The Wild Angels

Starring:Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, Buck Taylor, Norman Alden, Michael J. Pollard, Lou Procopio, Joan Shawlee, Marc Cavell, Coby Denton, Frank Maxwell, Gayle Hunnicutt, Gina Grant, Art Baker, Dick Miller, Kim Hamilton, Hal Bokar, Jack Bernardi, Frank Gerstle
Director: Roger Corman
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Description

Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence and William H. Macy star in Wild Hogs, the hysterically funny comedy about four weekend-warrior friends who decide to rev up their ho-hum suburban lives with a cross-country motorcycle adventure. They don their leathers, fire up their hogs and throw caution and their cell phones to the wind as they hit the open highway. A lot can happen on the road to nowhere, including a run-in with the bad-to-the-bone Del Fuegos, a real biker gang who don't take kindly to the wannabes. Filled with hilarious misadventures, screwball situations and madcap mayhem, this laugh-out-loud comedy is a movie your whole family will go hog wild over.

Customer Reviews:

A great cast makes this a great movie.......2007-06-28

Wild Hogs is a typical midlife crisis movie. Four men, who have been friends for years and who suit up in leather and ride to the local bar and grill regularly to hang out, suddenly wonder what happened to their lives. They all realize, one by one, that they've hit middle age and fallen into a rut, and they decide to take a cross country trip on their bikes to get out of it.

This is one of the more entertaining movies I've seen in a while. What made it for me, however, was not the plot or even the comedic moments but rather the excellent performances by a great cast. John Travolta plays the cool-guy-in-a-midlife-crisis role perfectly, and Tim Allen pulls off his when-did-my-life-get-so-bland part flawlessly as well. Throw in great performances by Martin Lawrence, a man desperate to get out from under his overbearing wife's thumb, and William H. Macy, a geek who hopes he can FINALLY do something that will make him cool, and you've got a great group of main characters.

Macy's performance is probably the most surprisingly good of the bunch. He's downright hilarious in this movie as the 'rebel nerd.' And Ray Liotta is excellent as the villain, the antagonist who tries to refuse this group of "Wild Hogs" their right to ride on the grounds that they're not real bikers.

This is a very funny movie and is sure to keep you entertained. With a relatively unoriginal plot this may not have been a great film if not for the excellent cast, but these guys will have you cheering for the middle-aged suburbanite and longing for the open road yourself.

Funny - Good for men & women.......2007-06-26

My husband and I don't often agree on movies - he tends to like horrors (too gory for me) and war movies (same problem) while I like comedy and sci-fi (okay, he likes SOME sci-fis, too) but I never would've thought I'd like a biker movie! This one I did. It's funny and it's manly but not so much that a woman can't appreciate it, as well. My favorite part is when some average (overweight) middle-aged man starts singing "Don't you wish your girlfriend was HOT like ME?!" Histerical!

Actors include: Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Mac, Ray Liotta, Martin Lawrence, and others.

Great Movie!.......2007-06-22

I loved this movie. I saw it twice; the first time with my friend who is a Harley man and the second time with my daughter, Both laughed all the way through. I can't wait to buy the movie. My Harley friend is also waiting to buy it to watch with his fellow biker friends.

Great Movie.......2007-06-19

I Loved this movie. this movie is about four friends (Tim Allan,John Trovlta, Martin Lawerence and William H. Macy) who love riding their Motorcycles. Now all four of them are stressed out and are having personal problems and they are being told that they are not real bikers and they are old. so they deside to take a road trip on their bikes and that is where the adventur starts. you will have to get the movie to find out what happens....

Fun for some.......2007-06-17

When this movie first appeared, I read the review by N.O.Scott, in the New York Times. He blasted it (in a very funny way.) Then a friend of mine seconded his opinion, claiming it was dreadful. She mentioned that the 12 yr old boy she brought to the film thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the readers of the NYTimes, a jr. high teacher, said he found the movie to be perfectly geared to a jr. high audience.

So....I waited till it came to the dollar theater, not expecting a whole lot. I think that expectations are important...I have found that if I expect a lot I'm often disappointed, and vice-versa. So I offer this review saying that if you don't expect High Art, and are not bothered by politically incorrect homophobic jokes, you might like this. (I also advise you to read the review here by Mark Eremite, which I think is quite intelligent.)

