User reviews

It was an amazing doc all around about the gangs of the Bronx from the early 70s that were started out of rage of Civil Rights leaders being killed, created a history of violence and how coming together in peace helped paved the way for Hip Hop to be born.

It's a little surreal how the gangs back then really did look like the gangs from the movie the Warriors, it's a good thing narrator, John Leguizamo mention this in the beginning of the film or I've might not been able to take this seriously.

I loved the music that was layered on top of the movie it really helped bring forward the story. The music composed was a combo of rock with a lot of Latin flavor. You can hear the roots of hip hop in the constant beats of the drum, but I think the music comes from or was inspired by the Ghetto brothers, one of the gangs focus on in the movie who also were a successful rock band.

The film was able to use lots of footage taking from the time and mix it with interviews from the surviving gang members (which in itself, an inspiration that they are still around to tell the tale), and a few reenactments, using animation. I noticed that a lot of documentaries these days are capable of using previously recorded footage on their subject to create narrations better than capable before. We live in a world where everyone can and does document their lives and now documentaries made today are showing this was always the case, but in most cases, I think I preferred to see the fictional narration, but Rubble kings does have the old School footage from analog film and video that allowed me to reminisce of a feel of New York that's long gone (Especially the footage with the old tagged up trains, I miss that so much). It would never been the same in a narration.

Coming from the Bronx, this movie is true to my New York, so I highly recommend taking a gather.

A interesting documentary about the 70's gangs in New York that laid the foundation for the plot to the 'Warriors (1979)' movie by Walter Hill.

You get to hear from a lot of former members of various gangs and a lot of them are surprisingly well-spoken, granted it was decades since they were active gang-members but when you think of gang-members from these days 'well-spoken' isn't exactly one of the first words to pop up.

And they provide of course a lot of insight and depth on the why's and how's of the gang lifestyle, backed up by a bit of narration from John Leguizamo.

I wouldn't have mind if it was a little longer, barely clocks in at 70 minutes but it manages to squeeze in quite a bit in that time and it never gets boring.

I could see this turning into a TV-series where they every week introduce members from the various gangs to talk about their experiences, and since there were so many of them there would definitely been material for it, and I for one, would be watching.

I was a teen in the early 70's and the gang thing was happening all over the place...Here in Philly was no different only it was not one tenth of what NYC and the Bronx was...I used to go to NYC for Chilton printing Back in the day...All over the place...Taking the F train, the subways hot and reeking of urine, the subway cars horrible wrecks... I got lost off the BQE once driving...I can laugh now but...Under that highway, in those days, was like a world seldom seen by middle class...Unimaginable figures of people milling about haunted looks in their eyes...

Mad respect to the men and women that survived those times...I have met many from the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn...I never met one who wasn't well grounded...They have a quiet and reserved strength and confidence. You feel they are good people and you have NO DOUBT that you better be on your toes and respect them...They in turn are the funniest and best people...They are real...Not a fake bone in their bodies...

This movie shows the old school for what it was and thankfully what it has become.

Even though I am half a world away, I have been fascinated and obsessed by this era of NYC which, before now, has been criminally overlooked in the annals of historical documentation.

Certainly The Warriors had a lot to do with this fascination but I'm also equally compelled by the state of New York at that time, how areas like The Bronx were allowed to become third world slums and resemble a war zone.

I'd love it if the developed a documentary series or even some more fictional shows based on this era. The Get Down did a brilliant job of capturing and telling a story from this period but it was too short and I'd like to see something focused on the gangs and the grittiness.