The Cycle Savages

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.

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.

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.

"Keeg" (Bruce Dern) is the psychotic leader of a motorcycle gang, which pretty much does whatever it wants because the people in a certain community are terrified to testify against them. This is especially true for a beautiful woman named "Lea" (Melody Patterson) who would love to tell the police everything she knows. Unfortunately, her sister happens to be in a prostitution ring run by Keeg's older brother and is deathly afraid of what might happen to her. So like everybody else, she remains silent. Then one day, Keeg catches a glimpse of a young man by the name of "Romko" (Chris Robinson) who spends his time sketching everything he sees, and that includes some of the activities of the motorcycle gang. This infuriates Keeg, who roughs up Romko and destroys all of the sketches involving him and his gang. However, Keeg soon becomes obsessed with the idea that Romko might begin drawing more sketches, and because of that, he begins to make plans to prevent that from happening. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this turned out to be a rather dramatic biker movie due in large part to the performance of Bruce Dern. Likewise, the scene involving the brutal gang-rape of the attractive blonde by the name of "Janie" (Karen Cirol) was also quite shocking and intense. Be that as it may, I thought that this was one of the more explicit and realistic biker movies out there, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Wow, is just one of the many words used to describe this movie. A terrific 60's independent sound track that make you want to take the nearest drug available. Also, the supporting cast is amazing. So amazing, that it makes the leads in this film terrible. Melody Patterson makes her first feature since leaving her days on F-Troop as the beautiful Wrangler Jane. Yes, she gets naked, but we don't see much. This may be one of the biggest reasons why people actually paid money to see this back in 1969. Then again, we see Bruce Dern's talents as a wonderful actor in this movie. One of the most original and outrageous characters in independent cinema, Dern's performance gives the audience another reason to keep watching.