To spend 86 minutes in the company of Don Letts – DJ, film-maker, musician, social commentator and “thoroughly engaging raconteur” – is an intense pleasure, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian. As this “gripping” documentary explains, Letts was a rebellious kid who, after literally setting fire to his classroom desk, played a vital role in London’s music scene in the late 1970s.
As a DJ at the Roxy in Covent Garden, he helped create an unlikely alliance between punks and Rastafarians, and struck “a powerful cultural blow against racism”. Having used his Super-8 camera to shoot memorable footage of The Clash and the Sex Pistols, he then directed music videos, formed Big Audio Dynamite with Mick Jones, and made films. He speaks eloquently about punk rock – a living genre, in his view – but everything he says is “a manifesto for humanity and creativity”.
Narrated by the man himself, Rebel Dread “communicates that a life spent chasing the next great song is a life well lived”, said John Nugent in Empire. Letts has a knack of finding himself in the right place at the right time, and the film evokes an “incandescent” era when music, fashion, politics and art were all in radical flux. It’s vibrant, fast and funny, if a little one-sided.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It does sometimes verge on hagiography, agreed Saskia Baron on The Arts Desk, but Letts has had such a dynamic career that the lack of critical voices is forgivable. There’s a wealth of great archive footage and memorable anecdotes from the likes of John Lydon. The section on Letts’s first visit to Jamaica to explore his roots and meet the reggae bands he idolised is particularly fascinating. This is an entertaining gallop through an “extraordinary” life.
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryFrom Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
France’s ‘red hands’ trial highlights alleged Russian disruption operationsUNDER THE RADAR Attacks on religious and cultural institutions around France have authorities worried about Moscow’s effort to sow chaos in one of Europe’s political centers
-
Codeword: October 30, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue MoonFeature A rock star on the rise turns inward, a stressed mother begins to unravel, and more
-
Beth Macy’s 6 favorite books about living in a divided nationFeature The journalist recommends works by Nicholas Buccola, Matthew Desmond, and more
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Art Review: Downtown/Uptown: New York in the EightiesFeature Lévy Gorvy Dayan, New York City, through Dec. 13
-
R&B singer D’AngeloFeature A reclusive visionary who transformed the genre
-
Kiss guitarist Ace FrehleyFeature The rocker who shot fireworks from his guitar
-
Roasted squash and apple soup recipeThe Week Recommends Autumnal soup is full of warming and hearty flavours
