Lords of Dogtown

Set in 1970s California, Lords of Dogtown follows three teenage surfers from the Venice Beach area who belonged to a group known as the Z-Boys. Jay, Stacy and Tony bring the skills they learned in the ocean to the streets of Dogtown, developing a new style of skateboarding that spreads far beyond their neighbourhood. Their talent in empty swimming pools helps turn the activity into an extreme sport and a wider cultural phenomenon. As the pastime grows into an industry, sudden fame and money strain the friendships that held the group together.

Catherine Hardwicke directs, three years after her debut Thirteen and two years before The Nativity Story. Stacy Peralta, one of the Z-Boys, wrote the screenplay, and John Linson produced. John Robinson plays Stacy, Emile Hirsch plays Jay and Victor Rasuk plays Tony, with Rebecca De Mornay, William Mapother and Julio Oscar Mechoso among the credited cast. The production, a German and American co-release from Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Senator International and The Linson Company, cost about 25 million dollars and returned roughly 13 million worldwide.

On IMDb the film holds 7.1 out of 10 from around 61,000 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 7.1, from 844 votes. A critics' rating of 6.2 out of 10 from 146 reviews places it slightly below the audience scores.