Written by Sam Clark 

Certificate: 12A

Running time: 120 minutes 

Director: Scott Cooper 

Musical biopics can certainly be a mixed kettle of fish, as it all depends on whose story you are telling which then in turn dictates whether you will even watch the film. Stating the obvious, I know. My knowledge of all things music is virtually non-existent, and what I lack for in expertise in this area I make up for in films and cinema. Despite this being the case, Straight Outta Compton (the true story of American hip/hop and rap group NWA) is my third favourite film of all time, so the lesson here is that if a film is good, it's good - regardless of the topic area. I was also a huge fan, like everyone else, of the Robbie Williams film A Better Man which was on the most surprising films I have ever come across. 

Bruce Springsteen is the latest music icon to get the big screen treatment after last year's Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown, starring Timothee Chalamet. The one film everyone (music fans as well as film fans) would have expected by now is the film about Michael Jackson entitled Michael which is now set for a 2026 release. Although if the reports are to be believed, the film is suffering from both legal issues as well as reshoots, so whether or not that will ever see the light of day remains to be seen. Scott Cooper writes and directs here, having directed Jeff Bridges to his first and only Oscar win with Crazy Heart back in 2010, a story about a faded country singer battling alcoholism. It seems as though Cooper is in familiar territory once more here, perhaps the reason why he's been tapped to do this.

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere focuses on a very specific moment in his life in which he is experiencing fame and success, whether or not he is enjoying it is a whole other matter. Bruce does not seem to know what he wants, and as a result begins to take a different and unusual approach to creating music, much to the surprise and disapproval of his producer Jeremy Strong and record label executives. They don't agree with what he's doing or where he seems to be going. We see flashbacks of his childhood at the beginning of the film and throughout, including moments of domestic abuse inflicted by his father Stephen Graham. 

The walls keep closing in on Bruce in various aspects of his life and he desperately tried to figure out what to do, including coming to terms with his rollercoaster relationship with single mother Odessa Young and her daughter. Can he dig himself out of this hole before it's too late? Given my stance on the genre, I went into this as open minded as I possibly could and ready for absolutely anything. This is absolutely not going to be the awards contender A Complete Unknown was and has it's fair share of flaws, but that does not prevent it from being an audacious enough attempt with some genuinely refreshing approaches and ideas. Instead, what this proves to be is more of an examination of depression as oppose to an all out biographical musical. What's also interesting is the lack of any concert sequences which are in there, but not as many as you may think.

This is undeniably a film made for music fans, and sadly does not treat outsiders particularly well. Much to my surprise, this is more of a examination about the literal mechanics of music and how things operate and work from a construction perspective. For instance, Bruce adopts a bizarre and unique way of recording his songs which he then takes to the record label; the only issue being that they cannot get it to sound the same because of unconventional way he has done it. This particular idea is then extended further and further, and pays heavy attention to the behind the scenes of music creation, more than any other film I've seen which I admired. Despite the fact none of this has any significance or importance to me, I still found it interesting and satisfying to watch and learn about. 

Even though I seemed to be going along with more than I thought I would, part of me sadly suspects these moments will test the patience of others like me who have no interest in any of this, but I do not wish to speak for anyone else and hope this will not be the case. There is also a lot of Allan sulking and staring into space as he writes his lyrics, desperately trying to find any shred of meaning in any of this. After a while, it does get rather jarring and draining. The only chance the film would have with any form of awards hope would be Jeremy Allan White who I completely believed in from start to finish. Springsteen has also said in real life that if he were to pick anyone to play him, it would've been him, so talk about accuracy which is what you need for a true story. At the end of the day, for a film about one of the all time great icons, I certainly expected more. 

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere is in cinemas now.