So, expecting not-much, I bought my very cheap ticket and joined the crowd at the Sat. afternoon show at the cheapest theater in town. I actually enjoyed it! Not a huge amount---but my attention never left the screen from beginning to end. With the exception of a really tacky episode with a gay cop, there's nothing really offensive. And that says a lot for movies these days.

I think that the success of the film (and it was a huge box office smash) is due to the very capable and attractive cast. John Travolta is strong and charismatic. While I wouldn't call him exactly handsome, he certainly is hunky and not bad to look at. He doesn't seem to take the role terribly seriously but maybe that's ok. Martin Lawrence is very funny and endearing. His facial expressions are terrific and he excudes a sweet vulnerability as the hen pecked plumber.

William H. Macy, a fine actor, brings a touch of class to what could have been a very dopey character--the computer nerd. He embues this girl-shy guy with an innocence and simplicity that is really touching. Even with his rumpled face and tendancy to self-destruct, he wins the prettiest girl in town, which I found truly touching.

Tim Allen's performance, as the dentist, was the most lack-luster, in my opinion. He does have a nice moment near the end, when confronting the "real" bikers, telling them that they, are really the posers. That won points for me.

The big surprise is the cameo appeaance of the archetypal film bad-biker, Peter Fonda! He is appropriately adorable with his grey curls under his bandana, eclipsing all of the other bikers, and wannabes with his presence. A nice touch, for those of us who remember him cruising through the same New Mexico territory in Easy Rider.

Under all the silliness, there are some nice lessons and the good guys really do win out. Just read the reviews here, see who you most resonate with, and make that your index of how much you'll like this movie.

Average customer rating:

Wild Hogs [Blu-ray]
Starring: Tichina Arnold , M.C. Gainey , Kyle Gass , Jill Hennessy , and Martin Lawrence
Director: Walter Becker
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: Blu-ray

Action & Adventure | Blu-ray | Formats | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000QFCD86
Release Date: 2007-08-14

Product description

Average customer rating:

wild angels...ok, hells belles...not good
The good news is...................
Too Young...Too Tough...Too Itching for Action

The Wild Angels/Hell's Belles
Starring: Jeremy Slate , Adam Roarke , Jocelyn Lane , Angelique Pettyjohn , and Michael Walker
Director: Maury Dexter , and Roger Corman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007R4T30
Release Date: 2005-02-15

Description

THE WILD ANGELS: Original Theatrical Trailer HELL'S BELLES:

Customer Reviews:

wild angels...ok, hells belles...not good.......2007-03-19

Wild Angels is a good biker movie. I like the story and Bruce Dern makes the movie decent by doing what he does best, playing a ruthless loser. Peter Fonda is as cool as always. The movie portrays Outlaw Bikers as I always pictured them. Its a little cheesy, but most 60s movies were. Hells Belles? I wouldn't waste your money.

The good news is..........................2006-06-09

The film-quality of both movies is excellent. The not-so-good news is that they are on the boring side. The second movie is mis-named. The title "Hells Belles" led me to believe the movie would be about two or more women and motorcycles. There are women in the movie, but only one has a part, and it is a secondary one. The movie is about one man fighting another man and his gang over a stolen motorcycle. The movie made me think Sylvester Stallone got the idea for Rambo after watching it.

Too Young...Too Tough...Too Itching for Action.......2005-04-09

Review for Hell's Belle's ("The Wild Angels" must wait for another time):

The premise of 1970's Hell's Belles revolves around a simple plot device. Dan (played with virtue by `60s star Jeremy Slate) wins a super-slick new motorcycle in a riding competition, which is quickly stolen, and he goes all-out to get his prize back. The cycle (pronounced "sickle" for historical drama purposes here) has been stolen by a sleazy rival, who in turn is beaten and has Dan's bike stolen from him by the shifty Tampa (an outstanding Adam Roarke) and his motley motor-happy outlaw wild bunch. When Dan tracks down the gang, he valiantly attempts to "steal" his bike back, but instead gets clothes-lined with a log and winds up the bruised owner of a set of lesser wheels left behind by Tampa. He is also "given" the apparently disloyal Cathy (a feisty Jocelyn Lane) as a consolation prize. It would seem that's the barter and/or award system among these hog hooligans (note a similar theme in the low-rent 1969 flick Rebel Rousers, with Jack Nicholson and Bruce Dern, where an overly-enthusiastic biker gang blazes into a small town and decides to raise holy hell and hold a drag race - the grand prize being the kidnapped pregnant girlfriend of one of the local citizens). Right from the git, cute 'n' sassy Cathy reveals the glitch in her attitude and gives the beleaguered Dan the business at every opportunity. They of course eventually begin to fall for each other, but Dan's not looking for love. He just wants his prize bike back and a little two-fisted revenge along the way. So Dan and Cathy set out after Tampa and his crew, bickering most of the way.

