| The Original Infamous Biker Flick (I'm not sure if I should rate it 2 or 5 Stars) |
Like most people I've seen "Easy Rider" (1969), Peter Fonda's infamous drug-culture biker flick, but I haven't seen any of the other similar films from the '60s. Since "The Wild Angels" was available cheap I decided to enlighten myself to this Grade B film genre.
The first half hour or so is quite good. The Southern California locations and cinematography are incredible and the story is compelling. In fact, the film's worth owning for these elements alone (the scenic footage was shot in Mecca, Idyllwild and Palm Desert, California). The last 55 minutes can be shocking and tedious, however, if you're not psyched-up for it.
This latter portion of the film involves the death of Fonda's best friend, "The Loser," and his funeral & burial. The movie tends to bog down during these segments wherein the only thing that catches your attention (or wakes you up) is the utterly mean-spirited and criminal behavior of the "Angels."
I'm a big Marlon Brando fan so I've seen "The Wild One" from 1954, the original biker flick; but the worst that Brando & his gang do is brawl, drink and chew gum (gasp!). This may be "wild" perhaps but certainly not mean-spirited or criminal.
"The Wild Angels" was filmed only 12 years later, so I'm thinking 'How "wild" can they be?' Surprise, surprise as Fonda's gang members are WAY beyond merely wild & free (which is how they're depicted in the first half hour), they're totally wicked imbeciles (although Fonda himself, I should point out, is usually portrayed in the film merely as the epitome of 'cool').
Want proof? The Angels break into the hospital to "free" the Loser and he ends up dying for lack of proper medical care for his critical wounds. They make sure to get him high before he dies though. While breaking into the hospital one Angel savagely attempts to rape a nurse. And guess what kind of thanks the Angels give to the minister who kindly perfoms The Losers' funeral? They beat him up and trash his sanctuary. Guess what kind of comfort two Angels offer to The Loser's mourning girlfriend? They cruelly rape her. To top it all off they outrageously abuse The Loser's corpse at the funeral party(!!).
As you can see, the Angels aren't just anti-heroes in this film, they're the SCUM OF THE EARTH. Not only that, but they're a bunch of LOSERS who, as Fonda points out, just "want to get loaded." Hey, everyone needs to let loose and celebrate now and then (God even commands it in the bible -- Deuteronomy 14:26), but if the whole purpose of your life is to just "get loaded" you're not gonna look very good when you hit 35 (the Angels in the movie are all in their 20s), and you're certainly not going to have any energy, drive or charisma. Yeah, the "party animal" life gets old real quick, and then ya gotta grow up (every one grows older but not everyone grows up).
Despite what other reviewers say, Nancy Sinatra does a fabulous job; she would later renounce the film, however, due to it's incredible immorality.
In my teens I went through a "party animal" phase and "partied" with real bikers on quite a few occasions (The Outlaws). These were some bad dudes, to be sure, but they were generally pleasant and merry; I never experienced anything that remotely resembles the Angel's heinous conduct in this flick. So I very seriously doubt the realism of this depiction. In other words, knowing that controversy sells, Roger Corman featured the Angels immorally over-the-top for the simple sake of shock value. Most people, I'm sure, realize this. Still, there's SOME truth to the nature of such outlaw/outcast American biker gangs as depicted in the film.
FINAL ANALYSIS: The first time I saw "The Wild Angels" (2004) I was taken aback (to put it mildly) by the incredibly wicked morality of the Hell's Angels; I simply wasn't prepared to see this in a 1966 flick. I also felt the story really bogged down with The Losers' death, funeral and burial (which involved the last 55 minutes of the film). These factors explain why I rated "The Wild Angels" as 2/5 Stars.
Seeing it again after over two years, fully prepared for the material, I saw the film's uniqueness and brilliance. Yes, some of the Angel's behavior is incredibly reprehensible and, yes, the preacher in the film was right when he stated "Woe to those who say good is evil and evil is good." Still, the picture successfully captures the utterly outcast (and outlaw) nature of the bike gang. They're like a small, totally lost tribe living on the periphery of American soiciety. In a way, one can't help but pity the poor bastages.
Also, I saw the genius of the last 55 minutes of the picture, which involve The Losers' death, funeral and burial. If you're psyched-up to see an action picture you're going to be disappointed because "The Wild Angels" boldly sneers at all such film conventions. The story powerfully shows how the various gang members deal with their grief: They deny it and attempt to lose themselves in drinking/drugs, laughter and criminal conduct. The leader (Fonda) can't shake his great grief; he's not sure if he even loves his "old lady" anymore. When everyone else scatters because "the Heat" arrives, he stays -- risking impending capture -- to bury his fallen comrade.
The original title of "The Wild Angels" was better and more fitting: "All the Fallen Angels."
No matter how you slice it, "The Wild Angels" is shocking, bold, unique and well worthy of its notorious reputation. In fact, it was banned in Denmark, one of the world's most 'liberated' countries, when it was first released.
If you're watching it for the first time you'd better brace yourself. |
2 Rating
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