Angels Hard as They Come (1971)

Sex, violence and bikers on an action filled ride, in this film produced and co-written by Jonathan Demme.

Director:

Joe Viola

Writers:

Jonathan Demme (screenplay), Joe Viola (screenplay)

Stars:

Scott Glenn, Charles Dierkop, James Iglehart

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Glenn	...	Long John
Charles Dierkop	...	General
James Iglehart	...	Monk
Gilda Texter	...	Astrid
Gary Littlejohn	...	Axe
Gary Busey	...	Henry
Don Carerra	...	Juicer
Brendan Kelly	...	Brain
Janet Wood	...	Vicki
Dirty Denny	...	Rings (as Dennis Art, Dennis 'Dirty Denny' Art)
Neva Davis	...	Clean Shiela
Cherie Latimer	...	Lucifer's Girl
Marc Seaton	...	Louie
Steve Slauson	...	Magic
John Raymond Taylor	...	Crab (as John Taylor)

Storyline

A drug deal is foiled, when the cops show up. They agree to meet in a few days out in the desert and complete the deal. The Angels head for the meeting place. On the way they meet up with the Dragons and are invited to come party with some hippies in an old ghost town. The General, leader of the Dragons is a psychotic dwarf and his henchman Axe isn't to stable either. The trouble start when one of the hippie girls is murdered and the Dragons decide that one of the Angels did it.

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Plot Keywords:

violence | drug | sex | biker | ghost town | 

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Taglines:

it was her blood... now it's his war

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rolling Thunder

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

New World Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Wanderlust (2006)

User Reviews

Fans of 1960s/70s exploitation movies will flip over this one!

Fans of 1960/70s exploitation movies will flip over this one! Jonathan Demme originally pitched the project to Roger Corman as "a biker Rashomon". Now that's not exactly how it ended up, but it's still terrific viewing for cult fans nonetheless. Demme co-wrote and co-produced and his pal Joe Viola directed. Viola and Demme were then involved with the women-in-prison movies 'The Hot Box' and 'Black Mama, White Mama' before they parted ways. Viola concentrated on writing for TV while Demme eventually became a major Hollywood director. Scott Glenn, who in the 90s co-starred in Demme's enormously successful 'The Silence Of The Lambs', plays Long John, a biker who gets invited to a ghost town where some Hell's Angels are partying with some local hippies. Unfortunately a girl is murdered and Long John and his pals are accused by the bikers leader The General (Charles Dierkop, of 'Police Woman' fame, and the Killer Santa in 'Silent Night, Deadly Night'). They face a kangaroo court and then... well, imagine your worst. Glenn and Dierkop are both great to watch but the real icing on the cake is the supporting cast which includes Gary Busey as an unlikely hippie, biker regular Gary Littlejohn, 'Vanishing Point's nude motorcycle girl Gilda Texter, James Inglehart (Randy Black in Russ Meyer's trash classic 'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls'), Janet Wood (who as Sweet Li'L Alice featured in the unforgettable naked knife fight with Raven De La Croix in Meyer's 'Up!'), and even - get this! - the fat guy from Sam Fuller's 'Shock Corridor' (Larry Tucker) as a cat called Lucifer! Such a cast makes 'Angels Hard As They Come' essential viewing for all fans of psychotronic cinema! Don't overlook this forgotten biker gem.