Stemming from the public's morbid fascination with the rebellious, enigmatic, and occasionally dangerous Hell's Angels, in the late 1960s and early '70s Hollywood detected the potential market and hopped on the hog. Roger Corman, always the visionary, spearheaded the movement in 1966 with the hit The Wild Angels, featuring the young talents of Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern, Diane Ladd, and Michael J. Pollard. Following the success of The Wild Angels there arrived an influx of motorcycle movies, and not all of these films were good. However, a few of these pictures, such as The Savage Seven (starring Adam Roarke, again, and Max Julien), Devil's Angels (with legendary film auteur John Cassavetes in the lead role), and Hell's Angels on Wheels (starring biker movie regular Jack Nicholson before Easy Rider put him on Hollywood's radar) are especially noteworthy for their quality and prove quite entertaining.

Hell's Belles, despite the gag title, does not revolve around multiple "belles." There is only one belle with a significant role, Cathy, and she's a supporting character to dashing Dan and buccaneer Tampa. Maury Dexter's direction is confident - he understands the material he is working with and evokes solid performances from his actors. Alas, this was the last feature film he directed. Les Baxter (Beach Blanket Bingo, Wild in the Streets, Switchblade Sisters) lends a groovy musical score to accentuate the proceedings, hyped up for the numerous brawls and skirmishes. Most of the action in Hell's Belles occurs outside, and cinematographer Kenneth Peach (It! The Terror from Beyond Space, The Young Animals, Pufnstuf) provides some impressive and adept photography, particularly with his use of the film's panoramic vistas.

Scuffles, fisticuffs, robbery, shoplifting, arson, motorcycle chicanery and overall antisocial attitudes, complemented by proficient filmmaking, make Hell's Belles a hell of an entertaining flick. The misleading moniker notwithstanding, the movie is well-crafted and enjoyable, and also something of a period piece now in cinematic history.

Bikers From Hell, Triple Feature: Run Angel Run/Hell's Angels 69/Hell's Bloody Devils

Average customer rating:

What You Get...

Bikers From Hell, Triple Feature: Run Angel Run/Hell's Angels 69/Hell's Bloody Devils
Starring: Bikers Running Wild 3pak
Manufacturer: Guilty Pleasures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BPK2H0
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Customer Reviews:

What You Get..........2006-01-30

Pretty good trash that is well embellished by Billy Bob Briggs comments. I'm just listing this 'cause Amazon hasn't ... at least yet.

3-Disc Set
Disc 1: HELL'S ANGELS '69
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - Joe Bob Briggs -
Actor/Author
Trailers - Original Theatrical Trailer
Disc 2: RUN ANGEL, RUN
Full Frame - 1.33
Audio:
Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - Joe Bob Briggs -
Actor/Author
Introduction - Joe Bob Briggs -
Actor/Author
Trailers - Original Theatrical Trailer
2. Guilty Pleasures Trailers
Disc 3: HELL'S BLOODY DEVILS
Widescreen - 16:9
Audio:
(unspecified) - English
Additional Release Material:
Audio Commentary - Samuel M. Sherman -
Producer
Trailers - Original Theatrical Trailer
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos

Wong Kar Wai Collection (As Tears Go By / Days of Being Wild / Fallen Angels / Chungking Express / Happy Together)

Average customer rating:

Two words: Get it
A magnificent set of magnificent movies

Wong Kar Wai Collection (As Tears Go By / Days of Being Wild / Fallen Angels / Chungking Express / Happy Together)
Starring: Christine Ng , Linda Wong (III) , Siu Chung Mok , Lydia Sum , and Man Tat Ng
Director: Kar Wai Wong
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0002X7GV6
Release Date: 2004-10-19

Customer Reviews:

Two words: Get it .......2004-12-14

I don't have a lot to add to "Randroid"'s review. Wong Kar-Wai is one of the world's premier directors, making audacious, complex films that grab one's heart. Influenced by the French New Wave, bent through the prism of Hong Kong cinema, his is a stylish and unique vision. This box set contains five of his seven films that have been released to DVD:

-- As Tears Go By
-- Days of Being Wild
-- Chungking Express
-- Fallen Angels
-- Happy Together.

