A Band Called Death
Seen it?2013 | 96 min | Documentary, Music
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for the curious. If you loved The Last Waltz or Stop Making Sense, start here.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 36 min.
- What might put you off
- Nothing much for most grown-ups.
Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsVery strong
94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 77 on Metacritic
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerBelow par
$0K worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 15K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Mark Christopher Covino, Jeff Howlett
- Dannis HackneySelf
- Bobby HackneySelf
- David HackneySelf (archive footage)
- Henry RollinsSelf
- Elijah WoodSelf
- Kid RockSelf
- Alice CooperSelf
- Mick CollinsSelf
- Mickey LeighSelf
- Robbie DuncanSelf