Jameson Brooks’ ‘BOMB CITY’ (2017) – Retro Review

In December of 1997, tensions were high between punk rockers and jocks in every town or city. This fight wasn’t the Jets and Sharks from West Side Story; this was a full-on brawl. Amidst the chaos, Cody Cates, AKA Dustin Camp (Luke Shelton), used his car like a guided missile toward the punk rock enemy. He chased down 19-year-old Brian Deneke and ran him over, killing him instantly. I wish this were a movie, but it isn’t. However, there is a movie based on Brian’s life called Bomb City, which is a tragic look at the events leading up to the final moments of Brian Deneke’s life.

I want to dig in pretty deep with this article. I remember having memorial shows to support his family; this was a critical moment for my time in the scene, and I’ve dedicated my whole punk rock persona for 25 years.

Synopsis

19 Year old Brian Deneke (Dave Davis) hitchhiked from New York to his way back home to Amarillo Texas. Upon Brians arrival, he is welcome back with love. As time moves on there are things starting to erupt after a meeting at a local fast food place. From that confrontation sparks an entire war between the two sides. Whether it was getting smashed in the head with a bottle, or worse. It becomes violent and after a friend was beat up and the two sides clash. It’s a fight with a deadly end.

Bomb City Begins

I wasn’t aware of the movie until about 2020. As soon as I read the description, my heart got heavy, and I felt obligated to watch it. It moved me in every sense of the word. Bomb City made the situation real; it’s like closure. All those memories come flowing back. You can tell throughout the movie that everyone played their role perfectly.  Bomb City is a loving tribute to someone who met a violent end just because of the way he dressed or what music he listened to. But it also brought back those memories of how much I had to put up with just for being different.

The acting was phenomenal for a B-grade movie. It pulls you right in, even if you know the story. Bomb City doesn’t care what you know or don’t know; it just wants to give people the truth. It wants us to feel Brian’s pain—questioning your senses about what happened that night. You can almost guarantee you will get teary eyes at least once throughout the movie. “Why did this have to happen?” You’ll ask yourself. No matter who you are, you will leave this movie feeling different. Maybe you’ll hug your parents or siblings or your friends.

The best we could do here is donate our time to watching this movie just once. It’s like paying respect to a tragic moment. Many people feel emotionally wrecked at the end of SLC Punk. I don’t think even that reached me as much as Bomb City. It’s a raw look at what being different got you. In today’s schools, there is wide acceptance; kids break down the barriers of ‘cliques’ and everyone is loved. At the end of this movie, you may ask yourself why this had to happen; it’s fate. It’s a warning to enjoy your life and be peaceful; you never know what could happen at any moment.

In The End

Dustin Camp was charged with voluntary manslaughter and was to be on parole for ten years. That verdict was pushed to the side in 2001. However, they never mention his real name in the movie. He is known as Cody Cates, so he wouldn’t have to be paid as a slap in the face. Things fell apart for Camp after a few run-ins with the law for drug charges and more; he was sentenced to 8 years and was instead given supervised parole as of 2006. This movie is a fresh reminder that violence is stupid and someone is going to get hurt or killed, which happened in this sad situation.

Bomb City is accessible on almost every streaming service, including Tubi and Amazon Prime. Don’t let your voice go unheard.

For more info, please visit the Bomb City Foundation