BRITISH filmmaker Ju lien Temple is nothing if not eclectic. He’s directed documentaries, music videos and dramas involving, well, pretty much everything: the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, French director Jean Vigo, and Romantic poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
With “Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten,” Temple turns his attention to the Clash frontman and self-described “punk-rock warlord.”
The musician died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 50.
The documentary is a potent mix of home movies, concert clips and recollections from Strummer fans and associates, including Bono, Courtney Love, John Cusack, Martin Scorsese, Johnny Depp and Jim Jarmusch. There are also interviews with Strummer himself.
Temple collects testimonials at campfire gatherings like the ones Strummer arranged in his later years, which is a nice touch. On the downside, Temple doesn’t bother to identify the talking heads – fine when the camera is pointed at Bono, but frustrating when lesser-knowns are speaking.
Despite this, “Joe Strummer” is compelling viewing, even for people who don’t care a bit for the punk scene.
Running time: 124 minutes. Not rated (mature themes). At the IFC Center, Sixth Avenue and Third Street.
vam@nypost.com