Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash (2020) User Reviews

Very disappointing

[GirlwonderReturns · 4/10 · 2 July 2020]

I am a Skynyrd superfan and an avid amateur band historian, so although I had my misgivings about this film - mostly how vehemently opposed Gary and the families of Ronnie, Steve, and Allen were to its release - I had to watch it anyway.

The title should have been "The Story of Saint Artimus Pyle". Really, this is incredibly self-congratulatory, to the point of being cringeworthy. Everyone did coke and banged groupies except Artimus. Artimus knew exactly what was wrong with the plane, even when the pilots were clueless. Artimus pulled people from the wreckage. Artimus was the voice of reason, throughout the whole film. Artimus went for help alone and got shot (TOTALLY false; road crew members Marc Frank and Steve Lawler were with him, and he totally did NOT get shot by the farmer). Artimus is the only member of the band that gets fleshed out at all; even Ronnie had little substance as portrayed in the film (and could they not find an actor capable of doing a Southern accent to play Allen, who had a very strong accent?). Artimus, I'm disappointed in you, buddy. You made this into a tale of your wisdom and heroism; it has nothing to do with the band.

I gave it four stars because the plane crash was well done, especially given the film's low budget. But I can't give it any more than that. Very self indulgent on Artie's part.

Not As Bad As Most Here Say

[skotrulz · 6/10 · 17 July 2020]

First off this isn't a documentary. This is a 1st hand account from someone in the crash made into a movie.

Sure there's no history before Artimus joins the band, because he's the one telling the story ... from his point of view.

Is it all true ? Who knows ? ... it's his account of the story and that's what matters here. I have no reason to not believe him as I'm sure some of it is verifiable.

Gary, Billy, Leon, Allen, Leslie, JoJo ... they didn't make a movie about the crash from their point of view. So, we may never know the facts to 100% certainty ... if even that could make it 100% certain.

In conclusion, I suggest you watch Artimus' recollection of the most tragic plane crash in music history and quit worrying about all the minutiae.

Couldn't relate to a single character

[SpareMeTheCrapMovies · 5/10 · 26 June 2020]

The story was too overdramatized. A couple of incompetent pilots flying a broken down plane carrying a bunch of drug addicts just wasn't something I could get into. I never felt any pity with the exception for Cassie.

Not for true Lynyrd Skynyrd fans. Stick with the Rockumentary "If I Leave Here Tomorrow".

[cobaltthebook · 3/10 · 22 July 2020]

SPOILER ALERT!!! IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS INSIDE THE MOVIE, "STREET SURVIVORS", DO NOT READ. (I give it one star out of five, or three out of ten)

Okay, here is my take on this movie, "Street Survivors." The first 30 mins of the film, the band is screwing around, Artimus gets the call to join the group, they are performing, and Ronny yells at the band members. They trash a hotel room and get drunk some more. There are approximately 50 nude women in this movie, drugs, and heavy drinking, obviously showing the band's debauchery (Something we already knew about). The next hour is the plane problems, the crash, the last 30 mins is Artimus Pyle going for help, being shot, and then it ends after the DEA accuses him of having drugs in his luggage. Artimus breaks into the movie several times to give his account of what you are watching. I wanted this movie to be so good and tug at my heartstrings, but it failed from the beginning to the very end.

I have watched every Lynyrd Skynyrd documentary to date, and this one falls to the bottom of the list. The best Rockumentary, in my opinion, is, "If I Leave Here Tomorrow," free on Prime. Pass this movie up; you will be disappointed if you watch it expecting something than what you already know about the band. The only song in the film is "The Breeze," which is weird. Why have one song and not any other in the entire movie, including "Freebird." The direction the film takes is obviously with one man's account in which he thinks is different from any other account. However, it is not. It feels like it is done quickly and is pushed with a lousy ending. I truly wanted to write a great review here, but I am one honest SOB when it comes to my music. I feel sorry for the no-name actors who are excited about this project trying to make a name for themselves (Check out the Bonus Features to meet them). Robotic Love, CG

Can't you smell that smell?

