I'm not a surfer and until viewing this documentary, my knowledge of surfing consisted of 1950s beach films, Beach Boys songs, and the game Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer. "Bustin' Down the Door" is a strange documentary for a person like me (and likely many others), as it both provides a fascinating look at a group of men who helped make surfing into the commercial sport it is today, but also partially alienates me with its assumption that the viewer is a surfer or has a good deal of prior knowledge about the basics of the sport

Edward Norton narrates this well produced, brief look at a group of South African and Australian surfers who traveled to Hawaii in the mid 1970s to push the sport to he next level. This aspect of the film is what spoke to me most strongly as it captured what I felt was the essence of "classic" surfing. These men lived for the chance to ride the waves and their dedication to pushing themselves further is just as powerful as the story of any mainstream athlete.

Unfortunately as the men talk with a vocabulary at times that is completely foreign to me and there are times where I don't understand the reasoning for their excitement about certain things out in the ocean. Luckily this isn't a factor that took away from the theme and accomplishments of these men. I am still stunned hearing the challenges they faced both from the ocean itself and from the locals who were not pleased with this group of outsiders seemingly taking over their beach. At the end of the film though, looking at what these men did and what surfing has become is for me, bittersweet. The look of modern surfing seems cheap and tacky, like many other "extreme" sports that were mainstreamed, and the fact it took these men nearly 30 years to get the recognition they deserved for their blood, sweat, and tears, is upsetting for obvious reasons.

At the end of the day, even to someone as clueless about surfing as myself, "Bustin' Down the Door" is a well-made documentary. Surfing enthusiasts are likely to eat this piece up and find it a must own. To everyone else, it's definitely worth a rental as an example of fine storytelling.

"Bustin' Down the Door" is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Unfortunately an accurate rating of the video quality cannot be assigned as the studio provided a screener disc.

The Audio

Like the video section, the English Surround track cannot be judged accurately, due to this being a screener disc.

The Extras

The DVD case lists several bonus features that were not on this screener disc, but will presumably, be present on the final street copy. They include, deleted scenes, trailers, interviews, a feature titled 'Just Surfing,' Dan Merkel slide show, FUEL TV Blue Carpet Special, and Surfrider Foundation PSA.

"Bustin' Down the Door" is a solid documentary that stands out as one of the best of its subgenre (sports documentaries). Strip away the surfing and you have a fascinating look at some dedicated pioneers. Recommended.