Fans of Happy Together will be particularly pleased by the newly remastered Kino version -- I had only viewed a VHS copy before, which was atrocious. There are also a bunch of new extras on this DVD, including an hour long 'making of' feature. The other DVDs all seem to be clear and crisp, though without significant extras beyond the usual trailers (there are still galleries and filmographies, and some brief comments by Quentin Tarantino on Chungking Express).

With the exception of Chungking Express, these have not been readily available in stores, and this box set is a cost effective presentation showing the development of a major directorial talent. We also get to see some wonderful stars of Hong Kong cinema such as Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung, Andy Lau, Brigitte Lin and Faye Wong, often in roles different from their usual or at crucial points in their careers.

Of his other two films, In The Mood For Love is available in a sumptuous Criterion release. Unfortunately, Ashes of Time seems to be caught in some kind of 'intellectual property' hell, and the DVD is supposed to be even worse than the VHS, which is barely viewable. Maybe Kino can somehow gain the rights to Ashes as well and do a decent ramastering. (Hint to Kino: It would be nice to have a feature explaining some of the historical/literary background that is unfamiliar to western viewers)

A magnificent set of magnificent movies.......2004-10-23

Wong Kar-wai is simply one of the best directors working in Hong Kong today, and in all the world, for that matter. His characters are brilliantly realized, his style is stunningly kenetic, and cinematography (mostly by Christopher Doyle of "Hero" fame) is gorgeous. All in all a good set. Thus far, I would rank these films as follows, from best to . . . well, least best:

1. Chungking Express
2. Happy Together
3. Days of Being Wild
4. Fallen Angels
5. As Tears Go By

Be sure to pick up Wong's other film "In The Mood For Love", and you'll be sure to be awaiting the American release of his new film, "2046". "Ashes of Time", sadly, is a terrible DVD, so perhaps a Criterion release is in order?

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

Average customer rating:

Stones shine amid the horror

The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter (Region Free Import)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Message to Love - The Isle of Wight Festival

ASIN: B000CDWDN2

Product Description

In December of 1969, four months after Woodstock, the Rolling Stones and Jefferson Airplane gave a free concert in Northern California, east of Oakland at Altamont Speedway. About 300,000 people came, and the organizers put Hell's Angels in charge of security around the stage. Armed with pool cues and knifes, Angels spent the concert beating up spectators, killing at least one. The film intercuts performances, violence, Grace Slick and Mick Jagger's attempts to cool things down, close-ups of young listeners (dancing, drugged, or suffering Angel shock), and a look at the Stones later as they watch concert footage and reflect on what happened. ++++ DVD FEATURES: This officially licensed release from South Korea is All-Region NTSC Code 0 (playable worldwide) with Full Screen display and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound in ENGLISH with optional (removeable) English or Korean subtitles. EXTRA FEATURES: Interative Menu; Audio Commentary: Albert Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director, Stanley Goldstein - Collaborator; Additional Footage: Censored Footage; Additional Audio Material: Excerpts from KSAN radio's post-Altamont broadcast with introduction by DJ Stefan Ponek; Outtakes: Backstage Outtakes; Deleted Scenes(Songs): "Little Queenie," "Oh Carol," and "Prodigal Son"; Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GREY GARDENS; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - SALESMAN; Bonus Original Theatrical Trailer - GIMME SHELTER (re-release); Documentary: Restoration Demonstration; Text/Photo Galleries; Stills/Photos: Altamont Stills (featuring photographs by Bill Owens and Beth Sunflower); Filmographies: Albert Maysles - Director, David Maysles - Director, Charlotte Zwerin - Director

Customer Reviews:

