Quite honestly, I'd never heard of Rocco DeLuca and the Burden before I saw this documentary. I had originally watched this by recommendation of a co-worker back in 2007 who stated that one of my favourite actors (Kiefer of course) was the tour manager for a group of unknowns (Rocco DeLuca and the Burden) and that he made a complete fool of himself on a European tour all for the sake of getting these guys known. Well, my co-worker wasn't wrong in stating that Kiefer was not exactly suited to be a band manager but he did neglect to mention two things... Kiefer's devotion the band (he genuinely seemed to love the band and went out of his way to plug them in Ireland when he had realized that only two tickets to their show had been sold) and how much RDB ROCKS! Seriously, these guys are phenomenal and I recommend this film highly to anyone who wants to see a band trying to make it big with Kiefer Sutherland at the helm. I also recommend this for people who just want to discover a new and awesome band... Rocco DeLuca and the Burden!
... View MoreI think the best part of this rockumentary is that I generally didn't like Kiefer or his past work, and I was not aware of this band. Yet, I found this to be the most honest and altruistic documentary I've seen. The music turned out to be very passionate and high quality for live performances. It's also in a genre that fits my tastes and doesn't bend to the will of trends and conformity. And with that said, there was a groove or theme of that nature throughout the film that gave it almost a plot; Kiefer coming to terms with his life through the role he plays with this band, and their will to succeed their own way. For a seemingly pointless rockumentary, it was straightforward and even gripping to me. Extremely well-edited.
... View MoreBeing a former music promoter, I am always interested when Rockumentaries come out.Having never seen even one episode of 24 and barely being aware of who Rocco was I went to check out the film.if you are a kiefer lover, you will further be enamored with himif you are a music lover, you'll want to find out more about the bandif you are doc lover, you will wonder why this film was made? is it a Kiefer vehicle , because you see a lot of him but nothing terribly enlightening or substantive aside from him talking about his mother.there are some shots of him in bed where his feet look enormous. You really don't get to really know who the band is either. Its entertaining enough. you'll probably see it on the sundance channel by January
... View MoreTaking off after the end of filming on the last season of 24, Kiefer Sutherland heads to Europe with his band Rocco DeLuca & The Burden. As their road manager, Sutherland faces the trials and joys of life on the road, whether it is locked venues, storming gigs, quiet audiences or giving out free tickets at the last minute to avoid an empty venue. The tour takes across Europe, including England, Germany and Iceland.Like many other casual viewers, I came to this film off the back of 24 (indeed it was shown in the UK on the same channel that shows that series). In this way I was a bit worried that the film would be just about him. However when I understood that the band is question is one under his management, I worried that the film would just be a bit of him combined with a big promotional push of DeLuca & The Burden. In a way my fears were justified because the film is mainly a cross between a cool bit of Kiefer-following and lots of live music from the band. However this wasn't a massive problem and these parts were still good enough to be worth watching. Of course it helps if you like Sutherland, which as a 24 fan I do. It is interesting to see him working another career and being a bit wild certainly seeing him jump into a Christmas tree is something that you'll be unlikely to see no matter how many series of 24 you watch. It also helps to like the music. I'm more into my hip-hop than rock but I found it a good sound thanks to good guitar work and DeLuca's unique voice; fewer songs might have freed up the film to do something else but I guess it is what it is.Aside from these two elements there isn't that much. At times it serves as an interesting look at life on the road, with some nice comic moments and insight into life on the road. However these moments do not come often enough to make this a really interesting documentary and it is never long before we are back into a fan moment or a song. Those involved manage to keep their contributions interesting enough to carry the film and it is hard to deny that DeLuca et al have talent.Overall this is an OK music documentary. The music is good and there is just about enough going on of interest to sustain the film, but not enough to make it a particularly valuable one to come back to unless you are specifically a fan of Sutherland or DeLuca.
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