Peter Fonda plays 'Heavenly Blues', the leader of Hell's Angels chapter from Venice, California while Bruce Dern plays 'Loser', his best pal. When they both botch their attempt to retrieve ... See full summary »
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Peter Fonda plays 'Heavenly Blues', the leader of Hell's Angels chapter from Venice, California while Bruce Dern plays 'Loser', his best pal. When they both botch their attempt to retrieve Loser's stolen bike, Loser ends up in the hospital. When the Angels bust him out, he dies, and they bury him. Nancy Sinatra plays Mike, Blues' "old lady" and Diane Ladd plays Loser's wife (Dern's real-life wife at the time). The plot is basically a buildup to the last half-hour of the film in which Loser's funeral becomes another wild party. Written by
alfiehitchie
Actress Laura Dern (daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd) was conceived during the movie shoot. Growing up, she sometimes showed people who asked about her parents a still of them in their biker outfits. See more »
Goofs
A nurse that is assaulted by a biker wearing wraparound sunglasses is asked to identify him by looking through a book of mugshots. She finds his mugshot and he's wearing the same wraparounds in the photo. No police department would ever allow someone to wear such a disguise while being photographed. See more »
Quotes
Medic:
[said jokingly to girl dancing]
Hey, don't get none of that on me!
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Roger Corman's modestly-budgeted biker flick for American International opens brilliantly, with evocative shots by cinematographer Richard Moore that promise a lot more than what Corman, screenwriter Charles Griffith, or the cast members can eventually deliver. Plot has Southern California biker gang enjoying rumbles, cycle jousts, hassling the Mexicans, and outrunning the local heat; but when Bruce Dern steals a police-bike and gets shot, gang "president" Peter Fonda hatches a plan to break him out of the hospital and thus keep him out of prison. Fairly raw and uncompromising, the picture looks terrific from start to finish, but the line-readings are sometimes so awkward that one wishes Corman could cut back on dialogue and just allow the visuals to tell the story. Sort of the older brother to "Easy Rider", "Angels" was eclipsed in popularity and relevance only a few years later, but it's fairly gripping and visceral overall, occasionally amusing, and features some fine actors in support (Diane Ladd, Gayle Hunnicutt, Michael J. Pollard, and Nancy Sinatra, whose hospital crying scene is a hoot). **1/2 from ****
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Roger Corman's modestly-budgeted biker flick for American International opens brilliantly, with evocative shots by cinematographer Richard Moore that promise a lot more than what Corman, screenwriter Charles Griffith, or the cast members can eventually deliver. Plot has Southern California biker gang enjoying rumbles, cycle jousts, hassling the Mexicans, and outrunning the local heat; but when Bruce Dern steals a police-bike and gets shot, gang "president" Peter Fonda hatches a plan to break him out of the hospital and thus keep him out of prison. Fairly raw and uncompromising, the picture looks terrific from start to finish, but the line-readings are sometimes so awkward that one wishes Corman could cut back on dialogue and just allow the visuals to tell the story. Sort of the older brother to "Easy Rider", "Angels" was eclipsed in popularity and relevance only a few years later, but it's fairly gripping and visceral overall, occasionally amusing, and features some fine actors in support (Diane Ladd, Gayle Hunnicutt, Michael J. Pollard, and Nancy Sinatra, whose hospital crying scene is a hoot). **1/2 from ****