Motorpsycho - Wie wilde Hengste

MotorPsycho! (1967) ***1/2

"MotorPsycho! MotorPsycho! MotorPsycho! MotorPsycho! MotorPsycho! MotorPsycho! The most adult motion picture you will ever see! Cycle maniacs and reckless women gambling with more action than they could handle! Angels are devils! Violence! Terror! Criminal assault! They stop at nothing! MotorpPycho! Flat out on their murder-cycles. Violating! Assaulting! Looting! Molesting! Taking whatever their rapacious appetites demanded! Asking no quarter and giving none in return. Fair play was a dirty word to them, the badge of a weakling! MotorPsycho! A rocket-based motion picture that dares to reveal the devastating action behind the headlines. MotorPsycho! Incredibly strong motion picture entertainment. MotorPsycho! A powerful motion picture that strips and lays bare the frenzied emotions of today's motorcycle-riding hoodlums. MotorPsycho! Pulse-pounding entertainment! MotorPsycho! Three motorcycle maniacs assaulting and killing for thrills! For your own safety, do not fail to see MotorPsycho!"

That's the copy from the original trailer, and if you don't want to see this film after that description, this Russ Meyer film is probably not for you. A vicious biker gang terrorized a small town, and when they sexually assault a woman, her husband, a young Alex Rocco (Mo Green from THE GODFATHER), chases them down for the remainder of the film seeking revenge. One interesting twist to the story is that the leader of the biker gang is a mentally unstable Vietnam veteran, making this possibly the first film that might be considered "Nam-sploitation," where a disturbed veteran goes nuts, ALA THE EXTERMINATOR or ROLLING THUNDER. This film felt different from most of Meyer's other films in that it's more of an action film and less of a sexploitation flick. There's often action in his film, but that seemed to be more of the focus here than his usual focus on sexploitation elements. MOTORPSYCHO! Felt like the closest Meyer ever got to making a straight action film, which really would have been something. Outside of a Criterion Collection release of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, the Russ Meyer estate has carefully guarded his film library. However, they recently struck a deal with Severin for a gorgeous blu-ray release of this film and the Vixen trilogy. This film was a smash success and Meyer's most successful film up to that point, so for his next film, he took the same story of a vicious male biker gang and made it a story about a vicious girl gang of hotrod drivers. FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! Was not successful upon its release, but is the film Meyer is deservedly most remembered for. While Meyer films are unapologetically exploitation films that take the male gaze to another level, the female characters in his films are almost universally stronger and more in control than the men around them. Meyer is far from a feminist, but there is an element of female empowerment to his films, which set them apart from other '60s skin flicks. What also sets them apart is that Meyer was a legitimately skilled craftsman, having been trained during WWII by the most talented Hollywood cameramen in the business at the time. FUN FACT! If you've ever seen WWII footage of General George S. Patton, that was probably shot by Meyer. The photography, framing, and especially the editing are top notch, which is something you almost never see in low-budget exploitation flicks. However, where this film falters is that it's one of the few of Meyer's films where the female characters are not the main characters, and the female characters in the film are not the in-control, take-charge type of women that usually populate his films. The one exception is Haji, who'd go on to be one of the leads in FASTER PUSSYCAT, playing the wife of a man murdered by the biker gang who teams up with Rocco to take down the savage biker gang. Without strong female characters, the film simply feels sadistic and loses the fun of his other films. Still, as with most all of his films, the dialogue is endlessly quotable, the editing is exciting, and the ladies are lovingly photographed, even if the story was disappointingly more akin to lesser roughies of this era.

AI CAPSULE REVIEW: MotorPsycho! Is a brutal, high-octane slice of biker exploitation that trades Russ Meyer's usual sex-fueled fun for gritty revenge and Vietnam-era angst. While less empowered and more sadistic than his best, it's still stylish, savage, and packed with wild-eyed energy.

Really. How could anyone ever come up with a better film title than "Motor Psycho?" No one ever will. Now that we've said that, let's get on with the story. Alex Rocco makes his film debut as veteranarian Corey Maddox, whose wife is violently raped by a gang of motorcycle hoods. Maddox tries to hunt down the gang to glean a little retribution, or perhaps bring the gang to justice. In the process, he meets Ruby Bonner, whose husband has been murdered by the same thugs. Ruby and Corey team up and get caught in a canyon where they are forced to violently confront the by-now-totally-nutso leader of the group, who happens to be a wacked-out Vietnam vet. This film is a little-known Meyer gem; you get the opportunity to see how good he really was at shot composition and editing. What's it got going for it? Awesome title, incredible sixties twangy guitar soundtrack, great period dialogue, a great tense snakebite scene, and perhaps the first example ever of a film character who's clearly spent too much time in the Vietnam jungle. Odd side note: everyone in this 1965 film drives a Toyota. Three out of four stars.

