Bull riding and rodeos are generally not something I find enjoyment in. If you ask me, it’s a borderline barbaric sport; dangerous, abusive and little more than a brainless display of masculinity. But then again I guess you could say the same for boxing, wrestling and just about any other form of direct physical competition. Interesting then, that a filmmaker like John Hyams would choose to tackle the world of professional bull riding in documentary form. Hyams previously directed an amazing and gritty documentary called The Smashing Machine, about UFC fighter Mark Kerr. This time around he turns his cameras on the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) tour and world finals, taking a look at what makes these adrenaline junkies sacrifice their bodies for a chance to win the “gold buckle”. The movie is called Rank, and focuses on 3 competitors in particular: world champion Mike Lee, newcomer Justin McBride, and Brazilian Adriano Moraes. I know this isn’t the first documentary on the subject (there was a 2002 documentary narrated by Luke Perry, for example), but given Hyams’ background, this is a movie I’m interested to see. Rank will open in select theatres on June 28th. Check out IFC’s official site below for more info (unfortunately no trailer as of yet).

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