Bully (film)

Bully is a 2001 movie, based on actual events, which stars Brad Renfro, Rachel Miner, Bijou Phillips, Nick Stahl and Michael Pitt. It was written by Zachary Long and Roger Pullis in adaptation from the book Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge by Jim Schutze. It was directed by Larry Clark, whose other film credits include Kids and Ken Park.

Movie

Marty Puccio (Renfro) and his girlfriend Lisa Connelly (Miner) plot the murder of Bobby Kent (Stahl) in revenge for Bobby's continual abuse and psychological games which he has inflicted upon them. They are joined by several friends, including Bobby's girlfriend, Ali Willis (played by Phillips). The entirety of the movie's filming took place in September of 2000.

In the beginning of the film Ali and Lisa are shown visiting the workplace of Bobby and Marty. It is here where Bobby's abuse of Marty first becomes apparent. Marty, Bobby, Ali, and Lisa all go out on a double date in Bobby's Camaro which ends in sex. Lisa takes a pregnancy test and learns she is pregnant - most likely with Marty's child. As the movie progresses Bobby's sadistic personality becomes worse and worse culminating in a graphic scene where he rapes Ali while watching gay pornography. As his sadistic behavior continues Lisa gets angered and plans to murder him. After much drug use and a failed attempt at murder (which ends in more sex on the hood of a car) a hitman (Fitzpatrick) is hired and Bobby is finally killed. The death scene shows Bobby being stabbed first by Donny, then immediately afterwards he repents and pleads for his life. He turns to his childhood friend, Marty, who proceeds to stab him in the stomach and slice his arm. Donnie then stabs him multiple times. Dazedly, Bobby wanders out in front of Ali's Mustang, where Marty slits his throat and the hitman crushes his skull with a baseball bat. They then dump his body in a nearby swamp and drive to a beach to formulate their alibis. After the brutal murder of Bobby (Stahl) the six accomplices unravel leading to a police arrest several days later. At the end of the film subtitles show the prison sentences each of the teenagers received. Many were given life sentences and Marty Puccio was put on death row (later overturned to a life sentence).

One of the main elements of the film is the love triangle that develops between Marty, Lisa, and "the Bully" (Stahl). The six main characters have quirks, ranging from Bobby's infatuation with gay pornography to Ali's addiction to kinky sex. The lack of parental control was also a main focus of the film prompting the tagline "Where were the parents?" The film was released to critical acclaim and many compared it as being on par with Clark's earlier work Kids.

Actual Events

The movie is based on the murder of Bobby Kent in a suburb south of Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1993. Marty Puccio (Renfro), Alice Willis (Phillips), Lisa Connelly (Miner), and others are the real life counterparts of the characters in the film. Many of the teenagers depicted in the book and film are still serving prison sentences. The book Bully: A True Story of High School Revenge was released in 1998.

Trivia

Larry Clark plays a small role in the film as the father of the hitman. The hitman was played by Leo Fitzpatrick who has been in most of Larry Clark's films, including the cult film Kids.
The DVD features several amusing (yet true) cast interviews where the actors (male included) say they got their roles by sleeping with Clark.
The movie was shot in 23 days.
Rob Zombie has said this is one of his top five favorite films of all time.
The plainclothes officer who arrests Marty is Frank Ilarraza, a real-life police detective who arrested the real Martin Puccio in 1993. His character is listed in the credits as "Detective Frank Ilarazza", playing "himself".

Notes

James Berardinelli 2001 A review of Bully

External links

Information on Actual Participants

Bully – Diese Kids schockten Amerika | Bully (film) Martin Puccio's Court Case