'A picture speaks a thousand words.' This is a common proverb of the most famous adage used to describe the art of photography. THE BANG BANG CLUB, a film based on the true story of four photo-journalist covering the civil war between Inkatha and ANC supporters in South Africa in the 90s, explains the meaning of the meaning of a picture frame in telling a news event. However, when it comes to human lives threatened by dying in vain, whether photo-journalism can be termed as a medium for the delivery of news and give you an idea reminiscent contextual reality of the world, or just an exploitation of human suffering without moral boundaries?
Based on a book with the same title by photographer Greg Marinovich and João Silva, the writer and film director Steven Silver South Africa sought to depict the moral dilemmas that plagued a photo journalist in the midst of civil war between two factions in the last days of apartheid South Africa - before the state was eventually joined by the leadership of Nelson Mandela.


"All those people who
say it's our job to just sit
and watch people die.
They're right. "
-Kevin Carter

Greg Morinovich (Ryan Phillippe) is a talented freelance photographers who follow her instincts to find the news interesting. In one incident, he met with three news photographers from Star Picture under the leadership of Robin Comley (Malin Akerman). They are Kevin Carter (Taylor Kitsch), Ken Oosterbroek (Frank Rautenbach), and João Silva (Neels Van Jaarsveld) is renowned as a group of photographers who are always testing the guts to take a picture in the middle of a dangerous situation.

After Greg proved his ability as a photographer with the award-winning Pulitzer Prize for his photo depicting a burn victim who ran to save himself, he and the third photographer to become familiar and known as The Bang Bang Club.

Those with a compact continue capturing images of all incidents of violent conflict and violent feud between the central stronghold of power in South Africa. No longer stand the brutality that occurred there, Kevin decided to go to Sudan where he managed to shoot a photo that depicts a famine in the toddler seek vultures.

Thanks to the picture, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. But when his name reaches popularity, he would be questioned about his moral obligations in taking the picture: whether he ultimately save the child after taking a photo, or simply exploit the situation to get a good picture? '


Overall, the film The Bang Bang Club actually raised a moral theme that touches and should be discussed. Unfortunately, because Steven Silver is more familiar with the work of documentation is a director who is new in cinema working on the big screen, then the execution of the storyline and cinematography that does not bear the maximum so that the end result does not seem to have a clear identity of the film.





And although this film does illustrate the power of photography, but not in foster political and social problems South Africa a more in-depth making of The Bang Bang Club is hard to be understood by the general public. To better understand this film, the audience is highly recommended to read the book earlier, or more importantly to understand the history of apartheid South Africa.


But beyond the cultivation of the director, acting from Ryan Phillippe and Taylor Kitsch in the commendable role of a photographer who began to be burdened by the profession. Especially for Kitsch who plays Kevin Carter, he was able to describe a true artist who eventually took his own life because there is strong moral questions that attacked her.

Directors: Steven Silver
Writers: Steven Silver
Stars: Malin Akerman, Ryan Phillippe, Taylor Kitsch
Category: Drama, Historical Drama