T-Bird Gang

In a film which features Coleman Francis ("Red Zone Cuba" and "The Beast of Yucca Flats"), I wasn't expecting much. But this little movie really moves. About an hour in length, the film is cut well, and given obvious limited budget, surprisingly succeeds. I like the way they left some of the obvious character clichés at the door. Ed Nelson is a bit over the top, but quite effective in his portrayal as a gang leader who plays chess and listens to classical music. And Raymond, the henchman, isn't glaringly sadistic. The story may be predictable, but the execution is good, and the characterization was refreshing. After ten minutes, I was hooked! Vic Tayback in a cameo just adds to the fun!

This is without a doubt one of the finest movies I've seen, a real period classic. It's obscure, but well worth the time it would take to find a copy. Vic Tayback is especially good -- in a small role, admittedly, but displaying early hints of the greatness he achieved in later roles.

T-Bird gang is a fun quick one from the 50's, complete with hip talk and beat music. Despite the title and some descriptions, this is definitely not a car movie at all, and especially not a hot-rod movie. The title of the film really just relates to the white T-Bird that Alex, the brains of the criminal gang, drives and that car is hardly even in the movie at all! But it's an OK flick about a young man who infiltrates a local gang to get to the killer of his dad, a cop. There are some dull sequences where nothing much happens and there are some pretty girls too. It all comes down to not exactly the ending you thought would happen, but something similar.

The leader of the gang does a few funny things, such as spill milk on the dress of his "moll" because she was laughing too much, and boss his workers around by giving sudden orders and snapping his fingers. The rest of the cast isn't bad and they probably had a good time making this movie. Definitely a fun way to spend 65 minutes.

This flick is cool, daddio. I agree with another reviewer that the Shelley Manne bebop score alone makes it worth watching, but there's a lot more. The acting ranges from fascinatingly bad to surprisingly good (well maybe good is an exaggeration; maybe "convincing"?). Good-looking cast. The screenplay isn't half bad. It moves along at a nice pace. Has a noirish quality. The moll's makeup job! The gang leader's "understated alpha male" shtick: he's a total control freak--renames one gang member "boy", god forbid you should make a peep while he's listening to classical music. Also affects a James Cagney-like style of speaking. So much more to savor.

About all I can say is that the Ford Thunderbird got a lot of free publicity from this that looks like it was shot with my father'd old Bell&Howell home movie camera.

John Brinkley who authored this mess is our hero looking for the gang who murdered his father during a heist at a warehouse where dad was working as a nightwatchman. Dad retired from the police and Brinkley successfully infiltrates the gang headed by Ed Nelson. Other than Nelson the only other name you might know is Vic Tayback playing a cop.

T-Bird Gang also has a loud, obnoxious jazz score which really adds nothing to the film.

Skip this one by.