Lords of Dogtown

The late Heath Ledger, plus a cast of exceedingly talented skater dudes, star in this biopic about the legendary Z-Boys, a group of young Venice Beach skateboarders who gained fame and success in the mid-70’s thanks to their invention of aerial and sliding skate moves.

The story begins 1975 in Dogtown, a deprived slum area south of Santa Monica covering Venice Beach. True to reputation, Dogtown doesn’t have much to offer with the exception of some local skaters and surfers, most of them extremely anti-social due to either a dysfunctional home life or a no-hope future. An ugly area breeds an ugly mind. But one group of friends are adamant in their ambition to get out of Dogtown to make a name for themselves! They are Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch). Together with Sid (Michael Angarano) – a loyal friend though not quite as talented as the rest – they practice on the streets, in the backyards, in neighbouring pools and in the ocean. Another close friend of theirs is eccentric Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger), a board designer who runs his own workshop called ‘Zephyr Surf Shop’. One day Sid, who helps out in the shop, brings the boys along for Skip has something amazing in store for them: a new wheel made of special polymer which allows skateboards to make the same carves on flat ground as surfboards do while riding the waves. Within no time the talented team gain local fame and Skip, although coming across as someone who is permanently ‘out of it’ is quick when it comes to turning ideas into potential business. One day he presents the boys with t-shirts sporting the Zephyr logo and the Z-Boys are born, ready to take on even the fiercest competition in various contests.

As their fame and reputation increases, so do their egos – especially Skip’s who is hell-bent on making a national success of his Z-Boys. Soon though things go the rock ‘n’ roll way… groupies turn up at every event, the parties get wilder, the egos begin to clash, friendships begin to crumble… and it’s not before long when agents and company owners turn up to convince Stacy, Tony and Jay that it’s time to leave Skip’s protective wings and get some proper management! Tony is the first to leave, now managed by Topper Burks (Johnny Knoxville). Soon he turns up at contests driving flash cars and showing off flash clothes, acting like a super rock star with an attitude to match! Stacy, meanwhile, is initially more hesitant but eventually the promising offers (a TV appearance in ‘Charlies’ Angels’ for one) get the better of him. In contrast, Jay is disgusted by the spectacle as he’s always been skating for fun and not for money – he only skates to earn enough money to help his troubled mum Philaine (Rebecca De Mornay) pay off some huge debts. Later on, he shaves his hair off and joins a gang – becoming ever more violent and unpredictable. Skip realizes that he has lost his Z-Boys to more ambitious managers and withdraws back into his shop. Former friends Tony and Jay are now fierce competitors until Tony is involved in a skating accident which puts his career on hold for several months. The former friends only get together one more time upon learning that mate Sid is dying of a brain cancer. Thay perform for him in his dad’s empty swimming pool, called the ‘Dog Bowl’. After that memorable last afternoon, they all drift their separate ways and we learn that shortly after, Sid passed away. As the credits begin to roll we are informed about the Z-Boys later lives: Stacy launched skating company ‘Powell Peralta’, Tony went on to become the world’s first skating world champion, and troubled Jay – after stints in prison and rehab – died of a heart attack two years ago, aged 53. Skip Engblom still runs a skateboard company called Santa Monica Airlines.

The performances are top-notch, in particular Heath Ledger stands out as the flamboyant Skip. We also get some cameos from the likes of the late Alexis Arquette as a trans, and America ‘Ugly Betty’ Ferrera as a fan/groupie called Thunder Monkey. It’s a particularly nice touch that the real-life former Z-Boys all have little appearances in the film: Skip Engblom plays a race starter, Stacy Peralta a TV director, Jay Adams and Tony Alva make an appearance as party guests. Above all, it’s the mindboggling stunts which make the film, never has skateboarding looked so easy and so dangerous all at once! And it’s directed by a woman! Oh, Lords of Dogtown also boasts a very cool soundtrack (Jimi Hendrix, Deep Purple, David Bowie, T.Rex, Iggy Pop, Rod Stewart, Allman Brothers Band, Black Sabbath etc).
As if it weren’t awesome enough, this Blu-ray release offers some nifty insightful Special Features. Skate on!