Motorpsycho!

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.

Motor Psycho wasn't exactly the Russ Meyer film I was hoping to see. Not that it's a bad movie – far from it – but it lacks the eccentric character of his other work. Motor Psycho is a raw drama about delicate topics such as rape, murder and revenge. The plot involves a battle between vets! A veterinarian's wife is raped by 3 relentless bikers (one of them being a Vietnam-veteran) and he goes after them, accompanied by a busty lady who has been widowed by the same gang. Normally, Meyer's films are a feast for all senses…there's always something extravagant to discover or admire. Compared to that, Motor Psycho is pretty lame and it merely depends on two ultra-strong sequences and a delightful breast-parade (even though all female flesh remains covered). The sequence in which protagonist Alex Rocco forces his female companion to suck a snake's poison out of his leg is brilliant and so is the grotesque finale in which the main villain (Stephen Olivier) revives his Vietnam trauma's. I'd recommend the film for those parts alone! If you're a fan of the director's personal style, I advise you to check this film out…It won't take much of your time anyway, since the film only last a good 70 minutes.

"MOTOR PSYCHO" (1965) is not your typical Russ Meyer flick. Granted if you are a Meyer fan, you'll probably like this film ~ but you won't love it. The sparse plot concerns 3 bikers who rape a young woman and the husband who goes out for revenge. That's it for plot but the film looks good and is well edited. But the main problem is, if your a Russ Meyer lover, there just isn't enough boobies!!! Now Meyer's next film "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!" put him on the map and if you pair the two together for your own at home double bill (MOTOR PSYCHO and FASTER PUSSYCAT) you will definitely have a good time! But "Motor Psycho" on its own is just typical 60s drive-in fodder~except that it made far better than more 60s drive-in features. Running in at just around 75 minutes you never get bored ~ you just keep waiting for things that just don't happen. If your a fan, see it! If not, you probably won't care for it! I love Russ Meyer films (and I'm gay) so your not getting a review from someone who likes films full of breasts! But in a Russ Meyer film, it's something you come expecting to see. If you've never seen a Russ Meyer film see "Faster Pussycat! KILL! KILL!." Now that is a fun night at the movies! INDEED!

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.