Review of Crossfire Hurricane (2012) by Walter M — 27 Nov 2012

For the obsessive Rolling Stones fan, there may be little new of interest in the documentary "Crossfire Hurricane," made to commemorate their fiftieth anniversary. Throughout the archival and footage from other documentaries, the surviving members of the band seek to disprove the old dictum that if you remember the 60's, then you really were not there. Well, they were there.

For a more casual fan like myself who only owns the 1964-1971 greatest hits and has seen "Gimme Shelter," "Crossfire Hurricane" is a more insightful film, even with some critical issues. For example, it is kind of simplistic to describe the Beatles as the good guys and the Rolling Stones as the bad guys, when to quote Bill Hicks, "The Beatles were so high, they let Ringo sing lead on a couple of songs." Rather, the bands were different sides of the same coin, reflecting opposite emotions identified with the 60's while stretching their music in new and creative ways. In fact, early film of both bands being mobbed look very similar. But where they differ is the Beatles stopped touring and the Rolling Stones continued with their concerts which at first they had so much trouble playing through that they placed bets as to when they would get interrupted. The documentary's strength comes from placing such chaos into context, especially when it comes down to the Altamont tragedy at the end of the 60's.