Tweet
Released by: Impulse Pictures
Released on: June 14th, 2016.
Director: Jon Donne
Cast: Rene Bond, Ric Lutze, Andy Bellamy, Nancy Martin, Suzanne Fields
Year: 1972
Purchase From Amazon
The Movie:
In 1972's Bad Bad Gang we journey with Eve (Nancy Martin) and Kane (Wayne Chapman) who get together with friends Able (Ric Lutze) and Jane (Rene Bond) and journey together to Lake Shangri-la for a weekend of fun. What they don't realize, until after they've setup their little trailer, is that a bad, bad gang of bikers are hanging out nearby in a cave.
But before we get to those bikers, the guys are going to sit down at a table outside and play some cards while Jane and Eve scissor one another - which is pretty rad - before getting even more intimate. From there, however, the rest of the movie is pretty much made up of the bad, bad biker gang raping the campers. Eve gets kidnapped by one of the gang's leaders, a slob named, appropriately enough, Hambone. The other three head to rescue her but fellow biker Skip, who has a sign over a pile of dirt that says 'SKIP'S PAD' so you know that it's HIS pile of dirt and nobody else's, teams up with two tough talking lesbian bikers to take'em out. Those lesbian bikers have tomahawks and aren't as committed to the ways of girl on girl as you'd think, given that they're supposed to be lesbians - they want what only Kane and Able can give them. There's, I guess, a bit of a twist at the end but really, there's very little going on here at least in terms of the story that is being told.
Edited by a monkey with a straight razor, what Bad Bad Gang lakes in style and finesse it kinda-sorta makes up for with…. rape. Although no one actually being raped in this movie seems to mind it too much. Political correctness is not a factor in a movie like this, it exists to cash in on a fetish and it's definitely a product of a different era. The story here is pretty light - ok, it's very light - but it does a reasonably entertaining job of stringing together the different sex scenes that make up most of the movie's running time. The bikers aren't really all that threatening, but then, neither are our heroes all that tough, so maybe in that regard it's all relative and they're tougher than they might seem. Rene Bond is underused here but she sure looks nice, and hey, you can't really go wrong by putting the lovely Suzanne Fields in your movie either.
The locations are pretty goofy. Skip's Pad really is a pile of dirt and the scenes that take place 'inside' the biker's cave den are clearly just shot near some rocks out there in the sun, rather than actually in anything even remotely resembling a cave. The opening credits are weird and it's kind of cool how the title card isn't a title card at all but actually a shot of some bikers standing near some rocks with the title painted on said rocks behind them in red paint. This movie is sleazy and brainless but it does what it does in its own primitive way. Affection for roughies of this era might cloud your judgement here, but if you're susceptible to that, just go for it.
Note that this version from Impulse Pictures is fully hardcore and it runs a few minutes longer than previous releases from Something Weird (who released it on a Dragon Art Theater double feature paired with Wet & Wild) and Alpha Blue Archives (whose version was completely softcore).
Video/Audio/Extras:
Bad Bad Gang arrives on DVD from Impulse Pictures in its proper 1.33.1 fullframe aspect ratio transferred from a print that was in reasonably good shape, relatively speaking. There's print damage to be sure - nicks and scratches and what not - and the colors are all over the place, sometimes a bit bleached out. It's basically a print transferred and presented 'as is' so don't expect miracles here, but those familiar with how seventies XXX roughties tend to look should have no problem with the presentation. Compression artifacts are never a problem and there's no evidence of digital trickery like noise reduction or edge enhancement. This is an improvement over the aforementioned previous releases.
The English language Dolby Digital Mono track is also fine, despite some minor hiss here and there. The dialogue is easy enough to understand, the score also sounds fine. No alternate language options or subtitles are provided.
There are no extras relating to the feature itself included here but you do get a preview of the 42nd Street Forever Peepshow line that Impulse has been releasing recently by way of three 8mm silent hardcore loops. Tucked away inside the case is an insert sheet with the disc's cover art on one side and a brief essay that details what is known about the film on the flipside.
The Final Word:
Light on plot but high on sleaze, Bad Bad Gang should make fans of vintage filthy film-making pretty happy. The presentation won't blow you away but the movie is quick in its pacing, it features Ms. Bond in her prime, and it's got enough of those headscratchingly odd moments that make seventies smut so fascinating to keep you entertained.
