12 O’clock Boys (2014)
80%RT Audience Score: 65%
Awards & Nominations: 4 wins & 7 nominations
Visually striking and grippingly fast-paced, 12 O’Clock Boys asks thought-provoking questions with admirable subtlety and restraint
If you’re looking for a documentary that’s equal parts thrilling and thought-provoking, then 12 O’Clock Boys is the perfect pick. This film takes you on a wild ride through the streets of Baltimore with a group of dirt bike riders who are equal parts impressive and reckless. Through the eyes of a young wannabe member named Pug, you’ll get a glimpse into the outlaw appeal of this subculture and the struggles that come with growing up in poverty. It’s a fascinating and eye-opening look at a world that most of us will never experience firsthand. Plus, the stunning cinematography will leave you breathless. So buckle up and get ready for a wild ride!
Production Company(ies)
Highline Pictures, Camera One Endless Picnic
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2014
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 14m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 31, 2014 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2014
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, dirt-bike riders, Baltimore, male role models, subculture, poverty, outlaw appeal, inner-city, Lotfy Nathan, John Kassab, Eric Blair, Taylor Gillespie, English, Oscilloscope Pictures, 12 O’Clock Boys, Pug, box office, gross USA, $44.1K, MPAA rating, critics, Ty Burr, Chris Nashawaty, Kimber Myers, Ann Hornaday, Peter Howell, Peter Rainer, Richard Crouse, Jordan M Smith, Nathan Bartlebaugh, Robert Roten, Todd Jorgenson, Brian Orndorf, audience reviews, genre, producer, director, cinematographer, runtime, limited release, streaming, rent/buy, Tomatometer, audience score, critic consensus, reviews
Worldwide gross: $82,614
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $103,247
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 3,023
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 11,259
US/Canada gross: $82,614
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $103,247
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,661
US/Canada opening weekend: $44,108
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $55,124
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,175
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Lotfy Nathan – Producer
John Kassab – Producer
Eric Blair – Producer
Taylor Gillespie – Executive Producer
Lotfy Nathan – Cinematographer
Director(s)
Lotfy Nathan
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Lotfy Nathan, John Kassab, Eric Blair
Film Festivals
South by Southwest, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
4 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (50) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (4)
A short, pungent, ambiguous portrait of the poorer sections of Baltimore and the young men who get their kicks riding dirt bikes through the streets en masse, popping wheelies and dodging the police.
February 13, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Documentary filmmaker Lotfy Nathan explores the outlaw appeal of an inner-city Baltimore dirt-bike gang through the eyes of a 13-year-old wannabe member named Pug.
February 10, 2014 | Rating: B
Chris Nashawaty
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
An exciting, beautifully shot look at a subculture through the eyes of one of its most devoted admirers.
January 31, 2014 | Rating: B
Kimber Myers
The Playlist
TOP CRITIC
It could have romanticized its subjects, portraying them as outlaws and folk heroes. Or it could have gone the way of moral panic. To its credit, [it] does neither of these things – or, rather, it does both, in the most subtle and insightful way possible.
January 31, 2014
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
Take a closer look, as Lofty Nathan does in his freewheeling debut feature… and bike gangs like the 12 O’Clock Boys start to differentiate as more than just a dangerous nuisance.
January 31, 2014 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
TOP CRITIC
[Pug is] a fiercely individual child, but, inevitably, his predicament also symbolizes how poverty can warp a good boy’s nature.
January 31, 2014 | Rating: B
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor
TOP CRITIC
This show-me, don’t-tell-me doc is an effective, poignant but slightly depressing look at one young man’s struggle to find the right path.
February 1, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
Nathan’s onscreen portrayal of Baltimore is a grim, but wholly alive piece of documentary filmmaking.
November 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jordan M. Smith
IONCINEMA.com
The filmmaking on 12 O’Clock Boys is masterfully even-handed and fastidiously detailed.
June 21, 2016 | Rating: B+
Nathan Bartlebaugh
The Film Stage
This defiance of the law, combined with the skill, speed and excitement, is part of the romance that draws Pug and other kids into the biker life. It is like the wild west.
January 2, 2015 | Rating: C+
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
The result is evocative and compelling, even if it doesn’t offer much context or socioeconomic insight into its broader subject.
March 21, 2014
Todd Jorgenson
Cinemalogue
There’s no balance of perspective, but what the feature lacks in fullness it makes up for in pure energy, extracting a sense of life in motion as its influence by a false sense of security.
March 5, 2014 | Rating: B+
Brian Orndorf
Blu-ray.com…
Plot
12 O’Clock Boys is a documentary about a young boy named Pug who idolizes a group of dirt-bike riders in Baltimore and hopes to join their ranks one day.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about 12 O’Clock Boys.
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