The Cycle Savages

I collect "cheap biker movies" and this qualifies. There is a lot to be said, but, most others out there covered it all. I thought I would throw in a few (of many) bloopers. When Romko's hands are in the vise, they are obviously loose (not being crunched). Check out how many times the cast accidentally bump the vise handle and spin it. If the vise was under tension, the handle would be tight. Another blooper was when a biker hops on his bike that is backed to the curb. Watch the exhaust pipes. Before he even "Kicks it over" there is a very obvious belching of smoke, indicating the bike was running at idle before he even got on it.(not to mention in need of valve guide work). Comical stuff. Thats why I love these cheap biker movies. Notice the sky high exhaust pipes on one bike? Cool. The leaders of most real outlaw biker clubs (not gangs) ride a Harley Sportster (for quicker handling and speed while being pursued by the law) not any English bike(s) like "Keeg" (what's a Keeg?) The purple Triumph of "Keeg" is cool, but not authentic. Outlaw clubs rode Harleys, not Limeys. It is just that cheap biker movies can't afford an all Harley cast, I guess. All in all, one great "Cheap Biker Movie". VERY racy for it's time. These movies were meant to terrify the viewers. Maybe at the time, but comical, now.

This Casey Kasem production has to be the funniest biker flick in biker flick history! The film stars a host of "cult" favorites. Bruce Dern plays a wild-eyed, demented, out-of-control, biker named Keeg(guess he has a "weakness" for beer!). Dern's performance is so over-the-top, it's great. Every time he goes off the deep end, you can't help but break out laughing! He is a"White-Heat Cagney" in leather on a chopped-up hog! The romantic interest is the beautiful Melody Patterson-Wrangler Jane on t.v.'s F-Troop. Ms. Patterson is the most talented actress in the film, but who cares? She's as lovely as can be, and she's nude too! The hero is played by South Florida "Cult" legend Chris Robinson. Robinson is the Bogart of "Z" films, this film makes you wonder how mainstream Hollywood didn't discover this "Diamond" in a mountain of garbage. The academy award for most colorful acting goes to character-actor Scott Brady as a less than tough-talking vice squad detective. The movie poster for this "stinker" bills the gang as "The Wildest Bunch of the 70's", unfortunately they are the funniest!

Another low-budget "biker" film; not top-notch except for Bruce Dern who is incredible as always. As Keeg, the woman-hating leader of a pack, he constantly makes bad dialogue sound realistic with his character. There are some interesting scenes: the blonde chick (post-party) wandering the streets in search of help. Scott Brady (Lawrence Tierney's younger brother pops up as a vice cop) and is authentic.

This is pretty standard stuff (except for Dern). A 4 out of 10. Best performance = Bruce Dern. Melody Patterson is terrible as always as the main actress (even with nudity). Interesting plot, but terrible dialogue. Not on par with Hell's Angels on Wheels with Jack Nicholson and Sabrina Scharf.

Bruce Dern's performance in this drive in piece of drek proves that cream does rise to the top. He reminds me of how a young Jack Nicholson stole the film Hell's Angels on Wheels from its star Adam Roarke (does anybody remember him?).

The film is a grade Z flic with possibly the worst movie score in the history of cinema. It is so bad that Scott Brady, a relatively well known star at that time, appeared unbilled. Was he altruistic & shy (not) or did he hope no one would remember he took a pay check for his two minutes on screen as a Vice Officer. This film redefines melodrama.

The only reason to watch this is for Dern's performance, which shows how he rose to become one of Hollywood's most respected actors. This man can act! It's too bad no one else in the film could.

'The Cycle Savages' is 60s biker exploitation trash par excellence! Future 'Bold And The Beautiful' soap star Chris Robinson plays Romko, a nice guy artist. Cult legend Bruce Dern ('The Wild Angels', 'Silent Running', 'The Trip', 'Psych-Out') plays Keeg, a sadistic noogoodnik biker type. Keeg takes offense at Romko sketching him and his fellow bikers and roughs the guy up. Becoming obsessed he declares he will destroy Romko's hands if he ever catches him drawing again. Romko recuperates from his injuries with the help of nice girl Lea (Melody Patterson, who sent many a pre-pubescent boy's heart a flutter when she played Wrangler Jane in 'F-Troop'). Meanwhile Keeg and the boys carry on with what comes naturally - enticing local high school girls to their pad, dosing them with acid, gang raping them, and passing them on to his pimp brother (played by DJ Casey Kasem, who also co-produced!). Romko begins to fall in love with Lea not realizing that she is being intimidated by Keeg into spying on him. Remember just one more sketch and it's bye-bye to his hands! 'The Cycle Savages' is a cut above similarly trashy biker exploitation movies from this period (e.g. 'Hells Angels On Wheels', 'The Rebel Rousers') because of the memorable performance by Bruce Dern, one of the nastiest of his whole career! If like me you can't get enough of vintage Dern action then 'The Cycle Savages' is a must see! On top of that, Melody Patterson is easy on the eye (and has some very subtle nude scenes which sadly reveal virtually nothing), and there is a goofy fuzz guitar driven score that sounds like some old square geezer pretending (unsuccessfully!) to be Davie Allen. Great stuff!