Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash A Real Story, Wiki, Review
by Subhashree M | Updated Mar 07, 2023
Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Wiki
Jared Cohn directed and co-wrote the 2020 American musical survival drama film, Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash, with Brian Perera. The movie features Ian Shultis, Taylor Clift, Samuel Kay Forrest, Rich Dally III, Neill Byrnes, Anthony Rocco Bovo, and Mark Dippolito. The film premiered at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival in 2020 and was released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and video on demand on June 30, 2020. The biopic was initially announced on June 23, 2016, and was produced by Cleopatra Entertainment. The script was based on the original story about the plane crash written by Artimus Pyle, one of the band members. Principal photography began on April 24, 2017, in Los Angeles. On August 28, 2017, a court injunction was issued that blocked the production of the film. However, on October 10, 2018, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit overturned the previous injunction against Street Survivors. The film depicts the story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band's tragic plane crash in 1977, which killed three band members and two pilots when the tour plane ran out of fuel over Mississippi.
Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash A Real Story
Visualize a man narrating his account of surviving a plane crash, one that goes down in history as one of the most significant rock 'n' roll disasters. The level of detail is astounding: he was the one who guided the confused pilots; he held the hand of the singer, Ronnie Van Zandt, just before the crash; he escaped from the wreckage and ran for assistance. As you watch this retelling, there are some historical reenactments added in, in case you require visual emphasis on what a rock 'n' roll concert looks like or a reminder about '70s hairstyles.Now, consider the opposite scenario, which is also a respectable approach at first. In this situation, you're primarily watching a dramatization of these events, and the genuine guy chimes in so infrequently about his tale that he mostly comes across as an endorser. However, there isn't much of a storyline, and it's not about the music, just the agony. That's the surreal experience of trying to watch "Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash," which feels like only viewing the dramatic reenactment parts of a far more fascinating documentary, leaving you with a film that could easily be classified as plane crash-sploitation.
Jared Cohn wrote and directed "Street Survivors," which tells the story of Artimus Pyle, the band's drummer who was with Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1974 until the 1977 crash, and then again from 1987 to 1991. Instead of Lynyrd Skynyrd's music, the film fills Pyle's world with bits of story and a lot of rock 'n' roll ambiance, including numerous scenes of people partying and shouting unintelligibly.Ronnie Van Zandt, played by Taylor Clift, is depicted as a Confederate Christ, who beats up a man for harassing a woman in one moment and then forcibly tears off another woman's top in the next. Meanwhile, Artimus, the dedicated, focused, and talented disciple that rock 'n' roll history forgot, despite his central involvement in the 1977 crash that killed six people, including Van Zandt. Writer/director Jared Cohn believes in Pyle just as much as he is reverential to him, presenting him in narrative or documentary form as always being the right guy, a hero waiting for the call.The film ends with Pyle shown in modern times, playing the drums during a small concert and being adored by fans. The narrative takes Ian Shultis' version of Pyle from the day he joins Lynyrd Skynyrd to the moment he walks out of the hospital in slow motion, with barely any emotionally grounded passage in between. As it focuses mainly on the plane crash, this is not a biopic about Pyle's time with the band, dealing with the trauma after the crash, or how it may have affected him and others.The film "Street Survivors," written and directed by Jared Cohn, focuses on Artimus Pyle's firsthand experience of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash in 1977. Instead of exploring Pyle's time in the band, the movie opts for a reenactment of the traumatic event, including the physical pain and suffering of all those on board. This approach is reminiscent of director Peter Berg's depiction of physical endurance in "Lone Survivor," but "Street Survivors" lacks tact and subtlety. The film's dialogue is particularly egregious, with lines like "My plane just crashed and you shot me!" making it seem more like a plane crash exploitation film than a serious biopic. Although Cohn clearly cares about Pyle's story, the film fails to provide insight into Lynyrd Skynyrd beyond their tragic end.
How To Watch Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash?
"Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash," a rock film featuring Ian Shultis, Taylor Clift, and Samuel Kay Forrest, can be streamed now on various platforms such as Tubi - Free Movies & TV, FreeTV Club, RealChill, Vudu, Prime Video, or Apple TV using your Roku device.
Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash Review
The VOD release of "Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash" may be considered a positive occurrence during the pandemic, as few people are currently willing to fly. The film lives up to its title with intense suspense and graphic scenes of the crash, potentially dissuading viewers from flying on prop-engine planes with musicians on board. Despite its small budget, the movie delivers a convincingly harrowing portrayal of an aeronautical disaster, comparable to Peter Weir's 1993 film "Fearless" for fans of the genre. However, whether the film is a superior example of a rock biopic is debatable. Southern rock band fans are likely to be divided on how the group is depicted in the days leading up to the tragedy, as few band members are given significant focus in the narrative, except for drummer Artimus Pyle. Pyle, who is now 71 years old, introduces the film and occasionally returns to narrate it, while Ian Shultis portrays his younger self.
Although legally the story may belong to him, practically it feels as though the filmmakers neglected everyone else, except for Van Zant who had already passed away. The script can't decide whether to depict him as a TV-throwing jerk, a rock legend, or both. Pyle doesn't come across as a well-developed character either, except for his physical bravery. The movie ends on a slightly strange note with a fictionalized Pyle being cheated out of his contracts and medical bills by Skynyrd's manager.
The film does include an epilogue with the actual Pyle playing drums at a gig with his Artimus Pyle Band, which is the only Skynyrd-related material in the film due to ongoing disputes since Pyle's departure from the group in the early '90s. The soundtrack features mostly original songs co-written by Pyle and his children, as well as one Skynyrd song the film had permission to use: a cover of J.J. Cale's "Call Me the Breeze." Needless to say, viewers will not leave "Street Survivors" humming "Free Bird" or feeling enthusiastic about flying.
Street Survivors The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash A Real Story - FAQs
Street Survivors is a 2020 American musical survival drama film that tells the story of the tragic plane crash that killed three members of the Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1977.
The film was directed by Jared Cohn and written by Cohn and Brian Perera.
Street Survivors premiered at the 2020 Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival and was released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and video on demand on June 30, 2020.
The plane ran out of fuel and crashed into a wooded area in Mississippi on October 20, 1977, killing three band members Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines, as well as the assistant road manager and two pilots.
The film is based on a script written by Artimus Pyle, a former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer who was on the ill-fated flight. However, some members of the band and their families objected to the film, claiming that it exploited the tragedy and misrepresented the band's legacy.