[TwittingOnTrender · 2/10 · 15 July 2020]

It hurts to write this, it hurts to kick Artimus, but this is dreadful. I just hope he got a nice earner out of it because the movie has no merit whatsoever and helping Artimus stay afloat is the only positive I can glean from it. In the first scene Artie (or the actor playing him) is playing drums and his wife alerts him - "Ronnie Van Zant is on the phone!" "From Lynyrd Skynyrd?" he replies. No, your DENTIST Ronnie Van Zant! It starts as it means to go on. Artie bookends the movie, giving his band APB a plug at the end, and boy, does he inhabit the movie in between. He's an expert pilot ("Four years in the marines!"), he can do emergency surgery, he can struggle for miles with serious injuries (I'm happy to say he suffered torn cartilage in his chest and nothing more serious in the crash) then help with the rescue effort blitzing anyone who stands between him and his bandmates (at the crash site and at the hospital). It's all about him! When I heard the band launch into (a really poor version of) Call me the Breeze early on, I thought good, stories of no access to the music were untrue. Then I found that that brief blast of music was all there was - it being a cover version they were allowed to play it. For this reason Skynyrd opened the show with it (!)at one of those totally unrealistic movie gigs - you know, social distancing where a mosh pit should be, Skynyrd at their peak playing a stage the size of a cigarette packet. As a means of making life easier for Artimus, great - as a movie, virtually worthless.

I feel like I've been kicked in the teeth

[ma-94743 · 2/10 · 17 July 2020]

I'm going to just keep it short. I've loved Skynyrd since I was 14 one of my very first albums was One More From the Road so I was not introduced to them long before the end. But I started learning all their songs on guitar and I just was absolutely amazed at their musicianship. I cannot believe how little respect for these human beings was shown and if Artemus signed off on this he's really crazy. They made a mockery of all of them. Art by making him look foolish like he was a superhero saving the day which I do believe happened but the way it was portrayed and him being pretty much squeaky clean do nothing wrong. While the rest were just redneck animal chemical rejects. This was a slap in the face of fans but worse it was a spit in the face of the band. They should have made a two part movie and told it right. From beginning to end.

A Plane Crash Brain tells a tale never recovering accurate memory .

[captronray · 12 October 2020]

I thought after exposing the inaccuracies in "If I Leave Here Tomorrow," where out of 96 minutes the six minutes that was about Cassie & Steve Gaines was never fact checked about the date, location, venue where Steve Gaines auditioned even who made the call to turn Steve's guitar up in the mix. If those facts are blown over what other facts stated in the movie can you believe to be accurate? That movie was reviewed as a documentary. It wasn't ! That movie and this movie are tales told by people who's brains experienced a plane crash after being in a drug induced environment. And should we be surprised when they get it wrong. You can believe LS & MCA about as far as you can throw them.

Not that goos

[igoraugusto-45296 · 7/10 · 24 April 2021]

There are goods moments in the movie, but its too much Pyle's oriented.

An Opportunity Missed.

[fatfil-414-451797 · 1/10 · 2 November 2021]

Being a lifelong Skynyrd fan, I so wanted to like this movie, but it was mostly dreadful. Very centered around Artimus being the good guy, while painting Ronnie in a fairly poor light for most of the film. The only other band member that gets much of a look in is Cassie Gaines. The rest of the band are just a supporting cast. The pilots are made out to be a pair of incompetant buffoons, ejecting fuel instead of redirecting it, not filling the fuel tanks up completely etc. Plus all of their ridiculously naive conversations must be supposition, as both perished in the crash. The acting is, without exception, terrible. Typical dialogue, Artimus, "I was an aviation sergeant in the marines for four years, what's going on with that fuel gauge, it's showing empty..Jeez man, it sounds like the right engine is about to blow." Funny he didn't exercise that knowledge after the previous flight when flames were coming out the engine. The fatal crash itself is an overdrawn, over melodramatic segment, with music more suited to a soap opera. Of course after the crash it's all about Artimus again, being the hero of the day. He single handedly realises the plane is in trouble, discovers all the bodies, then helps to rescue some of them. The most excruciating scene lasts for close to ten minutes, where Artimus clambers over hills and through the undergrowth and across rivers to go and find help. The last 30 minutes is basically Artimus' recovery and post crash trauma. In his ego centric world there is no mention of the other surviving members, or any real acknowledgement of those who died. Pitiful. Lost all respect for the guy after watching this.

Lifetime Movie of Artimus Pyle the Super Hero

[kevinkeathley · 3/10 · 28 June 2020]

I love Lynyrd Skynyrd, and I love movies - this had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, this movie is just bad. So much over dramatization and it cannot be overestimated the level self importance Artimus has for himself. Even if all of this story were true, I can't imagine telling the story this way. Do not recommend.

An uncomfortable watch for any Lynyrd Skynyrd fan.

[MartynGryphon · 8/10 · 2 October 2022]

Over the years there have been many tv shows, biographies and documentaries made about that fateful day of October 20th 1977 when the plane carrying the excellent southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashed in a Mississippi swamp. Some of them from the perspective of the rescue workers, and some including the memories of the surviving band members themselves.

