This documentary film is great. Even if you have no interest in the subject or filmmaking or Hollywood or any of it. Why? Because it tells first and foremost the story of a man, who is bigger than life. And it does with interviews and clips, but there is something more this film does. Every once in a while when someone is telling an anecdote the movie will recreate the scene using pictures and photo-collages. It is great, it is very well done and it gives the film a very dynamic feel. And I loved it.
Of course, the documentary is well done overall. There is a lot of information presented here, as they go through Milius' whole life. Yet, it was never confusing or jumbled. The movie acts as a biographical film of sorts, and it gives a clear picture of who this guy was, even if some mystery remains. Not only that, but the documentary chronicles very well the culture and the environment from which the likes of Milius' emerged. The sixties, the counter-revolution and all that stuff. How did the Hollywood system operate and how it changed. It is not in focus, but it is present. For instance when they address Milius' politics and how it played with his industry reputation.
In a sense this documentary is the ultimate boomer chronicle. It shows how these guys that smoked weed and partied and were outcasts so to speak, later not only bent the establishment to their knees, but then became the establishment itself. It is the timeless story of how baby-boomer spent their youth and ideals fighting The Man, only to discover they became The Man. But that is just my commentary; the movie does not address this through that angle given that Milius remained somewhat on the fringes (or alternatively at the avant-garde).
Of course, Milius got scammed and lost all his money, but you can see on the margins that his influence (and most importantly his friends in high places) remained untouched.
On the other hand, it is interesting to see that even at the top you have to balance artistic integrity and financial success. And maybe Milius was not as successful precisely because he was bolder and more radical in his expression. But you do get the feeling that despite all his fault he was a sincere artist.
This documentary film is important because it adresses a pivotal moment in Western culture, that gave birth to New Hollywood and furthermore the type of movies being made, and ultimately consumed. And Milius was always at the center of it.
