The Hellcats

The Hellcats
1967 D: Robert F. Slatzer (also co-wrote, acts)

Army vet, out to avenge his cop brother's murder, infiltrates gang who runs dope for the mob

All I remembered about this was that I never really followed it; after seeing it again about 15 years later while watching more closely, I still have no idea what the hell's going on. I've been putting off reviewing this, because it's so utterly incoherent that I'm not sure how.
The film opens with the funeral of one of the club's members, whom we learn from a couple of cops watching from nearby was about to rat on them. Also watching are two mob guys (one of whom, Mr Adrian, is terribly played by the director), who are actually "hiding" by squatting behind a tombstone. I have no idea what the hell they're talking about.
After a ridiculously long, hand-off filled relay, the bikers deliver "the powder" (which is never identified and looks like about half an ounce) to Mr. Adrian and his Fred Willard-ish henchman. Later, a cop is killed by a mob sniper for some reason.
Enter Ross Hagen as Monte, the cop's brother, just out of the Army. He and his brother's former fiancee Linda decide to infiltrate the club, and with an ease that's stunning even for a film like this, do just that. From there it's drug running, kidnappings, and fights, none of which make any sense at all, padded out with what are possibly the most boring "partyin'" scenes ever put on film.
Slatzer is just awful as an actor, far worse as a director, and still worse as a writer. Compared to him, everyone else seems to be chewing up the scenery, the cuts to close-ups when lines are delivered are downright disturbing, and between those lines (pathetic attempts at biker/hepcat and mobster lingo: "I tell the blue, I got rights. Freedom of speech. And they say, not here you don't. And they smack me five times on the wrist. And I'm a believer, man." Or how about: "Hey, what's the action? Drop the steel." ) and the mess of a plot, the viewer's constant reaction is "Wait--what?"
To prove his mettle, Monte (btw-- fucking "Monte"?!) competes with rival biker Snake in a game where each is tied by the feet to the back of a trike and must hold onto another by his hands for at least 15 seconds as the bikes pull in opposite directions, then let go and be dragged down a dirt road. Sounds like a cool scene, no? Slatzer makes this so mind-numbingly dull that it's almost impressive.
Does it at least have a decent soundtrack? No, it does not.
One of the weakest of the era. I'm only giving this a 1.5 because the eyepatch wearing Rita (Shannon Summers, who according to imdb never worked before or since) is so incredibly cute.

The Born Losers

The Born Losers
1968 (imdb says 1967, the DVD says '69; seems to have hit theaters in 1968)
D: T.C. Frank (Tom Laughlin, who also co-wrote with wife and EP Delores Taylor as "James Lloyd")

Claim to fame: The first Billy Jack film; one of AIP's all-time top grossers

A motorcycle club rapes four girls, and only a local outcast will stand up to them

