However, head and shoulders above these stood Lemmy, the compelling character study from co-directors Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski, which came across as fiercely distinctive, keenly insightful and wildly entertaining. Later, he walks around the corner to his local boozer, which just happens to be fabled nightspot the Rainbow Bar & Grill, second home to many West Coast rockers over the years, and takes up his regular spot, right next to the quiz machine. Over its two hour runtime, Lemmy treads this line between reality and mythology. We see its subject both in candid footage and through the eyes of his family, friends and fans. Segments are dedicated to his formative years in North Wales, and his early career in beat group The Rockin’ Vickers and the space rock band Hawkwind, but it doesn’t get bogged down in biography and history, favouring an eclectic blend of everything documentaries can do. Likewise, despite being an icon for the live fast rock star lifestyle (and curiously maintaining both his integrity and faculties better than contemporaries such as Ozzy Osbourne), he is quick to avoid becoming a poster child, saying, “I wouldn’t want to advertise a lifestyle that killed a lot of my friends.” Indeed, Orshoski and Olliver are intelligent enough to engage with these more serious aspects of Lemmy’s cartoonish character, with time also given over to his suffering from diabetes and his awkward, yet loving relationship with his grown son, Paul. But their obvious passion for his music gives the film a certain infectious enthusiasm and a genuine energy during the footage of live shows, recording sessions and informal jams with the likes of Metallica, Dave Grohl, The Damned and Lemmy’s rockabilly side project, The Head Cat. It is a terrific film, and should take pride of place next to other music documentaries like Anvil! The Story Of Anvil, Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey and Some Kind Of Monster. Like those films, it looks at the world of heavy metal as a community of musicians, fans and roadies all united by a shared passion, and assesses its subject with intelligence, warmth and familiarity. And, on top of that, it is a powerful portrait of one of the 20th century’s most enduring musical icons. Lemmy is receiving a limited UK theatrical release in December, before a beefed up DVD and Blu-ray set in January. Follow Den Of Geek on Twitter right here.