Crime/Drama/Thriller
1 hour and 35 minutes
Approved
Written by: R. Wright Campbell
Directed by: Richard Rush
Produced by: Joe Solomon
Cast:
Adam Roarke
Jack Nicholson
Sabrina Scharf
Jack Starrett
The violence, the hate, the way-out parties ... exactly as it happens!
The 1950s saw the emergence of the exploitation genre known as the biker film. During this decade, these films concerned the rugged outlaw - referred to as a greaser - who appeared as a tough and dangerous figure, but one that was fascinating to audiences nonetheless. As the 1950s became the 1960s, audiences' interest in rebels only increased with the growing unrest within American society. Greasers gave way to outlaw biker gangs, and a newer, tougher, type of biker film was born. The country was fascinated with real life outlaws like the Hells Angels, and filmmakers intelligently cashed in on that fascination.
Hells Angels on Wheels came during the era when biker films were at their zenith. Roger Corman's movie The Wild Angels used real life Hells Angels as cast members, and showcased the rowdy, rambunctious nature that these outlaws lived on a day-to-day basis. Peter Fonda at the end of Corman's movie sums up precisely what it was that fueled these movies as well as the real life Hells Angels in his monologue declaring that they "want to be free."
Freedom to do whatever they want and being able to get away with it is why American audiences loved The Wild Angels. Hells Angels on Wheels followed just one year after wanting to cash in on this exploration of outlaw freedom, making it essentially a mocksploitation biker flick. Regardless of it living in the shadow of Corman's superior film, Hells Angels on Wheels is a fun movie with plenty of merits.
While there is hardly a tangible story - which is the case for most of the best biker movies - the film does contain an interesting plot. An outsider, a young middle-class, American - played by Jack Nicholson - is clearly fed up with the restraints of his day-to-day life, working as an attendant at a gas station. When a gang of Hells Angels crosses his path, he gives up the rat race of normal life and joins in on the chaos. It's a fascinating way to take us as an audience into this chaotic, and somewhat fascist, lifestyle that the Hells Angels lived - as opposed to the approach in Corman's movie where the audience is essentially just thrown into it all blindly.
As the main character embraces the freedom, so does the audience. When he defends his brothers in the film's countless brawls, the audience cheers him on, not giving a damn that the men the Angels are actually beating up are working-class Americans. The audience becomes an Angel with the film's hero. And as the story progresses, and Nicholson's character finds there to be a particular lack of freedom with all of the Angels fascist rulings, the audience grows tired of the nightmare, hoping that the hero will just walk away and ultimately do the right thing.
The film's most commendable aspect is its cinematography. László Kovács, most famous for shooting Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces (both of which also starred Nicholson), showcases brilliance in regards to the film's camerawork. It is clear that Kovács worked hard to make the audience feel completely submerged within each moment of the film. During the party sequences, the camera moves around, effectively hand-held, zooming in on women's bodies, tilting, twisting, and dancing as if it were one of the Angels at the party. During the brawls, the camera is equally effective in its movements, perfectly spliced together by editor William Martin. Hells Angels on Wheels may be scolded for its lack of story, but it must be held in high regards for its technical brilliance.
Jack Nicholson is impressive as the film's hero, and even in this early film of his it is apparent that something special lurks within him. He is ever the professional, and one gets the impression that he gave this role one hundred percent - never once thinking this kind of exploitative storyline was beneath him or his talents (whether he'd think the same today ... who knows?) Sabrina Scharf is an interesting choice as the love interest. There are moments where she seems outstanding in the role, and moments where she seems miscast. Her intelligent dialogue with Nicholson's character being the stronger of her moments, while the bimbo, motorcycle-babe moments being the weaker. The film's strongest performance is delivered by Adam Roarke, who as the head of the Angels is truly believable. Roarke is commanding, he looks the part with his beard and dirty features - cruising on his bike with his 1960s sunglasses and torn denim vest. He is a quintessential tough guy, and his believability certainly trumps Nicholson's, and it is an absolute pleasure to watch him play a role that may have been better received if it had been in a much more serious movie. It's a shame his career never amounted to the potential it should have.
Despite decent performances and truly innovative technical qualities, Hells Angels on Wheels suffers in that it never breaks out of the cinematic shadow of its predecessor: The Wild Angels. By this point, The Wild Angels had effectively showcased the truly chaotic and fascinating lifestyle of the Hells Angels and outlaw motorcycle gangs to American audiences. Hells Angels on Wheels almost feels like a redo that is totally and utterly ineffective. It's fun, it's wild, and it has its merits, possibly enough to make it an entertaining cult movie. But despite this, none of what it showcases can be regarded as important to the canon of cinematic history.
5/10
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