KIDS TAKE MATTERS INTO OWN HANDS IN BRUTAL 'BULLY'.

Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic

Every parent's worst nightmare, and then some, is relentlessly dished out by the new film ``Bully.''

Prurient, exploitative and hard-to-watch as much of the film is, however, there's an honesty at the core of its presentation. The credit is due to the superb and frighteningly realistic work of its youthful ensemble cast.

The movie depicts events surrounding the 1993 murder of South Florida teen-ager Bobby Kent by a group of drug-addled suburban kids, which included the victim's lifelong best friend, Marty Puccio. Characterized as an irresponsible, amoral band of layabouts interested primarily in sex and staying high, the killers all seem to come from comfortable homes and decent enough families. Basically unsupervised, though, they're so used to getting away with murder that when one of them suggests actually committing it, the others don't object.

Larry Clark, who made his directing debut with the controversial ``Kids'' (a movie which looks like, well, a kiddie show compared to the indulgence and depravity on display in his current film), is more interested in observing the young people's behavior than trying to find explanations for it. Some chilling psychological motivations are nonetheless stirred up.

Smart but unpredictably violent Bobby (Nick Stahl) has had a remarkably co-dependent relationship with the denser, surfing dropout Marty (Brad Renfro, almost unrecognizable as a beefed-up near-adult). Since early childhood, Bobby has beaten and mentally abused the bigger kid, then begged forgiveness for the transgressions with all of his heart. Despite always being on the receiving end, Marty seems unable to break the bond. But after Marty falls into an intense physical relationship with the equally dimwitted Lisa (Rachel Miner), the love-besotted lass becomes obsessed with eliminating Bobby from the face of the Earth.

A motley crew of equally dumb and attractive losers signs on for Lisa's mission. Some of them have good reason to hate the target. Ali (Bijou Phillips) has kinky tastes but they do not extend to being forced to watch gay porn videos while Bobby rapes her (a scene not staged discreetly, in keeping with the dozen or so others involving sex and all the nubile flesh Clark's camera can devour). Others, like Ali's perpetually blitzed ``true love'' Donny (Michael Pitt), just seem to be along for the ride, barely cognizant of what's really being planned (to say nothing of the potential consequences).

Anyway, things, as they usually do in situations such as this, turn out quite dreadfully for all involved. And no, there aren't any facile explanations for how kids could possibly act this way in Zachary Long and Roger Pullis' screenplay, which was adapted from Jim Schutze's book about the incident.

Clark's voyeuristic staging and the impulsive performances he elicits, in fact, reinforce the obvious truths that people just don't want to hear: That young people engage in reckless sex and drug use because it's fun, that moral frameworks don't develop in many people until well after they physically mature, and that, in fact, some folks just do very bad things regardless of their upbringing, environment or cultural factors.

``Bully'' also declines to explicate a middle-age filmmaker's fixation on dysfunctional youth and their remarkably active love lives. But as with other aspects of the movie, Clark's overt behavior tells us more than we conceivably need, or probably want, to know.

``BULLY''

(Not rated: violence, sex, nudity, drug use, language)

The stars: Brad Renfro, Rachel Miner, Nick Stahl, Bijou Phillips, Michael Pitt, Kelli Garner, Daniel Franzese.

Behind the scenes: Directed by Larry Clark. Written by Zachary Long and Roger Pullis, based on Jim Schutze's book. Produced by Chris Hanley, Don Murphy and Fernando Sulichin. Released by Lions Gate Films.

Running time: One hour, 46 minutes.

Playing: Nuart, West L.A.

Our rating: Three stars

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Bijou Phillips, left, Rachel Miner and Brad Renfro plot revenge against a common tormentor in director Larry Clark's ``Bully,'' which is based on a shocking real-life murder.