From the Microcinefest Festival Guide:
If the powers that be decided to make an After School Special about the battles between the punks and straight-edgers, it probably wouldn't be as authentic as this. Rocky Votolato (of Waxwing), John Pettibone (formerly of Undertow), and Dann Gallucci (of The Murder City Devils) star as three old friends who have grown apart over a four year absence and now find themselves on different sides of a Punk vs. SxE conflict.
Edge Of Quarrel: An Honest Review
It is what it is; two hours, shot on video, starring a lot of non-actors who are most likely very familiar with their onscreen characters. But that D.I.Y. spirit overcomes all, showing that this was a project that needed to be made, and making up for the overall lack of production values (which is really only made noticeable by the lack of post-audio sound effects during the many fight scenes). It's a well-made good story, and that's what's most important. It's the cinematic equivalent of the music it's based around... rough, honest, and unconcerned with what anyone else is doing. (Skizz Cyzyk)
Excerpts from the review by Toby Eventide that appeared on www.rocket-fuel.com:
Can a movie about battling gangs of punks and straight edgers and the man who hopes to unite them be entertaining to an audience outside of the hardcore scene? Surprisingly, the answer is "yes". "The Edge of Quarrel" is evidence as to why.
Brian Johansen (Votolato) returns to Seattle after a long absence, and discovers that his two closest friends (Gallucci and Pettibone) have become bitter enemies, and are now the heads of what amounts to rival gangs. Brian longs for a time long past where there was a sense of unity, and spends most of the film attempting to repair the damage that has been done. The story isn't a complex one, but Larson keeps things moving at a (mostly) brisk pace.
The film is full of inside jokes (an early one involves the cost of a first pressing of a Project X 7"), but the overall tone is serious. Larson makes the overall situation that Brian finds himself in very universal; the story of one man trying to bring peace to two warring philosophies is an old one, and Larson focuses on this more than the minutiae of all-ages shows. The way in which the film is resolved is also surprising; Larson uses a deus ex machina to set up one ending, then pulls the rug out from under the audience and wraps things up in a much less comforting way. And the screenplay's discussion of economic inequality within the independent music scene was an unexpected but welcome plot point.
The cast (mostly composed of members of Northwestern punk, hardcore, and indie bands) is uniformly solid, with Gallucci's performance standing out. He's got more than enough danger and charm for you to see why he's risen to where he is, but he also throws in just enough self-doubt to make his character sympathetic. Most importantly, the cast as a whole is able to create the impression that these characters have a shared past. Smart casting? Sure, but it's also the sort of thing that this movie needs in order to work.
Excerpts from the PUNK MOVIE NIGHT Column by Jay Dead
Found in Maximum Rock and Roll #210 and at Jay's website: www.wethepunx.com:
Jason is a straight edge, rockabilly looking kid who used to be a forty guzzling, black clad punk kid before striking out with Rachel. Rachel was Brian's girlfriend back when he was a boozy punk, but Brian went away to college. While away, Brian became a straight edged emo boy. Rachel was heartbroken that Brian left, and so she turned to Chance, who is still as punk as she is. The labels fly fast and furious in THE EDGE OF QUARREL, which is no doubt the point, if not just a bit disconcerting at moments.
Jason has some of his straight edge friends rough up a punk one night at the club, and when Chance responds by jumping a straight edger, the war is on. It's straight edgers versus punks in this completely ludicrous, yet very entertaining full length D.I.Y. film. Jason seems to have no redeeming qualities whatsoever, except when compared to his enforcer Rolo, who is played by Aaron Edge, because he's just a sociopath. Jason wears an ENSIGN t-shirt, while Rolo wears an UNDERTOW tee. Just as the war is in full swing, Brian returns home from college, and decides that it's up to him to unite both sides. Chance and Jason each try to pull Brian over to their side while protecting him as much as they can. Nobody is listening except Rachel, who is played by the beautiful Mahdis Keshavarz.
Suburban punk scenes look so foreign to someone who has spent most of his or her life in or very near punk scenes based in major metropolitan areas. Not that the scenes in this film are based in some track housing development, miles and miles away from the nearest big city. It's just that it looks and feels like the straight edgers and punks in Larson's film aren't that far removed from the kind of characters you might encounter in some ill conceived Fox series. I liked it more for that reason. It is still an escapist form of entertainment, and a welcome piece of filmmaking for any punk who enjoys such endeavors.
