Os Piratas do Ar

When this was made, the script was a comment on Regan's America and how the Military/Industrial Alliance combined with Fundamentalist Right Wing Churches tried to influence US politics.

Sadly it seems that the points made in this picture are just as valid now as they were then.

Hopper is outstanding as the Captain. He is joined by a top class cast who obviously take great delight in their roles.

I particularly loved the soundtrack and will forever look at the music of Jimi Hendrix in a new light.

Afficionados of the work of "Filthy George" of New York Cable TV fame, will enjoy the sequence which pays tribute to his rather unique "news gathering" techniques.

What else can I say, great story, great script, great cast, great soundtrack - a classic, don't miss any opportunity to see this picture which restored my faith in the ability of the US industry to produce an intelligent, witty and thought provoking movie.

I may have been one of the few people to have actually seen this movie in the theaters in the 80's. I was living in Houston,TX at the time, and had heard of it because some of the filming was done in the Houston area (I was very familiar with the shopping mall and downtown scene locations).

This movie is a strange mix of Classic Rock, Science Fiction, and Social Parody/Commentary. Anyone interested in at least two of these three genres MUST see this film.

I was lucky enough to be rooming with a fellow in Houston who enjoyed the movie as much as I did, and didn't mind watching it dozens of times. Over the course of 5 years, we introduced at least a couple of people a month to this film, and almost always had positive feedback.

I consider this one of Dennis Hopper's best roles. When I state that his "Captain" character is one of the most sane of the plane crew, that should make clear what an eccentric group of individuals he is surrounded by.

I'm a little disappointed that this movie didn't get more recognition than what it did. As far as I know, there has been no DVD release for it. With a soundtrack of its caliber, this movie screams for a DVD with a remastered audio track.

Dennis Hopper and Michael J. Pollard (Doc Tesla) lead a crew of misfit Vietnam veterans highly trained in psychological warfare and armed with a B29 equipped as a flying pirate TV station creating havoc for the broadcast networks and authorities as they fly the country on a crusade to bring radical philosophies and classic audiovisuals to a conservative and media brainwashed viewing public.

On the verge of retirement they are compelled to mount one last campaign to destroy a demographically engineered presidential candidate who would see the country brought to war again.

Extensive explorations into concepts of non-violent defiance of authority and pursuit of justice, questioning conventional morality, exposition of criminal activities in the guise of righteousness by righteous people being classed as criminals by a corrupt establishment, existentialist themes, technology and rock music versus violence and force, nature of religious beliefs, political corruption and post Vietnam issues.

Some excellent 60's and 70's music in the soundtrack. Not to be missed.

'The American Way' is a curious movie, half zany comedy, half political commentary. Sixties survivors Dennis Hopper ('Easy Rider') and Michael J. Pollard ('Bonnie And Clyde') lead a band of Vietnam veterans who broadcast from a pirate TV station located in a B-29 bomber. While negotiating some kind of amnesty/media deal they continue to circle the globe and beam down their programs which mix subversive hijinks and rock'n'roll. Hopper, "The Captain", becomes increasingly irritated with Mrs Westinghouse (Nigel Pegram), an ambitious warmongering politician who aligns herself with the Moral Majority. The Captain decides that he and his comrades last mission will be to discredit her and foil her plans to run for the Senate, and possibly the Presidency. I can't honestly say that this movie is actually all that funny, but it's certainly more entertaining than say 'Rude Awakening', the lame Eric Roberts/Cheech Marin vehicle that similarly deals with 60s idealists encountering the Reaganite 80s. The main reason to watch this is for Dennis Hopper's spirited performance, which is actually much better than the uneven material he has to work with. 'The American Way' is an interesting failure that may appeal to fans of 60s music and pop culture. I wish I could say it was a lot better than it is but even with its many flaws (i.e. it's variable soundtrack which ranges from Hendrix, The Kinks and Alice Cooper to Godawful generic 80s MTV schlock rock) it has quite a few amusing moments and therefore I say it's still worth a rental.

Riders of the Storm is a little known film starring Dennis Hopper, featuring him as the captain of an ex-USAF electronic warfare aircraft, now dedicated to filling the airwaves with pirate TV broadcasts. Politics, TV evangelism, the USAF, Transvestisism, public access TV: none can escape the cutting observations of this must see film.