Larry Clark first shocked the film world in 1995 with the explicit and relentless 'Kids'; and that's the movie he has become known for, and will be remembered for. However, Bully is a superior movie in every way.

Unlike Kids; Bully is not an aimless attempt to shock the population. It is evident throughout the movie, with the nihilistic view of sex and murder, that Larry Clark's main intention here, like with Kids, is to shock the viewer. But here the shocks aren't gratuitously over the top (with the exception of the actual murder), and because there is a plot, the shocks are allowed to become more shocking as we can care for what's going on, not just see the shocking images. Also unlike Kids, Larry Clark has put more emphasis on the characters and they are built up somewhat, unlike the cold shells we were presented with in Kids. Of course, the characters in this movie are based on actual living people and are not just works of fiction and therefore they are bound to have more depth.

Bully is based on the true story of a group of kids that killed their mean friend in order to end their problems. The character of the 'bully', played to perfection by Nick Stahl, is presented in a manner that very much makes him the villain of the piece. However, at the same time; the bully is given a human element; it is obvious that he's not a true villain, but rather a sexually confused teenager and therefore, when he is killed; the audience is made to feel guilty for wanting him dead, and we can therefore identify with the other characters throughout their guilt. And this is a great thing for a movie to do; Bully takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride and therefore it is a hard movie to forget. Unlike Kids; we're not shocked by what we see, we're shocked by what we feel and this makes for some very uncomfortable viewing.

The entire cast of Bully excels in their roles, and that's just another good point to add to Bully's already impressive resume. All characters involved are made believable and they all have their contribution to the story and none are lost within the film, and therefore, they all manage to stand out from the others.

Bully is impressive in many ways; the story is presented well and we are able to care for it, it is well acted, well characterized and the direction is more than competent. Overall, Bully is a great, if uncomfortable roller coaster of a movie, and it is therefore recommended to those that want to see movies that break the Hollywood mould, and movie fans in general.