The Wild Angels
This is one of the best bad movies in the world. Fonda did this one three years before the classic "Easy Rider." This movie is pretty rough for 1966, there is open drug use and some pretty brutal beatings as well. First of all I will give director Roger Corman (Deathrace 2000) a big thumbs up for the inclusion of Bruce Dern. No psycho-biker from hell movie is complete without Mr. Dern. He is the definition of crazy drug fueled madman. Nancy Sinatra stars as "Heavenly Blues" (Fonda) girlfriend, and Diane Ladd stars as "Loser's" (Dern) old lady. Of course in real life the latters are the parents of actress Laura Dern.
Our journey begins with Blues and Loser on a mission to steal back Loser's chopper from a mexican gang in the desert. Wouldn't you know it they get into a fight with the cops! Dern ends up stealing one of the cop's bikes, and tries to split town on it. The cops catch up with Dern and shoot him in the back. They capture Dern and take him to the hospital. The Angels then bust him out and take him back to the hideout. While taking his dying breathe Dern calls for a last puff on a joint, and then he dies. Bummer man. But wait it's not over yet! The gang decides to take Dern back to his hometown for a decent burial. From there it turns into a beer swilling, hell raising, free for all. There is a little suggestive rape along the way as well.
This film is a first of it's kind to say the least. There were others like it to follow The Glory Stompers (1967) with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, and Cycle Savages (1969) which also stars Bruce Dern. This movie also has the other standard crazy movie man, Michael J. Pollard as a far out member of the Angels. This film was made with the help of the Hell's Angel as well. It's great to watch for all the older bikes throughtout the movie. On the other hand the music struggles from start to finish. It's a cross between surf and crap. The outfits are great and everyone wants to have a party, and they are tired of the man. They make it to there destination, but I'll save the predictable cop versus biker ending for you to figure out.
Corman once again brings us a first of it's kind. He is the king of the lowbudget up all night movies. The Wild Angels is not as important in movie history as Easy Rider, but if you enjoy rowdy biker movies and far out cats that talk that 60's hip lingo this is a must. It's extremely dated and the acting is a little poor, but that's what makes it so fun to watch.
Our journey begins with Blues and Loser on a mission to steal back Loser's chopper from a mexican gang in the desert. Wouldn't you know it they get into a fight with the cops! Dern ends up stealing one of the cop's bikes, and tries to split town on it. The cops catch up with Dern and shoot him in the back. They capture Dern and take him to the hospital. The Angels then bust him out and take him back to the hideout. While taking his dying breathe Dern calls for a last puff on a joint, and then he dies. Bummer man. But wait it's not over yet! The gang decides to take Dern back to his hometown for a decent burial. From there it turns into a beer swilling, hell raising, free for all. There is a little suggestive rape along the way as well.
This film is a first of it's kind to say the least. There were others like it to follow The Glory Stompers (1967) with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, and Cycle Savages (1969) which also stars Bruce Dern. This movie also has the other standard crazy movie man, Michael J. Pollard as a far out member of the Angels. This film was made with the help of the Hell's Angel as well. It's great to watch for all the older bikes throughtout the movie. On the other hand the music struggles from start to finish. It's a cross between surf and crap. The outfits are great and everyone wants to have a party, and they are tired of the man. They make it to there destination, but I'll save the predictable cop versus biker ending for you to figure out.
Corman once again brings us a first of it's kind. He is the king of the lowbudget up all night movies. The Wild Angels is not as important in movie history as Easy Rider, but if you enjoy rowdy biker movies and far out cats that talk that 60's hip lingo this is a must. It's extremely dated and the acting is a little poor, but that's what makes it so fun to watch.
posted by Sam at 7:16 AM
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