Truth be told, I am not the world's biggest Billy Jack fan. Despite the fact that I own the boxed set, I have never seen all of "Billy Jack Goes to Washington," or, to the best of my recollection, any of "The Trial of Billy Jack." While "Billy Jack" is undeniably a drive-in classic (that I still enjoy), it also always left me a bit uneasy. Movies like it --as well as TV shows like Kung Fu-- helped cement my impression that most peaceniks aren't pacifists, but cowards looking for someone to fight their battles for them. For all of the left wing messages, the movies always ended up with an unintentionally hawkish payoff: Turn the other cheek all you want, but the bad guys are only thwarted by a Tony Lama to the ass... And just to be honest, it didn't help, by the way, that the female lead from "Billy Jack" on was Laughlin's unattractive, bad acress wife Delores Taylor... At any rate, before these three sequels (plus one or two that never came out), there was "The Born Losers."
Unable to get the film made that they wanted (released as "Billy Jack" in 1971), Laughlin and Taylor came up with a prequel film, with Billy Jack as a Shane type hero/anti-hero (and this has even more of a western feel than most biker movies, enhanced by Mike Curb's soundtrack) confronting a motorcycle club. Biker movies were really raking in the coin, and the plot was loosely based on a late '64 Hell's Angels rape and witness intimidation case that was still fresh in people's minds (with elements of the Kitty Genovese case thrown in as well), so this seemed a much better way to get the Billy Jack character over.
The Born to Lose MC rides into a small town, mainly to pick up its president's brother. While in town, they generally terrorize the citizens. Only Billy Jack, a loner, ex-Green Beret Indian (who's always recognized as such, despite looking 100% white) stands up to them, and for his trouble he's arrested and slapped with a crippling fine, a harsher punishment than the bikers received.
With no one to stop them, the club ends up raping three girls in their late teens and, separately, a spoiled college girl. Further, they appear destined to get away with it, as the victims are all afraid to testify.
The (mostly leftist) social commentary in this one is non-stop, though not all of it is as heavy handed as Vicky's painful graduate student speeches.
The role of bad parenting in helping turn kids into both criminals and potential victims is laid on pretty thick. Club leader Danny's father is a hard-ass bastard (and in a subtle scence shown later, it's implied that Danny is an uninvolved dad himself), Vicky's is rich and powerful but has no time for her, and the other victims' parents are overprotective, uninvolved, or too busy trying to make ends meet to be the parents the kids need. Adults in general, in fact, let the kids down, as they give in to the cowardly urge to look the other way.
The film is no less tough on the police, with a strong "they can't protect you" message. This is done pretty effectively, by not showing the cops as inept or unwilling; if anything, the deputy in particular would be seen by some as being overly harsh.
Besides all this, they're tossing other stuff at you as well --on racism, the enviornment, the inability of a poor man to get a fair shake, the selfishness of the rich, and on and on, finally padding the movie out to nearly two hours... With all this going on, it would seem to be exactly the kind of film I can't stand, but quite the contrary.
What saves this otherwise overly earnest script is its co-writer, Tom Laughlin. His understated performances rescued the Billy Jack character from ridiculousness, but it's as a director that he really shines. There are some great shots and all that (one of which led to the film's brilliant poster), but the performances he gets from his cast are what impresses.
Jack Starrett is always great, and I sometimes neglect how good Elizabeth James (essentially a stand-in for Delores Taylor) is because I hate her character so much. Jane Russell is often praised for this performance, but for me it feels a little too 1951. But aside from Starrett (one of the best movie cops ever, from these biker films to "First Blood" to "Death Chase"), it's the bikers who steal the show.
Jeremy Slate, who was never better, leads the way here as Danny. The character has surprising depth, which he draws out easily and convincingly. The confrontation with his father is closed out with a brilliant ad lib, and Slate's scenes with Starrett are just outstanding. William Wellman, Jr (son of the respected director) is great as the beatnik-ish Child, Paul Prokop is genuinely creepy as Speechless, and Edwin Cook is funny and very natural as Crabs. But Laughlin also gets solid performances from the rest of the bikers, who weren't actors but members of a small MC called the Devil's Escorts. One of them, Robert Tessier (here as Cueball, despite the fact that he had hair at the time), of course, went on to have a career as a great character actor.
Apart from some corny fake swastika and "13" tattoos, the bikers look great. I love the club's colors, and details like Danny's hands, with small cuts, knuckle band-aids, and a juvie hall type tattoo of his initials. The wardrobe is great, down to Slate's cool newsboy cap and his impressive ability to pull off wearing those outrageous sunglasses.
Which isn't to call the film flawless. Vicky can really get on your nerves at times, and while I enjoyed the hell out of Jodell's strip tease, it's not exactly realistic behavior for a girl who was just gang raped. It's hard to suppress a groan when the bikers trap Vicky by spinning the arrow on a road sign, and the post climax epilogue is pretty bad.
Overall, an even better mix of exploitation and earnesty (yes, I know it isn't a word) than "Angels Hard as They Come," and an MC prez as good as (while very different from) Heavenly Blues of "The Wild Angels" or Anchor in "Satan's Sadists." 4.5 for this bona fide classic.

Devil's Angels

Devil's Angels
1967
D: Daniel Haller

Claim to fame: The John Cassavetes one; produced by Roger Corman

MC president looks to hold his club together and true to itself, despite threats both from without and within.

