie, I suggest 'Unthinkable'.

I give American Bully a 3/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Bully

Filming Locations:

9000 West Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

K2 Pictures (II), Cine Relevante, Dirty District Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1