This isn't the most fun to listen to and some viewers don't find it to much fun to watch, but the 1982 film is without question the best of all serious fiction films devoted to rock.

It's a pretty grim portrait, but even worse it is often repetitive and boring. There are probably enough powerful segments for half a dozen or so outstanding rock videos but not a full-length feature.

The film is explosively wild, raw, primitive, sometimes inarticulate. It is also totally theatrical and compelling. It's film as primal scream; seething with anger, alienation and despair.

The scenes of violence are marvelously put together. It is hard to realize that we are watching fiction... However, although The Wall is horrifying, it is not lurid; we are never allowed to derive from this film any satisfaction for our kinkiness.