Wheeler

True to its title, this film does feature a psycho from Texas. Wheeler (John King III) rolls into a small town in order to help out in the kidnapping of a local oil businessman. He accomplishes his task early on and then spends the rest of the running time trying to get the money. He fails. This is a curious regional flick. It seems to have a message (child abuse makes people bad) but loses all that in the sleazy aspects and Southern justice. The film's highlight/lowlight has Wheeler pouring a pitcher of beer over a totally nude barmaid (Linnea Quigley in her first role) he is harassing. There is also one of the longest footchases in the history of cinema. It starts at like 52 minutes in and doesn't resolve itself (other scenes cut in) until a half hour later. If anything, it is worth seeing for John King III, who looks like a young, deranged Dick Van Patten with long hair.

This is one of those 70's movies I appreciate not because it's good, or even because it's "so bad it's good", but because it's so far out of the generally accepted cinematic universe that it's hard to believe it was ever made at all. The Southern-fried plot involves a kidnapping masterminded by the greedy son-in-law of a rich oil baron (which naturally goes completely awry). The hired goon he gets to do this "Wheeler, the titular "Psycho from Texas", is a completely unlikeable and physically unattractive sociopath, who the filmmakers for some reason try to turn into some kind of tragic, sympathetic anti-hero by showing flashbacks of him as a grubby little kid watching his prostitute mother service male clients while a strangely touching country music song plays on the soundtrack.

The most famous scene by far in this movie though is where "Wheeler" makes a barmaid, played by a very young Linnae Quigley, take off all her clothes and dance for him him while he pours beer over her head (then for the coup de grace he makes her dry hump the corpse of a man he has just killed). This scene actually gave me a new appreciation for Quigley who I had previously known only as a 1980's "scream queen", where she always adopted this intentional bad-acting schtick, (which I assumed covered up a total lack of talent) in countless "horror" movies that in turn used her and other half-naked "scream queens" to cover up the fact that they were completely worthless dreck. Quigley looks really good here despite (certainly not because of)the degrading nature of the scene, but what is REALLY impressive, even in such a small role as this, is her acting. I don't want to make outlandish claims that she deserved an Academy-award nomination or anything, but how many Academy-award nominated actresses would have had the guts to do something like this? And how many of her fellow "scream queens" could have possibly pulled it off?

This movie is not very good, but it is kind of interesting.

Less of a video, more of an experience! Follow the adventures of Wheeler (John King III) and Slick (Tommey Lamey) as they plot to obtain filthy lucre from local oil baron Mr Phillips (Herschel Mays). Watching this film may make you laugh or cry, but most probably it will make you do both! Check out the over the top dialogue e.g. Slick telling Phillips "Nowwwwwww I got Your Asss" after the chase through the woods, the flashbacks to Wheelers childhood (complete with shoddy editing and booming noise!), and the legendary beer pouring over barmaid at the end. A must for all bad movie fans.

Movie feels like its 3 hours long but only runs under an hour and a half. Nothing happens and when it does it takes FOREVER to! I give this movie this, it has the longest foot chase scene in the history of movies!! For Grindhouse and VHS collectors its worth seeing once.

When I was watching this film for the first time, I was in tears of laughter as the opening credits were rolling up the screen, knowing full well what to expect. They say don't judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover for "The Butcher", I just knew there was a gem inside. Never before have I laughed so much. This film has become legendary at my school. John King III is a genius! Just how many times can Slick say: "Now I got your ayyass!"? Why also does Slick go "bing-bong-bing-bong-boinggg" when he drops the sacred "Wheeler's kniyfe"?

Keep up the good work!