An entertaining yet unflinching documentary profiles Paul Di'Anno, Iron Maiden's original lead vocalist from 1978 to 1981. The film, directed by Wes Orshoski, captures Di'Anno's early promise and his later struggles, offering a candid look at a difficult personality.
Archive footage shows a charismatic Di'Anno with a gravelly, punk-inflected voice on the band's first two albums. However, Iron Maiden achieved global success only after replacing him with Bruce Dickinson on 1982's 'The Number of the Beast', casting Di'Anno as a footnote in metal history.
The documentary follows Di'Anno during a dark period, including the Covid-19 pandemic, when his health deteriorated. A dislocated knee left him immobile, and he frequently criticises the NHS for delays in surgery. A Croatian superfan, Stjepan Juras, crowdfunds to bring Di'Anno to Zagreb for cheaper treatment, but Di'Anno's ingratitude and bad temper test their patience.
Despite successful surgeries and a career revival in Croatia, Di'Anno fails to maintain rehabilitation, sliding back into depression and ill-health. His constant complaining and smoking make him a difficult subject, leaving viewers wishing the film had focused on more sympathetic figures like Juras or Di'Anno's Croatian nurse fiancée.
