Swagger of Thieves
Release date: 2018-05-17
Votes: No data for this movie
Genres: Documentary, Music
Over a decade in the making, Swagger of Thieves follows rock band Head Like a Hole from the top of the charts to the bottom of a needle. Staring down their age, two pals and the main guts of HLAH, frontman Nigel Booga Beazley and 'co- conspirator' Nigel Regan strut the hard road out of hell, fighting to reconnect and return their band to past glory, amidst disgruntled band mates, a changed music industry, and disappointed wives. Struggling to place past addictions and sabotaged dreams behind them in their continuing quest for rock music relevance, the ever-collapsing binary stars of any Head Like a Hole lineup, are certain (not) to polish their legacy here. Swagger of Thieves captures what it means to be in a band with a reputation. Unrelentingly raw, wild and honest, to the point of being one of the most insightful music documentaries ever made. Essential viewing. New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF), Melbourne International Documentary Film Festival (MIDFF)
Reviews
guitartech
I have no doubt Swagger of Thieves will be regarded as not just a great Kiwi doco but also one of the world's great rock documentaries. Boshier has made one of the finest documentaries this country has produced. It's dirty. It's raw. It's rock'n'roll. **- Karl Puschmann. New Zealand Herald.** It made my eyes water, to be honest. Me. A hardened journalist, who has seen a lot of distressing things during a long career in the media trenches. But the sight of something so vulnerable and tender in close contact with something so sharp and dangerous, well... I had to take a few deep breaths. **- Grant Smithies. Sunday Star Times.** It's a film about addiction, death, theft and betrayal. About wounds and feuds that have never been healed. About appalling behaviour, chances squandered and people used and discarded. The title is savagely appropriate. **- Graeme Tuckett. Stuff.** Swagger of Thieves is a masterpiece in film making - watching this made me realize that in a perfect world you get the band-doco you deserve. This is truly and utterly Head Like a Hole, it's dirty and real - full of tensions and delusions but with a strange magic attached. **- Simon Sweetman. Off the Tracks.** It's an astonishing film. It's rugged and raw, and emotional journey for anyone with even a passing remembrance of the 90's rock act who formed in 1992. **-Chris Schulz. New Zealand Herald.**
Movie Recommendation
No recommendations for this movie.
Similar Movies
Lil Nas X: Long Live ...
2023-09-09A remarkably intimate portrait of an artist on tour navigating identity, family, expectations, and acceptance, all while reflecting on his place within the legacy of Black, queer performers.The Day the Music Die...
2022-07-08With a narrative running deeper than a catchy tune and cryptic verses, “American Pie” is a musical phenomenon woven deep into the history of American culture, entertaining audiences around the world for over 50 years. This documentary tells the stories of the people who were a part of this moment from the beginning, shows the point of view of a new generation of artists who are motivated by the same values and ideas that inspired the song’s creation, and highlights cultural moments in America’s history that are as relevant now as they were in 1971, when the song was released.Fighting Spirit: Fish...
2022-05-29A documentary film chronicling the rehearsal, preparation and performance of a Fishmans concert performed on February 19, 2019 @Zepp Tokyo.Dire Straits: Sultans...
1998-08-01Sultans of swing - Lady writer - Romeo and Juliet - Tunnel of love - Private investigations - Twisting by the pool - Love over gold (live 1983) - So far away - Money for nothing - Brothers in arms - Walk of life - Calling Elvis - Heavy fuel - On every street (live 1992) - Your latest trick (live 1992) - Local hero - Wild theme (live 1992)The Piano Guys: Fight...
2016-10-28A behind the scenes look at the making of The Piano Guys' music video for their cover of "Fight Song" and "Amazing Grace". Filmed on location in Scotland, featuring an old castle on a loch, and a marching band of bagpipe players. The Guys though encounter a host of issues in the making of this music video, and it takes all their collective ingenuity to pull the whole thing off.Woodstock
1970-03-26An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.RM: Right People, Wro...
2024-12-05Chronicles artist RM's eight-month production of his second solo album, “Right Place, Wrong Person,” while candidly recording the endless concerns of the person Kim Namjoon, and the things he immerses himself in and loves.Dardara
2021-03-18After 25 years of non-stop creation and at the peak of their career, the rock band Berri Txarrak decided to hang up their instruments. But before they did that, and as a farewell, they did one last tour around the world to thank all those fans who had bopped to their music all those years. A film about the power of music and passion — the “minimum requirement,” as one of their lyrics says.The Australian Pink F...
2017-03-23The concert was filmed progressively over the 'Best of the Best' tour in the spring of 2016 in Germany but the bulk of the material was filmed in the last week of the tour, playing in many great venues including the famous Festhalle in Frankfurt, a venue that Pink Floyd themselves performed 'Animals'. A cinematic approach was taken to produce a film of a concert which we hope will give much enjoyment to the viewer and listener.Atomic Rooster: The U...
2020-12-15Previously issued as Masters from the Vaults, this is British rock band Atomic Rooster’s 1972 live studio performance made for Belgian television.Matthew Perry: Not ju...
2023-05-15There is no descriptionButthole Surfers: The...
2025-03-08Follows the story of the groundbreaking Texas-based art-punk band founded by frontman Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary.Will
2022-05-30A person desperately searches for their lost little brother during a Memorial Day festival in this one take POV thrillerTonight with Arlo Par...
2021-02-01A new "Variety Show Special" starring one of the world's most exciting new artists, plus special guests Romy (The xx), Dave Okumu and Glass Animals. Including first ever performances from Parks' acclaimed debut album 'Collapsed In Sunbeams', the film features conversations, poetry and collaborations, all existing in a magical world of iconic, stylish and gradually unravelling environments.G-Funk
2017-03-10G-Funk is the untold story of three childhood friends from East Long Beach who helped commercialize hip hop by developing a sophisticated and melodic new approach – merging Gangsta Rap with elements of Motown, Funk, and R&B.Who plays me, hears m...
2020-12-13"Who plays me, hears my voices”, shows a recent moment in the life of Gaston Lafourcade, a classical pianist and harpsichordist who, at the age of 83, enters a recording studio for the first time in his life to record a solo album and to join his daughter, Natalia Lafourcade, who during a recess period in her career, decides to embark on this adventure as a love letter to her father and as a way to enjoy what brings them together, beyond blood ties: their deep love for music.Appointment in Bray
1971-12-22In 1917, the First World War is raging. Julien is from Luxemburg, so instead of having to go to war he studies piano in Paris. One day his friend Jacques, also a musician and now a fighter pilot on the front, invites him to spend a few days in his family's empty house in Bray. The housekeeper, a beautiful stoic woman lets Julien in, but his friend is late and he is obliged to wait. In the meantime, he starts reminiscing of the pre-war days spent with his friend and Jacques' girlfriend Odile.THE COCKPIT
2015-05-30In a small cockpit-like room, we see two young hip hop musicians from Tokyo giving birth to a beat: precision, patience and camaraderie hold sway, midway between an installation and sitcom.Beyond the Valley of ...
1970-07-17An all-girl rock band moves to Hollywood in the hope of achieving success, only to fall into a whirlpool of wickedness and decadence.INXS: Welcome to Wher...
2004-06-29"Welcome to Wherever You Are" is an 18-minute documentary that follows INXS behind the scenes at a charity concert in 1992. In addition to providing an interesting look at the lead-up to a concert, this program includes performances of the songs "Heaven Sent" and "Taste It."