Stones shine amid the horror.......2005-12-01

Watching this after a screening of WOODSTOCK is a real study in contrast. ALTAMOUNT was always on my radar, growing up, and I had seen this in the theater back in the 70s, but revisiting it now ... what a revelation. There was a perception that WOODSTOCK had been an incredibly significant event in the counter-culture galaxy; a peace+love tribal congress. This concert came four months later, and because it was the west coast rebuttal to the upstate NY megafest, would be even better - better bands, better drugs, hipper hippies, freakier clothes, groovier vibes. The crowd shots are both revealing, and inevitably, terrifying as the claustraphobic crush tightens around the stage (crowd control plans, anyone?) and the HELLS ANGELS react like bears in cages being poked with sticks ... they erupt in an orgy of beatdowns and over-the-top violence. After all, that's what they do. Was anyone truly surprised? The various bands (Airplane, Santana, Dead, Stones) are merely ineffectual witnesses (with a good view) to what goes on, tho Marty Balin does get coldcocked during the Airplane set. I'm sure the musicians to this day feel fortunate that they did not get stomped on stage by the ever-growing legion of wild-eyed, wooly strangers standing nearby. (keep an eye out for the 300 lb. naked man careening through the crowd) If Woodstock gave us a pleasant marijuana buzz, Altamount grinds our collective molars with a bad blend of street meth and bootleg LSD. Man, am I glad I wasn't there.
All this being said, a good portion of this excellent documentary features the Stones backstage, in the recording studio, on the road, and performing with aplomb at a Madison Square Garden show. In '69, after all, they were in midseason form.

Average customer rating:

Do you want to be free?
CheeseFest '66
The Original Infamous Biker Flick (I'm not sure if I should rate it 2 or 5 Stars)
Not just sexist, but racist.....
A Must Have for Any Biker Video Collection

The Wild Angels
Starring: Peter Fonda , Nancy Sinatra , Bruce Dern , Diane Ladd , and Buck Taylor
Director: Roger Corman
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000542CP
Release Date: 2001-02-20

Amazon.com

Embittered by his experience working with 20th Century Fox on The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), and weary of the Poe films for American International Pictures, Roger Corman was in dire need of inspiration for his next production. He found it in Life magazine, which featured a photo of the funeral of Mother Miles, head of the Sacramento, California, Hell's Angels. From this picture came both The Wild Angels and the biker-movie genre itself. Peter Fonda, who replaced George Chakiris, stars as brooding Angels chieftain Heavenly Blues. When his pal Loser (Bruce Dern) is shot by police, Blues attempts to bury him in a small town, but the locals resist, and a brawl ensues. Audiences and critics were alternately appalled and thrilled by the extensive drug use and violence, but beneath Angels' leathery hide beats the heart of a Western, especially in its ruminations on personal freedom. Charles Griffith's script (cowritten by Peter Bogdanovich, who also cameos in the film) helped make Angels the sole U.S. entry for the 1966 Venice Film Festival, which irked the State Department enough to try and revoke the honor. Corman's direction, freed from AIP's period pieces, is lean and exuberantly active, aided by Monte Hellman's editing. The film helped give Fonda the counterculture clout to later make Easy Rider, and boosted the careers of Dern and then-wife Diane Ladd; Nancy Sinatra, however, renounced the picture, fearful of its effect on her image. Mike Curb's score features Davie Allan and the Arrows' fuzz-tone-soaked hit "Blues' Theme." --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews:

Do you want to be free?.......2007-01-29

We want to be free! We want to be free to do what we want to do! We want to be free to ride. And we want to be free to ride our machines without being hassled by The Man. And we want to get loaded. And we want to have a good time! And that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna have a good time. We're gonna have a party!

60's alternative cinema and a pretty big hit 40 years ago. Poorly acted. But campy fun.

CheeseFest '66.......2006-08-07

"The Wild Angels" is no "Easy Rider." TWA is chock full of bad acting, bad dialogue, badly-delivered dialogue, and more teased hair than you can shake a can of Aqua Net Extra Super Hold at. Three stars for numerous and unintentionally funny scenes that reek of every biker cliche imaginable. I became interested in the genre after reading Joan Didion's analysis of biker movies in "Notes Toward a Dreampolitik," but I must say I'm pretty much over it now.

The Original Infamous Biker Flick (I'm not sure if I should rate it 2 or 5 Stars).......2004-10-18

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.

Not just sexist, but racist............2004-06-16

as exhibited by the comments and attacks on a group of Mexicans. Fonda is about as animated as a cigar-store Indian, Nancy Sinatra is woefully miscast, Diane Ladd is over the top and predictable. In fact, the best performance may be delivered by Bruce Dern.....as a corpse.

