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HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS
How should I try to review this movie? It doesn't really feel like a feature film as much as it feels like recordings from the Hell's Angels' archive. And that's not such a weird thing since Richard Rush himself, a Hells Angels member, directed this movie.
There is no story or a plot to speak of. No, instead what he has tried to do is recreate as best as possible how the Hells Angels gang live their daily lives. Notoriously spoken of as possibly the most controversial biker gang of all time, this movie doesn't debunk those claims. In fact, sometimes he even does a too good job at showing that! Just as you would expect, they are as loud, obnoxious and rude as humanly possible. And to add to that, also very dangerous. Even though the cops and other men of authority are depicted as jerks, you can't really blame them for their hostility. Hell, they managed to kill two people! Both times by accident, but still. They are strong. They are not to be messed with. You as much as badmouth them, you better watch out. At first, it just starts off as a fun romp, with them having fun partying and making fools of themselves. And then... it continues with them having fun partying and making fools of themselves. Yeah, I didn't say this movie had substance, only that it felt realistic. But where it shines is whenever it focuses on Poet and Shill. Shill is the tough kitten with an attitude, but something doesn't feel quite right about her obedience towards Buddy (even though she doesn't really like him), while Poet is the shy but ambitious young soul who isn't sure if he's wound up with the wrong company or if this is the only place where he will fit in. These two characters are the only really interesting ones in the whole movie, while with most of others it barely scratches the surface. Buddy has a scene where he explains what he feels about marriage, but other than that he's just shown as someone in a position of power. The fight between him and Poet at the end is very exciting nevertheless.
The budget is noticably pretty low, but it works to the movie's advantage since it adds to the "rough 'n tough" feeling it's going for. Sure, the audio isn't the best, but with subtitles I could make out what they said. The direction by Rush is at times stylistic, other times just really wonky. What the hell was up with that abrupt ending? That was so bizzarre! The editing is also weird many times, like how in one scene it at first cuts back and forth between a big brawl and two people having sex, then just cuts away completely to the fight. I have no idea why they did that. It could also be too choppy at times, with more cuts taking place than really are neccessary.
The cast is who deserves the most credit here. All of the Hells Angels members were believably portrayed, and Adam Roarke, Sabrina Scharf and of course Jack Nicholson were so good that whenever the film became a little too in love with its rocky style, they were still fun to watch.
Worth seeing for Jack Nicholson fans, and those interested in the infamousy of Hell's Angels. In terms of biker flicks there are more wellmade ones (Easy Rider for example, which was more than just a story of bikers), but probably sloppier ones as well.
How should I try to review this movie? It doesn't really feel like a feature film as much as it feels like recordings from the Hell's Angels' archive. And that's not such a weird thing since Richard Rush himself, a Hells Angels member, directed this movie.
There is no story or a plot to speak of. No, instead what he has tried to do is recreate as best as possible how the Hells Angels gang live their daily lives. Notoriously spoken of as possibly the most controversial biker gang of all time, this movie doesn't debunk those claims. In fact, sometimes he even does a too good job at showing that! Just as you would expect, they are as loud, obnoxious and rude as humanly possible. And to add to that, also very dangerous. Even though the cops and other men of authority are depicted as jerks, you can't really blame them for their hostility. Hell, they managed to kill two people! Both times by accident, but still. They are strong. They are not to be messed with. You as much as badmouth them, you better watch out. At first, it just starts off as a fun romp, with them having fun partying and making fools of themselves. And then... it continues with them having fun partying and making fools of themselves. Yeah, I didn't say this movie had substance, only that it felt realistic. But where it shines is whenever it focuses on Poet and Shill. Shill is the tough kitten with an attitude, but something doesn't feel quite right about her obedience towards Buddy (even though she doesn't really like him), while Poet is the shy but ambitious young soul who isn't sure if he's wound up with the wrong company or if this is the only place where he will fit in. These two characters are the only really interesting ones in the whole movie, while with most of others it barely scratches the surface. Buddy has a scene where he explains what he feels about marriage, but other than that he's just shown as someone in a position of power. The fight between him and Poet at the end is very exciting nevertheless.
The budget is noticably pretty low, but it works to the movie's advantage since it adds to the "rough 'n tough" feeling it's going for. Sure, the audio isn't the best, but with subtitles I could make out what they said. The direction by Rush is at times stylistic, other times just really wonky. What the hell was up with that abrupt ending? That was so bizzarre! The editing is also weird many times, like how in one scene it at first cuts back and forth between a big brawl and two people having sex, then just cuts away completely to the fight. I have no idea why they did that. It could also be too choppy at times, with more cuts taking place than really are neccessary.
The cast is who deserves the most credit here. All of the Hells Angels members were believably portrayed, and Adam Roarke, Sabrina Scharf and of course Jack Nicholson were so good that whenever the film became a little too in love with its rocky style, they were still fun to watch.
Worth seeing for Jack Nicholson fans, and those interested in the infamousy of Hell's Angels. In terms of biker flicks there are more wellmade ones (Easy Rider for example, which was more than just a story of bikers), but probably sloppier ones as well.