Review of Bustin' Down the Door

A cocky group of top surfers from both Australia and South Africa go to the North Shore in Hawaii in the mid-1970's in order to make their mark by transforming surfing that at the time was widely perceived as a leisurely activity into something that could be taken seriously as a legitimate professional vocation. Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew, Ian Cairns, Mark Richards, Shaun Tomson, and Peter Townend are amongst the bold pioneers interviewed herein who took Hawaii by storm with their exceptional surfing skills, a brash and fiercely competitive go-for-the-throat attitude, and swaggering bravado that spit in the face of staid tradition and royally upset the locals, yet in the long run proved to be hugely influential figures in the world of surfing. Director Jeremy Gosch relates with tremendous passion and gusto a remarkably inspirational story about a close-knit bunch of lovably scrappy and arrogant blokes with an incredible dream and the gutsy determination to do whatever it takes to make said dream a glorious reality. Moreover, we get some fascinating background information not only on Hawaiian tradition and basic surfing history, but also on the surfers themselves, with Bartholomew in particular registering strongly as one hell of an admirable man who at one startling point cries on camera while candidly talking about growing up in abject poverty. It's this sense of intimacy which in turn gives this film a depth and poignancy that makes it so much more than just another sports documentary about surfing. Further graced by a right-on groovy soundtrack, fine narration by Edward Norton, and plenty of spectacular surfing footage (watching Tomson ride inside the tube is truly something to behold), this one rates highly as a sterling documentary on a crucial moment in surf history as well as an uplifting testament to the awesome power of the indomitable human spirit.