I am not a particular fan of Ginger Baker nor of the groups he's been associated with over the years. This is NOT a criticism--I am just letting you know that if you don't know who he is or care, you STILL could really enjoy watching this film! While Baker is most famous for his part in the short-lived rock group Cream (recently admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), this only takes up a small portion of this fascinating documentary about this infamous drummer. Like a good documentary, it tries to cover the totality of his life--and shows him in a warts and all portrait. And, like a good documentary, it allows Baker to speak for himself--in addition to all the celebrity interviews and vintage footage.So why did I like this film so much in addition to it being well made? Well, Baker is an amazingly self-absorbed *##--and film appears to say he is both a brilliant and amazing drummer AND a sociopathic jerk who uses people and is subject to fits of anger and drunken binges. Heck, you even get to see Baker smash the documentarian in the face and draw blood near the end of the film!! Talk about warts and all.The bottom line is that this film is like watching a slow-motion train wreck. You know it's repellent and awful--but it's never dull and cannot help but entertain you!!

Ginger Baker is not only one of the greatest drummers ever but also a character who waits for a movie to be made about him. One day maybe a fiction movie will be made, until them we have 'Beware of Mr. Baker' - the documentary made by Jay Bulger. Rock documentaries are now quite 'en vogue' and there is a good reason for this. The big rock stars of the 60s and 70s, well, the ones who survived are now at the age of writing or telling on screen their memories. The younger generations may have heard little about 'Cream' or 'Blind Faith' but they do have an opportunity not only to watch part of their concerts (luckily filmed concerts technology developed just in time to catch much of their sounds, moves and the atmosphere of their live shows) but also to hear fist hand their version of the history of rock. And fans like me are definitely delighted.'Beware of Mr. Baker' is centered around the interview reluctantly given by Baker at his ranch in South-Africa. He is one of those anti-social partners of discussion that you sometimes pity the interviewers about. He certainly loves to complain about his family, other musicians, life and fate in general - one of these guys who seem to love themselves much less than the world lives and admires them. We learn much more about his life from interviews with members of his family (his first wife seems still to have a crush on him, his son's best memory is having made music with his father) and with other musicians. It's the story of a life damaged by drugs abuse and a pattern of behavior that preempted Baker from establishing good working relations with any of his colleague musicians and eventually led to the early breaking of all bands he played in. Yet, it is also doubtful if in the absence of this temper and even of the use of drugs his music would have been the same. And music is what is left at the end from such personalities. Great music in the case of Mr. Baker.

This documentary about the greatest drummer to ever walk the planet earth "Ginger Baker" was one of the most inspirational films I have ever seen. I am a musician myself and just writing this article is giving me goosebumps about how amazing Ginger Baker really is. He's been an un- liked guy by many due to hardships he's faced as a child, but you'll quickly learn to forgive Ginger Baker when watching this documentary. He is an absolute LEGEND among LEGENDS in the music world and is almost solely responsible for the heavy metal music we have today; whether it was his intention or not. If you are a music buff, a musician, or simply enjoy great documentaries then look no further!WATCH THIS FILM!

Beware of Mr. Baker is a fascinating, humorous and at times fairly moving piece about one of rock and jazz's greatest drumming ancestors, Ginger Baker. From the truly unholy amount of multi-decade long substance abuse, this is a man who should be long dead, and yet here he still is, able to tell his story when he feels like it. Baker goes down as a largely unsympathetic man that no one feels the need to speak politely of, nor does he expect or want them to. Beware of Mr. Baker is a fascinating film mostly because of the sheer amount of people director Jay Bulger manages to track down to speak about Baker...