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Released by: Cheezy Flicks
Released on: 4/24/2012
Director: Robert Slatzer
Cast: Ross Hagen, Dee Duffy, Sharyn Kinzie, Del “Sonny†West
Year: 1968
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The Movie:
After his undercover narc cop of a brother is gunned down by the local crime boss, Monte (Ross Hagen) and his brother's fiancé Linda (Dee Duffy) do some undercover work of their own. They pose as dirty bikers looking for a gang to run with and infiltrate The Hellcats, a gang of seedy bikers who run dope for the man who had his brother gunned down, Mr. Adrian (played by the director himself). How they figured out that was where to start isn't exactly obvious, but that's what they do. Once in the gang they win over the rough and tough pack mama Sheila (Sharyn Kinzie), but not so much the pack leader Snake (played by Elvis collaborator and buddy Sonny West). The tension mounts between the two men, and Snake's newly self-appointed leadership is in question when Monte bests him one time after another. When Monte and Linda start digging their noses too deeply into the affairs of Mr. Adrian, they find themselves in a predicament and it's up to The Hellcats to pull together and bail them out.
The poster (and cover art for this disc) is a bit misleading. Go take a good look at it above and then think about the summation. It's really all about Monte's need for vengeance than it is The Hellcats, who are just there as a way to cash in on the blooming “bikerplotaition†sub-genre, but no one's probably going to complain too much. It's still entertaining in a number of ways.
The acting for one, aside from a couple of people, is pretty goofy. At times, even giggle-worthy goofy. The editing is pretty clunky and also helps add to the unintentional humor, but the movie wouldn't be as fun without those flaws. Another entertaining aspect to this one is the biker all-niter party. Though not nearly as vile as the real thing, the clubhouse bash is pretty funky (watch the extra on Something Weird Video's Booby Trap/The Takers called “These Are The Aliens†if you want to see some real biker debauchery). A mix of laughing idiots, dope, spilled beer, dated music, and whacked-out camera action is about as nasty as it gets though, real PG stuff. Watch for a chain fight, and another good scene involving a test of toughness between Snake and Monte and a couple of motorcycles, which results in some sex with the club mamma. The sleaze ball lackey to Mr. Adrian is actually pretty effective in his role, although he's more creepy than he is menacing. And Robert Slatzer's portrayal as the Mr. Adrian character is perhaps unintentionally complex. He seems like a low-end crime lord who never made it big, has lived too long, and has to resort to storing cocaine (or was it heroin?) in a crumpled up brown paper bag. That shit pisses him off and makes him a grouch. More is probably being read into the character than is actually there though. The director probably thought he was being a real tough wise guy.
From the same man who would later deliver another biker movie with a misleading poster, Bigfoot. He soon after quit the movie business, and whether or not that was a good thing is completely arguable, and went on to write a couple of books about Marilyn Monroe, for whatever that info is worth.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Presented here with a ratio of 1.78:1, it's painfully obvious this was trimmed to fit a 16:9 television. The top and bottom are cropped so a lot of visual info is missing. In all honesty it is distracting throughout the running time, though it doesn't make it unwatchable. But having said that, the print they used is decent considering the age and the low-budget production qualities, with some nice color representation. Scratches, dirt, and grain are very evident, but nothing annoying. Just the typical kind of beat up film fans of these flicks should be used to (and prefer, in many cases). The audio is a mono track playing over two channels. Pops, skips, hisses, and such are all around, but goes right with the picture image. It suits the material. Extras are slim. “Intermission Time†is a four minute item that shows some drive-in theater snack bar ads, then there's a reel of trailers for other Cheezy Flicks releases, running a little over eight minutes.
The Final Word:
Although found on DVD in a collection set or two, as a double feature a few years back, and even as an episode of MS3TK, if you have the need to have this as a self-standing release, then by all means snatch it up. It's not really memorable, but it's not a horrible way to pass some time.
