American Punks is a story centered around a 20-something loser who collects unemployment, smokes pot and hangs out with his loser friends. When one of his friends is killed by their pusher for non-payment, he is blamed by the police for the murder. He misguidedly believes that a local yuppie was the real killer, so he asks the homicidal pusher for help in proving his case.

The story arc is refreshingly believable, and the anti-hero loser ends up losing and losing big.

Unfortunately, the production is amateurish start to finish. Star Mike Passion admits that he was drunk for 65% of the filming, and claims that Richard Burton and Matt Dillon were his inspiration. The filming took place over a year and a half, and he remembers endless technical debates about things like lighting.

The film has a cult following, and seems to resonate with Gen-Xers, thanks in part to a driving soundtrack from Detroit punk bands like Shock Therapy, Itchy Wiggle Christ and Lab Animals.