Sort of a follow-up to "The Wild Angels," with respected actor John Cassavetes and future starlet (they hoped) Beverly Adams in Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra type roles. The plot here takes a few twists and turns; it's less a single storyline and more a character study of Cody (Cassavetes), leader of the motorcycle club the Skulls.
The Skulls, we learn, were once a mighty MC with hundreds of members, but now just over a couple dozen remain. They're tolerated in their home town, though that changes when member Gage (Buck Taylor) accidentally runs down a citizen while fleeing police. Inspired by Gage's tales of Butch and Sundance's Hole-in-the-Wall, Cody takes the club in the wind, in search of just such a place that they can call their own.
They find the first town they stop at less than accomodating. Cody and Lynn stop at a campground to rent some space and are turned away; meanwhile, the rest of the boys check out the town fair and do not impress the local citizenry. To keep the peace, the tough but fair sheriff (Leo Gordon) makes a deal with Cody: He'll get them space at the campground, provided they stay out of town and leave in the morning --and if there's any trouble, Cody will be held personally responsible. The parties agree, though both deal with negative reaction. The men of the town, led by Royce, Sheriff Henderson's far-right opponent in the next election, want the bikers gone pronto, and the rest of the Skulls, particularly Gage and Billy the Kid (Stiv Bators lookin' Marc Cavell), see any such deal as knuckling under to pressure from The Man.
A local girl (character actress Mimsy Farmer) joins the club at their beach party, and when she's nearly raped, all hell breaks loose. Cody is arrested, as promised, and the Skulls look to retaliate, calling in the huge club the Stompers for backup and security. Cody's then left with the difficult task of exacting retribution without letting things get out of hand.

"Devil's Angels" is a pretty standard character driven story, wrapped in a biker film. Cody is getting older and trying to reclaim the club's glory days --or at least what he remembers as the glory days-- while being pulled at from both sides. Is he outgrowing the club, or are they pulling away from him? Though the leader of an outlaw biker club, he's a quietly intense brooder who thinks things through and balances the violence and wild partying with his thoughtful demeanor and loving relationship with Lynn. Fortunately, Cassavetes is just the actor to pull it off.
The progression of the bikers' violence is well done and even subtle for the genre, building tension as things start to spiral out of Cody's control, up to the satisfying climax.
As for the usual biker movie trappings, just about everything is top notch. Riding, party, and fight scenes boast outstanding music, mostly by Davie Allan & The Arrows (the great theme song is credited to Jerry & The Portraits, though that's clearly Allen on guitar). A lot of extras --both human and machine-- were used, giving it a realism boost, and all the bikers generally look legit. (One minor exception is the mildly retarded Robot, whom I mention mainly because during this, my first viewing of "Angels" in many a year, I nearly spit out my beer because he reminded me so much of Jack Black.)
Not just a classic biker flick but a solid movie, period. Still a solid 3-3.5 with any other lead, and the credible, engrossing John Cassavetes brings this up to 4 star territory.

The Wild Rebels

The Wild Rebels
1967
D: William Grefe (also screenwriter)

Claim to fame: Now best known as a popular episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Three bikers recruit a stock car legend to be their getaway man in a bank robbery. He agrees--but only because he's undercover for the man...