This 'biodrama' comes solely from the Perspective of drummer Artimus Pyle and given that only he and Gary Rossington are the only band members still living that experienced that horrific accident, there's no one really left that can dispute his version of the story.

There are a few contradictory stories from previous documentaries, such as Pyle finding the already dead body of Cassie Gaines outside the wreckage with Billy Powell still trapped inside, when previous testimony from Powell states that Cassie had died in his (and Pyle's) arms indicating that they were both free of the fuselage before Pyle went to get help.

There's no denying that Pyle was a hero that day in going to get the required help need to save more lives and the lack of fuel that caused the crash stopped an inferno that could have resulted in no survivors at all.

Whilst it is common knowledge that Ronnie Van Zant was an absolute bruiser who would pick a fight with the wind if it dared to blow his hat off, he is not painted in the best light in this movie. Most of the 'non plane' scenes feature groupies with bare breasts, drugs and copious amounts of alcohol and whilst the band were known for their excesses in this area, you get the feeling that it was just a chance to show some titties on the screen.

Also noticeably absent is any original Lynyrd Skynyrd music from the time with a lot of the music being performed by Pyle and his current band. The only exception was a scene at the beginning where the band is seen performing 'Call me the Breeze' a song off the band's 2nd album, but being that this was a cover of a J. J Cale song, this is probably why that song was chosen. Given Pyle's acrimonious parting with the current Skynyrd line up and how vociferously Ronnie Van Zant's widow still protects his memory, this wasn't surprising and speaks volumes of how they felt about this movie being made.

If you want to see a more thorough, and less morbid historical retrospective on this terrific band, then I recommend 'If I leave Here Tomorrow' but this is a passable attempt to show us the final days of classic Skynyrd.

Don McLean can sing all he wants about 'The Day the Music Died' because we all know that it was October 20th 1977. However, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines will live on in their music until the end of time itself.

THEY DESERVE BETTER

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 1/10 · 21 December 2020]

I can't in good faith give this title a lengthy reviews though I will do my best. The great southern rock band known as Lynyrd Skynyrd produced a number of hit song and best-selling LPs placing them in the pantheon of rock bands that will long be remembered. Hailing from Florida they established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the road playing to everything from bar crowds to stadiums in their short lived career. Their first LP was released in 1973 but in 1977 their career was cut short when their chartered plane crashed killing lead vocalist/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines while seriously injuring the rest of the band. The band struggled but eventually regrouped with Van Zant's younger brother Johnny on lead vocals. It would seem like this would be a great story to turn into a feature film. Unfortunately it gave us this.

Drummer Artimus Pyle kicks the film off appearing as himself and telling his version of the band and what took place the year the crash happened. Actors portray the various band members in what appears more like a cliché of the hard drinking, hard living rock bands of the time. While I have no doubt that they lived that lifestyle the script and performances here make it almost a cartoon version of that.

Most of the film takes place in small locations. Backstage rooms where fights and arguments break out, tiny clubs that the band no doubt was not playing by the time they died and interactions inside the airplane they were spending plenty of time in. To watch this film you would think that the reason they died was because the co-pilot was so much of a fan boy for the band that he forgot to fill the spare gas tank among other screw ups. I don't know if that was the case but I wouldn't trust this film to give me the facts.

Bits and pieces of songs are heard no doubt because they couldn't get the rights to feature them all in their entirety. Pyle is seen in different spots leading into the various segments as well as the end of the film where he's playing drums. Why he loaned his participation in this film is beyond me unless the producers convinced him that it was going to be more than what the final product ended up being.

I liked the band but was never a die-hard fan that would still listen to them on a daily basis now. That being the case it is sad to think that this is the legacy they left behind. Fans will most likely clamor to pick this up thinking they are getting some new insight into the band. Unfortunately that isn't the case.

Poorly executed

[jasonplynch · 3/10 · 26 July 2021]

I believe the story, but this movie is purely the self indulgent tale of Pyle and how he saved the day. It is a great story that deserves to be told, but maybe as a Netflix show and not a movie that I had to pay for. In the beginning of the movie, Pyle says this story is not just about the crash, but about the music. I disagree with that. This movie has little to do with the music or with the band or even their story. I would love to see a "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "The Dirt" style production of the full Lynyrd Skynyrd story. The production quality of this movie was very poor.

Wow - what a stinker

[ChipBach · 1/10 · 2 August 2020]

So sad that I bit on this trash. Terrible acting, terrible dialogue.

