Does Banksy exist? And even if he did, did he direct this documentary? Like an exhilarating whirlwind, his movie sweeps you up and plonks you back in Kansas unmolested, very likely lied to and totally entertained.
It tells the story of Thierry Guetta, an LA-based graffiti fan who became an artist himself: the soulless Mr. Brainwash, whose rotten screenprints (slap Britney’s face on Madonna’s body and throw in an AK-47) have become the talk of the US art world. Banksy’s debut is a provocative film about artistic intent and irony, a delicious put-on that will linger long after Richard Hawley’s anthem, Tonight The Streets Are Ours, has faded.