The film is based on the death of Brian Deneke, the homicide that revealed the cultural clash between the local jocks and the punk community in Amarillo, Texas, and the result from the subsequent court case sparked debate over injustice in the American judicial system.

In this conservative town, there are many teenagers who actively follow punk and they routinely clashed with the jocks from one of the local high school's football team: The Tascosa Rebels.

[11] Joe Leydon of Variety described the film as "a potently riveting drama" that "spins the tragic tale of a punks-versus-jocks cultural clash that steadily builds to a furious altercation, with mortal consequences."

"[12] The Hollywood Reporter similarly called the film "assured and effective" and "an empathetic drama ready to put straight-laced audiences in the shoes of a maligned subculture.

"[13] Conversely, Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times described the film as an "overwrought indie melodrama" that "turns a real-life case from 1997 of white-on-white violence between combat-booted punks and snarling high school football players in Amarillo, Texas, into a 'who's the real threat' cautionary tale, one with the eye-rolling impact of Reefer Madness, or perhaps a profane after-school special about books, covers and judging.