Who would remember the late Joe Strummer, the musician of a punk rock band as a philosopher or a caring human being but a close friend?  (He passed away in 2002 from a congenital heart disease.) Julien Temple (EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY, THE FILTHG AND THE FURY), born the same year, developed an especially personal relationship with Strummer during his last years.  In his layered documentary of Strummer’s life before, during and after his group THE CLASH, Temple takes the audience on a wild uninhibited ride during which Strummer’s life is laid bare.

In short quick segments at the film’s start, Temple shows where Strummer comes from – i.e. his roots (born in Turkey), his growing up and his early life.

Temple has assembled an impressive cast of cameos to offer words about Strummer.  Among them are Matt Dillon, Johnny Depp (still in PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN garb??), Martin Scorsese, Bono, Steve Buscemi among others.  Not that they have anything interesting to say, but often it appears that Temple have inserted them in without reason.  No titles follow their appearances and it is difficult to recognize who some of the famous faces belong to.

The film begins and ends with a campfire gathering in Brooklyn Bridge Park of the men and women who knew Strummer talking about him.  This is a worthy tribute to the Strummerville campfires where Strummer himself discussed life and world issues with his friends.  Director Temple effectively gets Strummer’s message that the future is unwritten in his sometimes agitated but nevertheless fascinating documentary.