In some ways 'Motor Psycho' is almost like Russ Meyer's dummy run for his trash classic 'Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!', featuring three men on a rampage instead of three women, but this is a much darker and more serious movie than we generally expect from him. There is the wonderful Haji and a few buxom women on screen, but no outrageous sexual humour or camp touches. 'Motor Psycho' plays it fairly straight. The budget is non-existent, but the acting is pretty good, and despite Brahmin and pals not strictly being bikers you can see 'The Wild Angels' on the horizon, and maybe even 'The Last House On The Left'. Stephen Oliver plays disturbed Vietnam vet Brahmin who terrorizes several women in a desert community. Alex Rocco ('The Godfather', 'The Stunt Man') plays the local vet Cory Maddox, and after his wife Gail (Holle K. Winters) is raped and beaten by Brahmin and his sidekicks he vows revenge. While tracking the thugs down he meets Ruby Bonner (Haji) whose husband was recently murdered by them and they help each other when they get stranded in the desert. 'Motor Psycho' is a very gritty movie for the time, and surprisingly effective. A very good b-grade movie that deserves some more attention. Check it out.

By the standards of Russ Meyer 'Motorpsycho' is pretty conventional B-movie thriller. With enough big boobs of course. The film explores same themes of sex and violence as Meyer's seminal 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!'. In this case, the terrorizing violent group is all male motorcycle gang led by disturbed Vietnam War veteran (Stephen Oliver). Alex Rocco makes his film debut as veterinarian whose wife falls victim of the gang's vicious atrocities. A badass animal doctor engages the pursuit to chase down the gang. Driving through desert he meets a wounded woman Ruby (Haji) whose husband has been murdered by the same thugs. Together they start the road to justice, or is it just blind vengeance.

'Motorpsycho' is probably me second favorite film of Russ Meyer (after 'Pussycat'). Although his first real narrative film was 'Lorna' (1964) followed by 'Mudhoney', it was 'Motorpsycho' with Russ Meyer proved he can direct more straightforward film with more serious in tone and without unnecessary nudity and stereotypes. The film is also important as it was one of the first that depicted Vietnam War veteran suffering PTSD.

MOTORPSYCHO was made in 1965, the same year FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL was made. MOTORPSYCHO was made first and it's basically the male version of FASTER PUSSYCAT: three bad guys roaming the desert and looking for kicks. There are several plot points that are even identical between the two movies. But today, MOTORPSYCHO has been totally eclipsed by FASTER PUSSYCAT or BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. It's ironic because MOTORPSYCHO was a bigger hit than FASTER PUSSYCAT, the latter having flopped on its initial release. FASTER PUSSYCAT is now a bona fine cult hit while MOTORPSYCHO toils in near obscurity. And it's unfortunate because it's one of the grittiest Film Noir I've ever seen. It's a true pulp novel come to life. It's a combo of Orson Welles' A TOUCH OF EVIL and a countless Film Noir from the 1940s. But unlike TOUCH OF EVIL or the older Film Noir films, MOTORPSYCHO doesn't shy away from the violence or the "thrilling" aspects of the story.

Some might say the subject matter of rape is too serious to be used in a so-called exploitation film but Meyer handles it pretty well. It's still unpleasant at times (when the guys forces the wife to dance with them) but

the film never crosses the line. In fact, MOTORPSYCHO is a rare breed of movie: it depicts the actual disturbing subject and even exploits it (close-up of women's bodies) but doesn't go overboard with it as it never stray away from its story. The film keeps interest with its characters and situations until the very end. It's never overshadowed by its sensationalistic aspects. This is because some of the acting is pretty good and the stunning use of B&W photography (excellent composition from Russ Meyer himself) and the overall grittiness of the story. It's a pretty darn good feat for an exploitation film.

The acting from everyone is surprisingly good. Alex Rocco is excellent and believable. The bad guys are never over-the-top. The woman who played Rocco' wife, the beautiful Holle K Winters, is also excellent and believable. Her scenes when she's harassed by the three men feel authentic and are difficult to watch. Strangely enough, this was Holle's only movie. And then there's Haji. Haji is THE ultimate Femme Fatale ever put on screen. You can't help being attracted to her and know she's nothing but trouble. She's like a babe on the cover of a pulp novel come to life.

I prefer MOTORPSYCHO over FASTER PUSSYCAT, which is also a remarkably well made actioner but it's more campy and at times too over-the-top to be taken seriously, or BTVOTD, which is just plain stupid. MOTORPSYCHO has just the right amount of violence, grittiness and believability to make it feel like a great if overlooked Film Noir.