The Dirt: An expertly-executed and exciting biopic of Mötley Crüe

By Jeslyn Dees | 

In late March of this year, Netflix released the raunchy and truthful biopic of the notorious 80’s counterculture band, Mötley Crüe: The Dirt. Directed by Jeff Tremaine, who is most well-known for his involvement in the production of the Jackass franchise, the movie is based on Mötley Crüe’s collaborative autobiography, The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band. The movie features the wild and adventurous stories of each member of the band, their climb to success, and their downfalls within the band’s lifetime.

The Dirt is filled with the real-life thrills that were experienced by the rock band, and the excitement translates incredibly well to the audience due to Jeff Tremaine’s creative techniques of storytelling. The cast and producers worked closely with the actual members of Mötley Crüe during the making of the film in order to accurately illustrate the intense reality of the band’s infamy. Douglas Booth (as Nikki Sixx); Colson Baker, aka Machine Gun Kelly (as Tommy Lee); Iwan Rheon (as Mick Mars); and Daniel Webber (as Vince Neil) put on an incredible performance of reliving the band members’ younger years. The actors’ personalities, costumes, stage presence, and emotions played a key role in selling the reimagination of Mötley Crüe’s adventures, along with the the impeccable directing.

During the movie, the actors take turns narrating different scenes to provide more insight on the set, as well as talking directly to the audience during scenes, which puts a creative spin on the memoir-type film, allowing the range of personal perspectives to be understood by the audience. The fact that the real members of Mötley Crüe were involved in the creation of the movie gives the actors’ narratives an extremely personal feel, as if the real band members are truly re-telling their stories to the audience.

The film appeals to a wide audience: fans of Mötley Crüe will appreciate its accuracy to the eventful life of the rock band, and even people who are not as familiar with the band can be persuaded with the artistry that Jeff Tremaine uses to make the unique memoir come to life on screen. The movie is available on Netflix, and is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys biographical movies, music, suspense, mischief, and especially the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band!