Drug addict, alcoholic, acid laced drummer is superhuman flight expert, voice of reason for a group of drunken fools. Ronnie VanSant apparently is solely responsible for the death of Cassie Gaines, who was the only person smart enough to recognize the cluster that was the airplane...

Even if this was absolutely true, it didn't need to be told.

Artimus Home Movies

[tailgater-58976 · 2/10 · 3 July 2020]

The other guys in the band (Gary) sued to stop movie, claim Artimus did not have rights to their own stories. The movie is bad. He wasn't even allowed to use Skynyrd music in the movie. That was weird. Bad actors, bad sets, bad wigs, bad information. I have heard 3 versions of Artie's story about coming face to face with a water moccasin in the swamp, and I had not heard the movie version. Funny how those things grow. If you are a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, you will be disappointed. How do you make a movie about Lynyrd Skynyrd and not show one of their classic performances of Freebird? That Artimus, he can tell a story now.

I Was There

[redtail-41915 · 1/10 · 14 July 2020]

I was with RVZ for many years, even before Artimus. This is not in the spirit of RVZ or the band as a whole. I Love Artimus just as much as I Love RVZ and all members of the band and this breaks my heart. I am not sure what happened in the production of this film but it is in the wrong spirit of things. I knew RVZ so well I believe that I could have played his part and done it right. There is so much wrong with this film I just can't continue. Artimus, I know you are a very brilliant man. What went wrong here. Ask yourself in your heart, would Ronnie approve of this film, or would he have done it his way? Because I know for a fact anything that he was involved in was done his way or not at all. No spoilers here.

Self-Indulgent, Artimus Pyle, Tripe

[chitterless · 1/10 · 20 July 2020]

This is a HORRIBLE movie. I grew up a huge Skynyrd fan in Florida. I've read and listened to interviews about everything Skynyrd, especially the crash. The movie is more like an awful re-enactment of documentary that is never told. Artimus portrays himself as the all knowing hero just waiting for a chance to save the world. No wonder the fought so hard in court to keep this thing from being made.

That said, Garry Rossington should be ashamed of himself for allowing the memory of a once good band who made contributions to music become a sad joke. That's what Lynyrd Skynyrd is now. They get paid but they would have been paid a lot more if they would've let the music speak for itself.

Artimus Pyle is a vile person for whom I have zero respect.

Should have been called 'Nuthin' Fancy'

[fivefids · 12 August 2020]

As a fan of the real Lynyrd Skynyrd (the version from 1973 - 1977) and someone who truly enjoyed their music, I waited for 40+ years for someone to make a movie about them. I've seen all of the documentaries but I wanted a real movie. After seeing this one, I have to say I'm still waiting. My heart goes out to Artimus because the plane crash was truly something that had an enormous effect on his life. Unfortunately he lacked the funding and or the backing to make this movie right. Others have criticized it for being all about Artimus but hey, he made the movie so I don't blame him for focusing on his own point of view. The problem is, he likely could not secure rights to names, songs etc. To do this right. Most members are addressed by their first name only and it's hard to tell who is who. The scenes of the airplane in flight are so phony they're almost laughable. It also seems no one will ever get the truth about Skynyrd. Gene Odom, Ronnie's childhood friend wrote a book and also provided interviews for the documentaries and his version has Ronnie sleeping on the floor of plane, sedated by sleeping pills. Odom claims he had to pull Ronnie up and strap him in his seat while fighting off his resistance. Artimus, on the other hand, in an episode of Behind The Music, states that as he was walking to the back the plane to take his seat he stopped at Ronnie's seat and they shook hands. I don't see how both of these things could've happened but of course in the movie they do. I also think it's ironic that Artimus for years was very angry with Billy Powell for lying about the way Cassie Gaines died in the episode of Behind The Music. I don't know why he would get so upset about that yet in this movie, after the plane crashes, it is he alone that goes for help. I still have the UPI clipping of the story the next day and it clearly states that "Three bloody survivors (Artimus, Ken Peden and Mark Frank) emerged from the woods screaming for help." All other news accounts, and several times Artimus himself, have claimed the same. Also why did the UPI article not mention that Artimus was shot? I believe it's because he wasn't. The man who's land they were on always claims he fired a shot in the air and I find it strange that no contemporary accounts that were out at the time mention him being shot. There is an interview with Artimus on youtube that was conducted Oct 24, 1977, four days after the crash. Artimus talks about his injuries and makes no mention of being shot or sustaining a gun shot wound - seems strange that he wouldn't even mention it. Also, Artimus was interviewed shortly after the crash and it was published in the Feb 1978 issue of Musicians Guide. He gives reports on all the survivors health, including his own and as he goes through his own injuries he made no mention of being shot or how his gunshot wound was healing. That seems a bit strange to me. Surely he would have mentioned this but somehow 25 years would go by before he would. Also, the plane crash took place at dusk (Billy Powell claims 6:48p, most other accounts say 6:50p but no matter...) as it was getting dark. This portrayal appears as though it took place at high noon! Also there were witnesses to the crash that came to the rescue on their own yet no portrayal of that at all. I also find it ironic that in his opening dialog Artimus states the story is "...not just about the plane crash. It's about the music..." and yet not one bit of Skynryd music is in the movie. Call Me the Breeze was a JJ Cale cover and the version featured in the movie is not even Skynyrd's version! Regardless of these nit-picky things, it's overall a low budget affair about a band and a story that deserves better.

