The Edge of Quarrel (2000) User Reviews

Seattle band's make a Straightedge Vs. Punk Movie

[Johnny Thunders · 7/10 · 8 February 2001]

Brian comes back home to seattle, his two old friends are now enemies. One hangs out with the booze drinkin, drug loving punks, the other hangs out with the Straightedge kids. The Straightedgers (sXe) dont drink, or smoke, and they hate the punks because thats all they do. Can Brian get his friends to see the light, that they are all friends and shouldnt be fighting each other, or are the kids already lost? Starring members of seattle bands Botch, Murder City Devils, Waxwing and many others. Fans of punk rock and the sXe hardcore scene may find this movie to be amusing, albeit cheesy, anybody else may not know whats going on. Great live footage of Botch and the Murder City Devils. Gather your friends and sit down for some laughs...maybe you'll see some kids from you know in the seattle scene.

Kind of funny although its not meant to be.

[comboryan · 5/10 · 6 March 2001]

This movie had some good music in it and some excellent live footage of several Seattle bands. I particularly like getting to see the now dead RKCNDY in the opening scenes. As far as the movie goes, I think it was pretty well done for the budget it had, but it is also completely fiction as far as I can tell. I've known some straight edge kids who like to fight but overall there really isn't enough of them to take on all the punks, so the idea of two rival gangs is just silly. If you like Northwest Hardcore and even just punk rock in general I would check this movie out its totally DIY.

Compelling like a car crash.

[johnnykowalski · 2/10 · 15 June 2021]

This could of been a fun movie if the makers had a sharper eye. The soundtrack is pretty great and a lot of the background details are spot on. Even the laughably poor fight scenes could of leaned into their natural humour a bit more with the right edit, however there's just too many flaws here to give it a decent rating- the lengthy expositional speeches about underground scene politics, the off key plot choices and the completely unnecessary 2 hour run time just put it over the edge of redeemability for me, no matter how much I want to like it, and however much I want to encourage film making like this. Watch only if you're so into punk culture you're going to watch it whatever I say, or if you want to see prime examples of the mistakes a film like this can make.

music

[wabash-to-jupiter · 17 October 2017]

the music was incredible throughout the whole film. there was a funny bit with rocky defending waxwing. on a whole, this movie was hilarious --- probably for the wrong reasons. it was really interesting to watch all these seattle bands act. when the music would go away, i'd miss it (not just 'cause it's killer). it's definitely worth a watch, but the downside is that the story itself (as well as some acting) is just not terribly good. them tunes, though.

When I was in EUROPE

[alias42 · 30 July 2001]

This charming, home made parody of Quadrophenia brings together two of the most important pieces of my late high school / early college life; The Murder City Devils and the former all ages club, RCKNDY. The music venue's role in the film only lasts through the first scene. The Devils (Minus Gabe & Leslie), on the other hand, show up periodically, stumbling awkwardly though the whole of the two-hour film. The dialogue is hilariously repetitive. Counting "That's not how it is in Europe" and "when I was in Europe"s is a fun game. But the awkwardness of the acting, and the clunky dialogue are useful tools in telling a story hilarious in its absurdity. Brian comes home FROM EUROPE (in case you forget, he reminds you a dozen times in the movie) to find that the Seattle Punk scene and the Seattle Straight Edge Scene have been fighting a brutal gang war unlike anything seen since West Side Story. His former best friends lead the opposing sides. Brian has become straight edge during his time at school IN EUROPE, but still considers himself punk.

The highlight of this movie should be the concert sequences, but they have the live concert sound removed. Instead the studio tracks are played in back of the Devils and Botch. The real highlight of the flick is Spenser Moody as the rock of wisdom, giving Bri advise along his journey to reunite the Scenes and make Seattle a safe place for upper-middle class white kids to go to concerts. If you are reading this now, the chances are good that you know someone in the movie, have already seen it, or will see it. If you haven't seen it yet, do! Just go to the house of your friend who has it and watch.