The Dirt Review: 5 Ups & 7 Downs

4. The Fourth Wall Breaking

The Dirt Iwan Rheon
Netflix

Even though the voice-overs don't quite work, the fourth wall breaking that happens at several points in the movie is actually pretty great. Mick Mars does it first and he's the best candidate, given Iwan Rheon's disaffected performance - he steals a trick from Michael Winterbottom's glorious 24 Hour Party People by explaining when something swerves away from the true story.

It's almost a shame there are more moments like that, because it would have added a self-awareness to proceedings and would have given Tremaine further licence to make this film what Motley Crue clearly wanted it to be without anyone watching it realising - a fantasy. Dexter Fletcher's Rocket Man is setting out its stall to do that, so there's certainly room for it.

The knowing winks to camera give it an edge of Wayne's World and even The Big Short (without the nuance) and you have to admire the cockiness to defy story-telling convention. It's very, very Motley Crue.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.