As someone whose early adulthood was spent in Manhattan at night, I was familiar with the rave scenes, and knew to avoid it for the very reasons the film promulgates. There are the usual over the top clichés, wherein the talking heads of the film proclaim the rave scene as making a youth culture for the world, but, in reality, techno and electronica music died on the vine, and hip hop (the watered down version of hardcore rap) is not exactly known as a progenitor of culture. And if Moby is the best the film can do, in regards to talking heads, you know you're in trouble.

But, the film shines as a police procedural, even if, at 102 minutes at length it often feels like a bloated A&E special on the 1980s. Gatien, deported after being cleared of criminal charges, and nailed on tax charges (ironically just like 1920s Chicago kingpin Al Capone),is not hagiographized, but the film could have done a much better job of fleshing out his personal issues. Likely, given his daughter's role as co-producer, this was a taboo subject for the cameras.

Corben's film is slick and polished, but its lead subject is just not that interesting. Yes, it is fascinating to hear about how routinely the justice system is abused, and why- so that middle class malcontents can feel smugly superior in the little moralities, but, after such gas deflations, what is really left? There are the usual bevy of talking heads (including former New York Mayor Ed Koch),but little of relevance is put forth, outside of the recounting of Gatien's case. Archival video and film footage fill in the rest, but the lesson to be culled is that the pre-9/11 New York was, for all its glory on cleaning up crime under Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, still a cesspool of corruption, only this time of the institutionalized variety. One hopes that Corben returns to this subject in a later film.

a film about Peter Gatien, the owner of legendary New York nightclubs like Limelight, The Tunnel and the Palladium. The film documents his rise and fall from the 1980's through the 1990's.

I was hoping to see a film that was a detailed the clubs and their owner. Instead I got a film that seemed to be a mix of footage from inside the clubs, period local news stories and some new interviews. Little of it was much more detailed than the brief news stories that punctuate and make up most of the film. Its the sort of thing that you'd see on say the History Channel in a segment on the 1980's but stretched to 90 minutes. Threads are left hanging, people are mentioned and then fall by the wayside (the evil girlfriend for example).

I was disappointed, there wasn't much here, though I suspect that if you were a club kid or followed the club scene you might get something more out of it in nostalgia value.

I should say that the film isn't bad it just isn't all that detailed. I would have been happier if I had seen this at home on the couch instead of a movie theater.

This was an entertaining and informative look at the history of the Manhattan club scene, which contradicts the popular notion that this period of culture primarily consisted of Studio 54 and the also-ran clubs. It is also an insightful glimpse at the rise and fall of MDMA's impact on nightclub life; something that many people do not and cannot fully appreciate.

As to one reviewer's complaint that the film is mainly composed of old TV footage and interior shots (what exactly is wrong with that?) of the clubs central to the story: what was the director Mr. Corben supposed to do, get into his time machine and set-up new shots? The documentary made good use of existing film records, without a lot of shot duplication, something that plagues many films which rely on available stock footage.

This documentary is worth your time, especially if you have ever ingested real MDMA and then gone out dancing.