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Wild Style

Play trailer Poster for Wild Style R Released Sep 16, 1983 1h 22m Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
South Bronx graffiti artist Shy Zoro is commissioned to paint a backdrop for a rap/break-dance concert.
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Wild Style

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Melissa Anderson Time Out Rated: 5/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review Sara Cardace New York Magazine/Vulture Charlie Ahearn's groundbreaking film about hip-hop, graffiti, break dancing, and rap in eighties New York celebrates its 25th anniversary with a new 35-mm. print. Nov 10, 2008 Full Review Derek Malcolm London Evening Standard A poorly-acted shambles. Rated: 2/5 Aug 10, 2007 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch Brilliantly capturing the freewheeling spirit of NYC’s hip-hop scene, this is a time capsule that never feels dusty thanks to the appropriately off-the-cuff filmmaking. Dec 2, 2023 Full Review Sabrina McFarland Common Sense Media Director Charlie Ahearn shares a feel-good collaboration of the early days of hip-hop and graffiti artistry in New York City. Rated: 4/5 Aug 14, 2023 Full Review Sean Burns WBUR’s Arts & Culture Few films are blessed with the sense of discovery captured in these ramshackle reels. Jul 24, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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JP h It's a fun little look into grafitti life and bombing. The central message was timeless, otherwise I'd give it 2 stars. It's about not being selfish and just helping others shine, and the main character has to realize his role, that it's not all about him even if he's 1 of the most skilled artists. He's just part of the atmosphere of things and helping the show and in the big picture the evolution of hip hop to what it would become, SADLY, but still it is what it is and it's the right advice to be happy. Lay back and be cool and happy with what you have even if the skills you have aren't very valued like Van Gogh during his time Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Torin F It may not be a great movie, but WILD STYLE is undoubtedly an incredible cultural and historical artifact. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/19/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a classic look at early rap, graffiti and breakdance culture in NYC, told from a slightly fictionalized perspective. We follow actual graffiti artist Lee Quinones as Zoro, who spends his nights creating art on the sides of subway cars and his issues with friends who want to make art for *gasp* ACTUAL MONEY instead of just passion. Great stuff and well worth the wait, I'm pleased to cross this one off the list of shame. Recommended. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member A docudrama about the early NY hip hop scene where folks essentially play themselves in a loose narrative about a graffiti artist reaching for success in his field. The acting is strictly amateur level, but the real draw here is some amazing musical performances by a bunch of seminal artists. If you're into any aspect of this culture, soaking up the extremely authentic street level ambiance is entertaining enough to carry you through a bit of patchy acting. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Watched w/ C. Can see how it gave distribution of hip hop culture to a wider audience. Some generally fun scenes and great style. Good vibes throughout, but poor acting and narrative. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member A hip hop classic joint! This movie is great and has a classic story for back in the day. I highly recommend anyone into rap and hip hop check out this classic joint. It's about romance, the hip hop culture, & the love of rap music with an extremely positive vibe. This classic still stands the test of time. =) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Wild Style

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Cast & Crew

Zoot Suit 55% 74% Zoot Suit Watchlist Fame 81% 69% Fame Watchlist TRAILER for Fame Aria 57% 47% Aria Watchlist Crossroads 76% 82% Crossroads Watchlist Songwriter 88% 45% Songwriter Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis South Bronx graffiti artist Shy Zoro is commissioned to paint a backdrop for a rap/break-dance concert.
Director
Charlie Ahearn
Producer
Charlie Ahearn
Screenwriter
Charlie Ahearn
Distributor
First Run, Rhino Entertainment Company [us]
Production Co
Wild Style
Rating
R
Genre
Musical
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 16, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Runtime
1h 22m
Sound Mix
Mono
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