The Glory Stompers (1968)

User Rating:

4.9/10   

Director:

Anthony M. Lanza

Writers:

John Lawrence (writer)
James Gordon White (writer)

Release Date:

January 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

It's the 'BLACK SOULS' vs. the 'STOMPERS' ...in the deadliest cycle-gang war ever waged!

Plot:

Chino is the tough leader of a motorcycle gang who starts off a war when he abducts and mistreats the leader of the enemy biker gang, Darryl, and his girlfriend Chris. Things get violent when Darryl comes back for revenge. |

Plot Keywords:

Gang | Biker | Revenge | Motorcycle | Rampage

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	Chino
Jody McCrea	...	Darryl
Jock Mahoney	...	Smiley
Chris Noel	...	Chris
Robert Tessier	...	Magoo
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tony Acone
Ed Cook
Lindsay Crosby	...	Monk
Sondra Gale	...	Jo Ann
Casey Kasem	...	Mouth
Paul Prokop
Al Quick
Jim Reader	...	Paul
Astrid Warner	...	Doreen
Gary Wood	...	Pony

Runtime:

Germany:84 min | USA:85 min | France:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Finland:K-18 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

Selected by Quentin Tarantino for the First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest in Austin, Texas, 1996.

Quotes:

Chino: The only way out for me and my people is to either snuff you out or to sell you. There's some high class Mexicans across the border. Now being good people, we decided to sell you to these high class Mexican friends of ours.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999) (V)

Quickly paced biker trash fun

Its not as intelligent as "The Born Losers", its not as violent as "The Peace Killers", nor is it as just plain good as "The Wild Angels". However, "The Glory Stompers" is a fun if minor entry in the biker trend. Its a barrage through the catalog of clichés associated with the exploitation subgenre, and while its pretty exhausting by the end, it is for the most part a good amount of quickly paced and socially irredeemable fun.

Like any good biker film, this is far from an accurate presentation of the lifestyle. Even by the standards of the genre, the actors here are far too clean cut for the most part. The members of the Black Souls gang look like they'd be more in place in one of the era's Beach Party movies (which a good amount of them were). As the mamas of the Black Souls gang, Chris Noel and Astrid Warner are both far too good looking and polished to be taken seriously. The members of the Glory Stompers look more like bikers.

The highlight of this film however is definitely another over-the-top and entertaining performance from Dennis Hopper. His character inconsistencies go beyond being merely bipolar. He does what Hopper does best, playing an absolutely insane character with style. Just try to count how many times he says "Man". If you're a die-hard fan of biker films, give "The Glory Stompers" a run. (6/10)