Bully - Those kids shocked America
Movie | |
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German title | Bully - Those kids shocked America |
Original title | bully |
Country of production | USA , France |
original language | English |
Publishing year | 2001 |
length | 113 minutes |
Age rating | FSK 16 |
Rod | |
Director | Larry Clark |
script | Jim Lee , Zachary Long , Roger Sweaters |
production | Chris Hanley , Don Murphy , Fernando Sulichin , David McKenna |
camera | Steve Gainer |
cut | Andrew Hafitz |
occupation | |
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Bully - These Kids Shocked America is a French - American film from 2001. Director Larry Clark ( Kids , Ken Park ) filmed the novel of the same name (Bully: A True Story Of High School Revenge) by American author Jim Schütze .
The film shows a pessimistic picture of a jaded, bored generation of teens who don't know what to do with themselves other than drug excess and sex . The film has been described by some critics as "unnecessarily voyeuristic " because of its open portrayal of sex and rough dialogue .
action
16-year-old Bobby Kent terrorizes his friends and acquaintances, but above all his best friend Marty. Whenever Marty doesn't act the way Bobby wants him to, he beats and insults him. To get money, he forces Marty to strip in a gay club. He raped Marty's friend Lisa Connelly as well as her friend Ali Willis. While Bobby appears violent and domineering towards his friends and acquaintances, he is dominated within his family by his father, who wants to dictate Bobby not only friends, but also the future path of life.
Marty and Lisa no longer want to be victims of Bobby's arbitrariness and decide to kill him. Ali Willis is informed of the murder plan and agrees to participate as a decoy. The teenagers tell their friends and acquaintances about their murder plan as if killing someone was a perfectly normal and everyday thing. Lisa's cousin Derek Dzvirko, Ali's boyfriend Donald Semenec and her friend Heather Swallers decide out of curiosity and boredom to join in. A first attempt to kill Bobby Kent fails because neither Lisa nor Ali manage to shoot Bobby. He was lured to a lonely beach on the pretext of being able to have sex with Ali Willis. Bobby does not notice anything of this attempt to kill him.
After the first attempt fails, the teenagers decide to seek help from the alleged mafioso and gang member Derek Kaufman. Derek Kaufman decides to join in and develops the murder plan. Bobby Kent is lured to the beach again on the pretext of having sex with Ali Willis. The whole clique comes to the beach. Bobby and Ali go a little apart from the others and Derek instructs Heather to see if Bobby is suspicious. If not, ask her to say something like “crocodile” as a keyword. Apparently nervous, Heather goes to Bobby and Ali and asks if there are any crocodiles on the beach. Donald Semenec then pulls a knife and stabs Bobby Kent in the back. Bobby doesn't understand. what's going on, yells at Donald, what's the matter, and calls Marty for help. Marty comes and stabs Bobby too. Bobby drags himself in front of the car he took to the beach, where Marty cuts his throat. After Bobby is still alive, Derek Kaufman hits him with a baseball bat.
During the murder, Ali, Heather and Derek Dzvirko retreated into the car in total hysterics in order to hear as little as possible of the events outside.
Derek Kaufman wants to make Bobby's body disappear and calls the hysterical Derek Dzvirko to throw the body into the water. Together they throw the still twitching Bobby into the water, where the crayfish pounce on him. When Bobby is dead, panic breaks out among the youth. Unable to form clear thoughts, each of them tries to downplay their role in the murder as much as possible. Only Derek Kaufman and Marty Puccio keep a cool head. Derek Kaufman makes it clear to the youth that he will kill anyone who betrays him and works out an alibi with them. The next day, some of the teenagers are completely out of their nerves and they start talking to bystanders about the murder. Especially Derek Dzvirko and Ali Willis are completely exhausted.
The murder is discovered and those involved are arrested. At the court bench they begin to argue, blaming themselves for discovering the murder. The parents of the youngsters watch this argument in disbelief.
backgrounds
The film and the book are based on a true story that happened in Florida in 1993. The real Marty Puccio was sentenced to death in a court case as the main culprit, but the sentence was later changed to life.
Prison sentences
- Heather Swallers, an accessory to murder and conspiracy (7 years imprisonment)
- Derek Dzvirko, accessory to murder and conspiracy (11 years imprisonment)
- Alice "Ali" Willis, accessory to murder and conspiracy (40 years imprisonment - reduced to 17 years on appeal and 15 years for conspiracy)
- Lisa Connelly, accessory to murder and conspiracy (life and 5 years imprisonment)
- Donald "Donny" Semenec, accessory to murder and conspiracy (life and 15 years imprisonment)
- Derek Kaufman, Murder and Conspiracy (Life and 30 Years' Imprisonment)
- Martin "Marty" Puccio, murder and conspiracy (death penalty - later changed to life imprisonment)
While Swallers, Dzvirko, Connelly and Willis have now been released from prison, Semenec, Kaufman and Puccio are still serving their sentences. Willis has a probation period until September 15, 2041. Connelly gave birth to their child with Puccio while incarcerated.
Web links
- Bully in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Film Review, 2001 by reelviews.net (English)
- Web pages and pictures of the people who were involved in the real events: Bobby Kent (victim) and Martin "Marty" Joseph Puccio, Jr. , Donald "Donnie" Daniel Semenec, Jr. , Alice "Ali" Jean Willis (also Alice Jean Chapman, Alice Jean Slay) , Derek Leon Kaufman , Lisa Marie Connelly , Heather June Swallers and Derek George Dzvirko (perpetrators)