Must watch

[joesikora-89759 · 10/10 · 1 July 2020]

Great job Artie! This movie is actually amazing. I waited many years for this movie to come out, and it was well worth it. It was very emotional to watch and I loved Artie's Point of view.

Artimus is Right, but the movie is bad...

[rodcarvalho67 · 3/10 · 27 June 2020]

The movie is bad. Although I like Lynyrd Skynyrd very much, this film is clearly made to show the importance of Artimus Pyle in the band - including pointing out that he was the one who got help to save the survivors of the plane crash. After the accident, Pyle only took part in the band's commemorative tour with the other surviving members. After that, he refused to continue playing just because of the money. Since then, he has been excluded from paying homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd's new lineup at shows - which today only has Garry Rossington from the original members-. I think the attitude of Pyle is very certain, that without Ronnie in the band there would be no reason for her to continue to exist. MONEY TALKS!

DISAPPOINTING!!!

[tobycoulter-64-813802 · 1/10 · 1 July 2020]

I absolutely love Lynyrd Skynyrd. And I love movies. I have been waiting on a movie about them for many many years. Unfortunately this is the one we get. It's disappointing how the band was portrayed during their last few days before the crash. The music was awful. On its own the covers of the songs might be alright but in a Lynyrd Skynyrd movie, it was not good. It is even stated in the movie that Skynyrd is the greatest southern rock band of all time but u wouldn't know it from the music in this movie. But I do not want to be all negative about the movie. There is some positive to the movie. Unfortunately it is the lowest/worst part of the bands short lived history, the plane crash. It was so well done from the CGI of the plane crash to Artimus running for help after the crash. It was almost how I imagined it when I was reading about it in one of the many books about the band. I feel that if the first part of the movie had been any kind of good, the plane crash could've been one of the most emotional parts of a movie EVER for me!! And it was still a little emotional but there was zero connection with anyone or anything up to that point. So disappointed all around!! I DO NOT recommend this movie!!

Falcon wouldn't give us a bad plane

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 28 August 2021]

This is a docudrama as told through the memory of drummer Artimus Pyle. The band is portrayed as a redneck Motley Crue with all the drugs and naked girls. The film covers the last couple days of the band and the accident. I was hoping for more of a back story. It seems Aerosmith had enough common sense not to fly in that same plane. If the plane was a little lighter they would have made it.

Guide: F-word. Nudity. No sex.

Sometimes hard to watch, not because of gore but the melodrama went too long.

[Wellenstock · 3/10 · 29 June 2020]

First I have to admit I had nothing to go on and was interested in knowing what happened with the crash so it was useful for that. Every other reviewer is right in that it was over-dramatized and again I have to admit I skipped over some of it. It was clearly and almost comically told from the drummer's perspective. Comically in that whereas everyone was doing cocaine he was (and here's the spoiler) only using ginseng. LOL. Then the saintly behavior of the story teller being overly supportive with the long good-byes when the audience knows this might be it. But to be fair this is an eye-roller in almost every dramatization. Nobody forgets to say goodbye or leaves angry with unresolved stress. Even though it was low budget and kind of hokey, at least they tried.

Horrible Acting!!

[bdw-64537 · 1/10 · 27 September 2020]

I'm a huge Skynyrd fan and I do like Artemis! The acting was horrible, the effects and filming were very amateurish. And the story which not very factual, giving for some reason, superstar hero status to Mr. Pyle. If I were him, I would have been embarrassed by the portrayal.

Had high hopes.

[ryan-d-deibele · 4/10 · 14 August 2020]

The Skynyrd story needs to be told, but it deserves someone who can do it properly. There are some good documentaries about Skynyrd and I want to see a good feature film about them but unfortunately this one fell flat. This band was the farthest thing from an after school special but ultimately this feels like a lifetime special. Cameron Crowe would be my choice to make a film on Skynyrd.