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Review

With the high-octane energy of a Beatles song, Backbeat is the exhilarating story of artist and musician Stu Sutcliffe, who flirted with fame as the "fifth Beatle." It's 1960, and the struggling Beatles have accepted a gig at a dive bar in Hamburg. The story focuses on the friendship of best mates Sutcliffe (Dorff) and John Lennon (Hart), whose close relationship is put to the test when Sutcliffe falls in love with a bohemian German woman (Lee in a captivating performance). Though the many musical sequences are thrilling, they are only a small part of the film's success, and these scenes are smartly complemented by bristling characterizations and finely tuned dramatics. Hart gives an extraordinary portrayal which goes beyond mimicry in bringing Lennon's wit, sarcasm and genius to the surface, and Dorff is equally compelling as Stu.

 -- David Bleiler