Or shall I say it "punks" instead? This is a super cool rockin' and rolling and punkin' love triangle set in the big apple in 1978 and exuding the life and times of Andy Warhol's hit factory. Written and directed by German cult cinema veteran Ulli Lommel (check out his other gem "Cocaine Cowboys", also co-starring Andy Warhol, with Jack Palance as manager of a cocaine smuggling rock band). Packed with cool punk rock songs by the Voidoids, a late 70s punk elite from Lower Manhattan and shot at the famous rock venue CBGB's, where Blondie and the Ramones and Pattie Smith rocked along side the Voidoids, it is every bit a rock'n roll classic. And Carole Bouquet, that intriguing French beauty in the lead, what a treat, man, this girl is so sexy and cool she virtually smashes the screen. Shot in a classic camera style, this timeless movie will give you pleasure and make your DVD or cinema going experience 100% worth the while. A total stunner!

I saw this film back in 1978 when it first came out and I liked it immediately. Now, 32 years later, I think it's a MASTERPIECE. The music was composed by Elliot Goldenthal, who received the Oscar a few years back and has become one of Hollywood;s top composers. Ed Lachmann, who is actually not credited, did the camera work. It's sublime. Carole Bouquet, who was a virtual unknown when this movie was made, has risen to super stardom. And the punk rock music is awesome. The main locale is Manhattan's CBGB's which no longer exists, but used to be the venue for the Ramones and Blondie.Andy Warhol is in is an hilarious, he also produced this film for Ulli Lommel (it's Lommel's first US film BTW). It's a cool and engaging love story and looks like it was made yesterday. If ever there was a cult masterpiece, THIS IS IT!!!!!

For archival value alone, this is a great document of one of the originators of US punk, Richard Hell. But like most New York downtown hipster footage from that era, as a film it's pretty lame. Badly acted but with some interested ideas and commentary on the news media. Part of this is justified by theorizing about punk as romantic decadence, throwing out the notion of quality for the sake of "keeping it real". Well, twenty five years on, a lot of the punk "honesty" is just plain boring. Basically, get this movie for the live clips of the Voidoids playing in CBGB's, and forget the rest. Even Andy Warhol can't save this one. What I want to know is, how much of this movie was based on the relationship between Hell and Lizzy Mercier?

How much you enjoy Blank Generation will depend on how big a fan of Richard Hell you are. If, like me, you think he was the coolest, most talented, most intelligent, and most charismatic 70s punk, then this movie is a must see! Hell does what he does best, being MR COOL, Carole Bouquet is stunningly beautiful, and Warhol puts in a brief but memorable appearance. To top it all off the film is full of the music of Hell and The Voidoids (Robert Quine, Ivan Julian and Mark Bell) who are really on fire. Their live performances are sensational and are worth watching this for alone. A forgotten punk classic.