A Must Have for Any Biker Video Collection.......2004-03-23

"We want to be free to do what we want to do without being hassled by the man! And we want to get loaded!" "YEAH!"

What more can I possibly add?

Oh yeah. Theme music by Davie Allan.

People think Easy Rider was good but this movie defined the bikesploitation genre.

Angels' Wild Women [Region 2]
Average customer rating:

Vro-o-om, vro-o-om

End of an Era

Decent, but falls short

Angels' Wild Women [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video
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Similar Items:

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Run, Angel, Run

ASIN: B00009RS0L

Amazon.com

Tough biker babes stomp a couple of vicious racist rapists and then cool their heels in a rural commune while the men hit the road for a biker rally (they actually spend most of their time getting drunk and passing out). The vacation is short-lived when the women discover the seemingly peace-loving guru is actually a drug kingpin with a vicious gang and a side business in human sacrifices. That's just one of the unexplained twists in this oddball thriller made at the end of the biker-movie craze. When the genre died, according to producer Sam Sherman, they couldn't give the film away so director Al Adamson reshot it to cash in on the explosion of female-centered action pictures. The result is a schizophrenic production, a biker buddy film full of macho posturing and brutal violence against women that suddenly gives way to girl-gang vengeance. Cameraman Gary Graver (Orson Welles's F for Fake) uses the California desert and back roads to good effect and frees his camera to leap into the dynamic free-for-all brawl and the high-powered chase that climaxes the film. But for all the wild, butt-kicking energy of the Angels' women, it's the men to the rescue.

The DVD features a commentary by producer Sam Sherman, along with a newly recorded introduction, a profile taken from the cable TV series Split Screen, and trailers to this and four other Al Adamson-Sam Sherman collaborations. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Vro-o-om, vro-o-om.......2002-11-29

An independent biker film with cheap production values and a swiss cheese plot that will probably become a cult classic in a few years. Hard to follow the theme in some places. Utterly forgettable. I will probably give my copy away.

End of an Era.......2002-11-28

Al Adamson was always much better at making action films, especially those starring bikers, than the horror films he is mostly known for. "Satan's Sadists", for example, is still one of the best biker films ever made. However, in the early 1970s he found himself stuck with a just completed biker film at a time when the public had grown bored with biker films and stopped attending. So, seeing the success of films about groups of tough women like Roger Corman and Jack Hill's Pam Grier prison films, he decided to change the emphasis of the film and its marketing. Thus Angels' Wild Women was created, placing greater focus on the women in the bike group and ads greatly exaggerating how tough and mean they are were released.

Actually, the bikers in the film are quite tame. In contrast to Al's classic "Satan's Sadists", this film provides a positive perspective on bikers. The men do get into a bit of macho posturing, but otherwise they're nice folk looking for fun and freedom.

The plot of this film is quite worthwhile, however, and provides an excellent look at the end of an era. When the film was made, the Manson family trials had just occurred, which led those equating Manson's family with the hippies to declare that the hippy movement was dead. This movie, which was largely shot at the Spahn ranch, out of which Manson operated, taps into this.

The plot is simple: The females of the Angels gang are left on their own while the men attend a convention with another gang. One of the Angels gets involved with a love cult run by a sadist while visiting a ranch, and it is up to the other women to try to get her out after she learns that the leader is a criminal. Thus tragedy enters the Angels' attempt at creating a new society based on love and freedom. The women are all portrayed strongly and positively, however, it is up to the men to come to their rescue in the end. As with most of Adamson's action films, not all the good guys survive, and a certain level of sadness underlines the fun and excitement.

Though a well acted and directed movie with a decent script, Angels' Wild Women is more like a good action movie than great art like "Easy Rider", but is similar in its bitter-sweet examination of the end of an era.

Decent, but falls short.......2001-08-05

Biker gangs cruising around, causing little trouble.

Having scene Satan's Sadists first, I was not as impressed with AWW. The chicks could have been a little meaner and some more violence might have helped. Dragged at several spots.

The Wild Angels (DVD) Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra (Region Free, PAL)
Average customer rating:
The Wild Angels (DVD) Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra (Region Free, PAL)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
ASIN: B000HQXTA0

Product Description

Bonus Features Include Photo Galleries And Original Trailer.

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