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Wild Style

Wild Style

Drama · Music · 1982

Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose.

Movie details

Wild Style

“Break Dancing Graffiti Rap”

1982 Drama · Music 1h 22m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

Legendary New York graffiti artist Lee Quinones plays the part of Zoro, the city's hottest and most elusive graffiti writer. The actual story of the movie concerns the tension between Zoro's passion for his art and his personal life, particularly his strained relationship with fellow artist Rose.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Wild Style?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Charlie Ahearn

Written by

Charlie Ahearn

Lee Quiñones

Lee Quiñones

Raymond "Zoro"

L

Lady Pink

Rose "Lady Bug"

Fab 5 Freddy

Fab 5 Freddy

"Phade"

Patti Astor

Patti Astor

Virginia

ZEPHYR

ZEPHYR

Z-Roc

B

Busy Bee

Chief Rocker

C

Carlos Morales

Hector

Court is in session

Put Wild Style on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.