Merging documentary and fiction, Rude Boy follows roughneck Ray Gange
as he drops his Soho sex-shop job to roadie for The Clash—the most
fiery, revolutionary rock ’n’ roll band of the era, seen in this film
at the dizzying peak of their powers. Ray, a difficult, sometimes
reactionary subject and a foil to the band’s idealism, plays observer
to The Clash’s legendary 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in London’s
Victoria Park and their studio recording of Give ’Em Enough Rope. Set
against a background of riots, racist and anti-racist demos, and
police hostility towards Black British youth, this unforgettable,
absorbing film portraits a UK on the brink of Thatcherism, and a
moment when subcultural shock troops met those of a rising right wing
in the streets.