Soon after the release of moneymaker "The Wild Angels," Florida schlockmeister William Grefe cranked out a biker flick of his own, starring Steve Alaimo, a local musician who'd had some minor national success.
Steve Alaimo stars as Rod, a stock car driver who grows sick of the racing grind and calls it quits. He sells off his shit and hitches a ride to a swingin' bar (Swinger's Paradise, in fact). Miami band the Birdwatchers are playing; spotting Rod with his acoustic guitar, they invite him up. He does join them (doing the original "You Don't Love Me," though in the film it's a standard). At this point, the three members of the could-you-get-less-originally named Satan's Angels (whose colors are more street gang than MC--though they do all wear cool MF patches) recognize him, and approach.
Said bikers, there with mama Linda (Bobbie Byers), who is just in it for the kicks, as she makes clear, are Banjo, the lust for violence guy; Fats (Jeff Gillen--later Santa in "A Christmas Story"!), the fat guy/dumb brute/one who wears his colors on a long brown vest (there's usually one); and Jeeter, their leader. Jeeter is an outrageous caricature, constantly speaking in an arrogant, overly polite manner with lots of pauses. If you...gentlemen...get my meaning?
They agree to meet at the gang's temporary clubhouse, a small Everglades shack, where, after cooling his forehead with a glass of room temperature red wine, Jeeter lays out his proposition. The three are members of a California club, good on two wheels but not four, and not overly familiar with the area. Seeing how he's retired from racing and in need of dough, howzabout he be their wheelman for a bank job? He declines and leaves, though Jeeter figures he'll get hungry enough to return.
Soon (actually immediately) after, Rod is approached by the police, who convince him to participate in the robbery and be their man on the inside. Rod agrees. To explain his coming back to the gang, Rod enters another race, but crashes and demolishes his car. He's accepted back, but is not completely trusted and not told of the plan.
In preparation of the robbery, Linda, Banjo, and Fats rob Ye Olde Gun Shoppe (seriously). Though it begins with the tired cliche of the frail woman buying a gun ("Can you show me how to load it?"), it soon turns violent. The shopkeep gets roughed up a bit (and the viewer is left wondering why the cops can't just bust them for this instead of sending a civilian in undercover to foil a bank robbery). Most of the "violence" in this one is pretty tame, so the bit here is pretty jarring in context.
The gang goes over the plans, but Rod is kicked out and Linda is sent to keep an eye on him. After he serenades her and gives her the old "what's a nice girl like you..." bit (answer: kicks, baby), they get makey-outey. Banjo, sent out to check on them, does not approve and a fight follows to establish that Rod can hold his own.
Early the next morning, the robbery goes off, but not quite as planned, leading to the decent but completely predictable finale.
This is a weird one. Like any Grefe (one of those directors known for shooting one take) film, it's incredibly cheap. The sets, particularly the clubhouse, look like those of a low budget play. The cheapness, however, works at times: The riding scenes, without the benefit of long or overhead shots, actually end up more exciting. And despite the low budget, the bikes they used are pretty goddamned nice.
Flubs and technical flaws abound as well. In a couple of scenes they seem to have forgotten to add sound effects. It's explained that Fats is an ex-surfer who took a board in the head and "hasn't spoken since"--shortly after some of his ad libs are dubbed over a scene of the bikers roughing up some college boys. To Grefe's credit, though, Fats isn't heard again (though he does whisper to Jeeter).
And everything is oversold. When Rod decides to race again, it makes the sports section's front page, in a large type above-the-fold headline. Though I guess that's not surprising, as the race announcer informs us that "ALL SPEED RECORDS SHOULD BE SHATTERED TODAY!"
Though Byers isn't bad, the less said about the acting, the better.
All that said, it's got its positives. The music is a big strength here. The Birdwatchers seem to have been a pretty cool Merseybeat type band, and the theme song (as well as the instrumental versions of it used as incidental music) is really cool. Though the love song Alaimo does is a beyond corny attempt at Porter/Carmichael type songwriting (and though it's just he and an acoustic guitar in the woods, guitar is about the only instrument you don't hear), the tune he does with the Birdwatchers is pretty cool. Alaimo, by the way, had had a few Hot 100 hits, though he never cracked the Top 40. About a year after this movie he and Gregg Allman would write "Melissa."
If you watch any crime movies from the '30s-'50s or read hard boiled fiction, you've seen this plot more than once. But it moves along pretty well here, and other than some racing footage a couple times, there's very little padding and few especially slow parts. In fact, the pacing really isn't bad at all.

This is bad, but good bad--one that grows on you. Not counting the MST3K episode, I saw this twice and liked it better the second time. Bet it'll be even more entertaining when it gets a third screening sometime, and will probably peak at the 2.5 I'm gonna give it now.
Kicks, baby. I did it for kicks.