Hell Ride is a very weird movie. One moment you think that it’s utter crap and the next you’re like wow this actually cool. It rides on a wave that Tarantino and Rodriguez created, so you can see a lot of motives stolen from their movies. However, it’s got its own thing going on despite all this. You can choose whether you’re going to take it seriously, as it’s dangerously close to the movies so bad they are good section. Actually, if you’re in a mood for good trashing, there’s plenty to work with here. Just the way our homeboy Pistolero is standing is hilarious. Executive producer Quentin Tarantino and director/main star Larry Bishop wanted to create a very stylish exploitation homage movie. What they ended up with is something that’s neither here nor there.
This surreal place that the movie found itself in is perfectly reflected through the atmosphere. They wanted every scene to ooze that pulpy super-cool vibe, something that’s pretty noticeable in Quentin’s later work. Sometimes they pull it off, sometimes they don’t. However, one cannot deny that there are extremely interesting setups that can and will be analyzed by generations to come. One might call it unintentional intentional luck. The editing is pretty bad though as we keep going back and forth without any rhyme or reason. At least the cinematography is awesome and the movie has this appealing visual style.
He goes by the name Pistolero and he’s one mean son of a bitch. During the seventies, he was the leader of a biker gang called Victors. However, after a rival gang killed his woman, he decides to leave the biker life and start a different career. Years have passed, but Pistolero’s hatred for the rival gang 666ers and the killers is still raging on. He decides to reform Victors and seek revenge against the 666ers.
The first things you will notice are the old guys and young girls. It looks strange to hear some of the things they are saying in their efforts to seduce these old-school bikers, but this just adds to the overwhelming wtf feeling that Hell Ride generates. Sex, drugs, fights and murders are also prevalent. The story is pretty simplistic with obvious twists and lame dialogue. Just another addition to the mess. Nudity and over-the-top violence, a trademark of those seventies movies are some of the few positive aspects of this movie. Mind you that one of the stars of those movies is exactly Bishop, who was sixty years old at the time of the filming of this movie.
The casting for this movie was pretty spot on, with several of the high-profile, cool-looking actors doing their best with the material. Vinnie Jones, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Eric Balfour were great, while Larry Bishop was, well, Larry Bishop. He shot a number of movies during the sixties and most of them featured the same story of bikers looking for trouble. Quentin called him up for Kill Bill 2 where he met Madsen and this is how the movie came to be. If you’re looking for similar movies check out Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man.
Director: Larry Bishop
Writer: Larry Bishop
Cast: Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen, Eric Balfour, Vinnie Jones, David Carradine, Laura Cayouette
Fun Facts: They tried to get Peter Fonda to appear in the movie but he said no wanting nothing to do with biker movies anymore.
Rating:
IMDb Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0411475/
