Wuchak
Roger Corman's "The Wild Angels" was released in 1966 and kicked off the biker film craze that ran for less than a decade, which makes it the perfect introduction to the genre, not to mention it's the best of the lot I've seen. THE PLOT: Heavenly Blues (Fonda) and The Loser (Bruce Dern) are members of The Angel's bike gang (modeled after the Hell's Angels). The first half hour shows them and their "old ladies" (Nancy Sinatra & Diane Ladd) living the wild & crazy lifestyle of a biker gang in Southern California. Due to the folly of the gang members, The Loser perishes. The final hour involves his death and subsequent funeral & burial in some small town in the mountains. The gang members can't handle their grief and seek solace through excessive revelry, drugs & alcohol, criminal acts and depressed withdrawal.The first half hour is quite entertaining and precisely what you'd expect from a 60's biker flick. The Southern California locations and cinematography are incredible and the story is compelling. The film was shot in Mecca, Idyllwild and Palm Desert. While there's some good biker action in this initial segment, the final 55 minutes takes a slow, dark, solemn and completely shocking turn that will turn some viewers off. This final hour shows that "The Wild Angels" is not an action film at all; it's a biker drama that touches on some heavy issues -- friendship, death and grief, as well as alcohol, drug and sexual abuse."The Wild Angels" was filmed only 12 years after Brando's lame biker flick "The Wild One." So how much more "wild" could Fonda's gang be? Well, if you're seeing it for the first time, you're in for a surprise because The Angels are WAY beyond merely wild & free (as they're depicted in the first 30 minutes), they're totally wicked imbeciles!Want proof? The Angels break into the hospital to "free" The Loser and he ends up dying for lack of proper medical care for his critical injuries (sustained while trying to flee the police). They make sure to get him high before he dies though. While breaking into the hospital one Angel savagely attempts to rape a nurse. And guess what kind of thanks The Angels give to the minister who kindly performs The Loser's funeral? They beat him up and totally trash his sanctuary (!). Guess what kind of comfort two Angel's offer The Loser's grieving girlfriend? They cruelly rape her (!). To top it off they outrageously abuse The Loser's corpse at the funeral party (!!).As you can see, The Angel's aren't just anti-heroes in this film, they're THE SCUM OF THE EARTH. Not only that, but they're a bunch of LOSERS who, as Fonda points out, just "want to get loaded" (in his almost laughable rant). Hey, everyone needs to let their hair down and celebrate now and then (God even seems to advise it in the Bible -- Deuteronomy 14:26), but if the sole purpose of your life is to just "get loaded" you're not gonna look very good when you hit 35 (the Angels in the film are all in their mid-late 20s), and you're certainly not going to have any energy, drive or charisma. Yeah, the "party animal" lifestyle gets old real quick, and then ya gotta grow up (everybody grows older but not everyone grows up).Despite what some say, Nancy Sinatra does a fine job as Fonda's girlfriend; she would later renounce the film, however, due to it's over-the-top immorality.FINAL ANALYSIS: The first time I saw "The Wild Angels" I was completely taken aback by the shocking immorality of The Angels; I simply wasn't prepared to see this in a 1966 picture. I also felt the film really bogged down with The Loser's death, funeral and burial (the last 55 minutes).I now consent to the film's uniqueness and brilliance. This is a cult flick in the truest sense. Yes, some of The Angel's behavior is incredibly reprehensible and, yes, the preacher in the story was right when he stated, "Woe to those who say evil is good and good is evil." Still, the picture successfully captures the utterly outcast and outlaw nature of The Angel's bike gang. They're like a small, totally lost tribe living on the periphery of American society. In a way, one can't help but pity the poor bastages.Also, I now acknowledge the genius of the final 55 minutes of the film, which involve The Loser's death, funeral and burial. If you're psyched up to see an action film you're going to be disappointed because "The Wild Angels" boldly sneers at such film conventions. The story is essentially about death and the nature of bereavement. It powerfully shows how the various gang members deal with their grief: They generally deny it and attempt to lose themselves in drinking, drugs, revelry and criminal & perverse conduct. The leader (Fonda) can't shake his mournful spirit of loss; he's not even sure if he loves his "old lady" anymore. When everyone else scatters because "the heat" arrives, he stays -- risking impending capture -- to bury his fallen comrade. One gets the impression he's digging his own grave because, as he told his girlfriend, he's got "no where to go."The original title of "The Wild Angels" was much better and more fitting: "All the Fallen Angels." In conclusion, despite being a B-grade flick, "The Wild Angels" is shocking, bold, unique and well worthy of its notorious reputation. In fact, it was banned in Denmark, one of the world's most 'liberated' countries, when it was released. What thrusts it into the realm of greatness is its heavy commentary on the human condition in a world gone mad, which may be completely missed by some viewers who won't likely see beyond the shocking aspects or Fonda's eye-rolling rant in the church.
Mark Honhorst
I have recently had awful luck with picking out good movies to watch. Movies like The Wolfman remake, The Thing With Two Heads, and Reptilicus are just three of my unfortunate viewing choices, and they really make me wonder why I even continue to collect DVDs. Sadly, this movie, "The Wild Angels" is just the most recent in the string of trash I have unwittingly subjected myself to. It is simplistic and stupid, and can be summarized in one short paragraph. Ready? Here we go! (SPOILERS!!!) Peter Fonda and a gang of idiotic bikers are riding around Mexico or somewhere, and along the way, one of them gets shot. He is taken to the hospital. Peter and his pals take him away from the hospital and he later dies. At his funeral, Peter and friends trash the church and have a party. Later at the burial, a small boy throws a rock at one of the bikers. Everyone gets mad and attacks the crowd of townspeople. The police come and all of Peter's chums run away, and Peter is left alone to bury his friend. The end. Was that short enough? Anyway, the characters were all obnoxious punks that I couldn't possibly root for. Fonda looks atrocious in his biker punk get up, and the whole film is less interesting than watching an old lady knit for 86 minutes. This is the worst film I've seen in quite some time, and that's saying a lot from me, considering the stuff I watch.
toondaddy
This is a good, old biker trash drive -in flick that you can enjoy if you just sit down with a 12 pack and look thru the BS. The old school Motorcycles are nice, and the Southern California scenery is really cool. Bruce Dern does a pretty good job, but Peter Fonda is really cheesy. I felt the same way about Marlin Brando and Lee Marvin in the Wild Ones. As a Biker myself, I can relate because the ideas haven't changed much. As Fonda states in this movie, we "just want to be free to do what we want and we want to get loaded". Don't take it too seriously, just sit down and get loaded and enjoy the movie. its fun to watch.
PaulyC
The Wild Angels came out just a few years before Easy Rider was released. As much as I admire Easy Rider, I must say, this is a more entertaining watch. Yes, I know people may think I'm crazy for saying that. I liked seeing Peter Fonda as a confused bad-ass in this film. He has a quality to him that made him work as the leader of the gang. Fonda plays a biker named "Heavenly Blues" who has second thoughts about his life-style after a plan of his gets his best friend fatally shot. Bruce Dern does a lot with his small role and even Nancy Sinatra is decent. I thought Diane Ladd was great too. What Corman does that other known B-movie moguls don't bother with, is to cast good actors and that makes a huge difference. I also find Corman to be a decent director and it shows here. This is a decent pre-Easy Rider film.
