Gimme Danger

Dir. Jim Jarmusch | USA | 108 mins | 15

Jim Jarmusch rates Iggy And The Stooges as the best rock ’n’ roll band ever, and this definitive documentary is the work of a true fan. Bursting out of Michigan in the late ’60s counterculture, their powerful blend of rock, blues, R&B and free jazz enjoys an enduring influence, and is brilliantly captured through a rich mix of archive footage, interviews, photos and animation. 

Jarmusch pays close attention to The Stooges’ origins in Ann Arbor, where James Osterberg (aka Iggy Pop) teamed up with the Asheton brothers, guitarist Ron and drummer Scott. They swiftly gained a reputation for their intense and confrontational concerts (with Iggy performing half naked and stage diving) and great songs such as I Wanna Be Your Dog, No Fun, Search And Destroy and Raw Power. In new interviews, Iggy is both candid and funny in reflecting on their destructive tendencies and unlikely survival, his perspective complemented by older commentary from Ron and Scott Asheton and a range of other contributors.