London Film Festival 2012 – day eight: Crossfire Hurricane

Crossfire Hurricane is a documentary on The Rolling Stones, pieced together from a recent interview and footage from their past. In a nod to the glorious Senna, no footage from any recent performances or interviews are included. Just in time for their 50^th anniversary and hideously expensive tour, Crossfire Hurricane covers the story of the Stones, well, most of it.

The footage has been expertly chosen and edited perfectly. Rare backstage footage is used to punctuate and emphasise the words of the contemporaneous Stones. Some of the stock video is perfectly timed to illicit laughs; one such notable example being a clip of Charlie Watts looking so uncomfortable he may die during an interview with his current self, explaining he doesn’t like fame. 

Crossfire Hurricane is constructed like a visual biography of the band. From their very first successes, through their vast American tours and including their brushes with the law and the not so lawful, the story is told sequentially. Interestingly, there is quite an extended and tender look at the incidents that led to a murder as The Rolling Stones played Altamont. It’s one of the first times the band has spoken so openly about the events that night. 

Crossfire Hurricane is not only a brilliant telling of the story of the Stones, but also a wonderfully constructed documentary. At times it is humorous and at other points really quite touching, especially the Brian Jones segment. The only real problem is that it seems slightly too gushing about The Rolling Stones. There is no mention of the feud between Richards and Jagger, Bill Wyman’s departure, or the later albums. 

Verdict: ••••

Joey Godman

Read more reviews from the 56^th London Film Festival here.

Watch the trailer for Crossfire Hurricane here