“Watch out for the third rail, baby.”
When Lee Quiñones makes that comment, he’s being literal, warning about the high power rail as he makes his way through the trainyard, graffitiing trains. But the real electricity in Wild Style is every ounce of the burgeoning hip hop culture pouring from the screen.
The MC’s and the turntablists, new forms of music bubbling to life, the breakdancing as fresh and vital as can be, the graffiti itself all over the place, and the people, the vibes, the culture, even the streets of New York City, the landscape of a crumbling inner city from which this vibrancy arose.
Charlie Ahearn’s movie offers the least bit of narrative and characters, keeping it from…