Revolution In The Head: Rage Against The Machine And The Art Of Protest

Politically charged and musically precocious, hip-hop/rock crossover act Rage Against The Machine (RATM) were one of few '90s bands that made it interesting and cool to be progressive, socially conscious and proactive. Still, they collapsed just as quickly as they overtook the world of music, a reality unauthorized biography Revolution In The Head explores, striving to discover what made and eventually tore them apart. Utilizing protest footage interspersed amongst interviews with a number of insiders, such as producer Garth Richardson, band biographer Colin Devenish, journalists and label heads during their reign, Lindsell does uncover some dirt, but fails to create any true revelations concerning what RATM were about. Without any word from the actual band members, Revolution In The Head fails to become the true Behind The Music episode it aspires to be. Questions are raised, but never answered, so instead of revelations and unearthed reels we're treated to nothing more than previously-released footage and endless camera zooms on photographs and talking heads. It's not as engrossing as one might hope something about a truly confrontational band would be, especially at a long-in-the-tooth two hours. Rounding out the saga, Lindsell delves not just into Rage's biography, but also touches on some of the political motivations behind their music. Naturally this isn't given as much attention as one might like, rendering most of Revolution In The Head as frustrating as it is mildly insightful. Nonetheless, given the lack of overall material dedicated to this notable rock outfit, it'll have to do for now. As for DVD extras, there aren't any. Comprised of bare bones written biographies on interviewees and a screen shot of two other Sexy Intellectual releases, they are as sparse as bona fide Rage music is throughout this forgettable documentary.