The Loveless (1981)

Trouble ensues when a motorcycle gang stops in a small southern town while heading to the races at Daytona.

Directors:

Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery

Writers:

Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, J. Don Ferguson, Robert Gordon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Willem Dafoe	...	Vance
Robert Gordon	...	Davis
Marin Kanter	...	Telena
J. Don Ferguson	...	Tarver
Tina L'Hotsky	...	Sportster Debbie (as Tina L'hotsky)
Lawrence Matarese	...	La Ville
Danny Rosen	...	Ricky
Phillip Kimbrough	...	Hurley
Ken Call	...	Buck
Elizabeth Gans	...	Augusta
Margaret Jo Lee	...	Evie
John King	...	John
Bob Hannah	...	Sid
Jane Berman	...	Lady in T-Bird
A.B. Calloway	...	Truck driver in diner

Storyline

Trouble ensues when a motorcycle gang stops in a small southern town while heading to the races at Daytona.

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Plot Keywords:

motorcycle | f rated | cult film | death | murder | 

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Taglines:

Sworn to Fun...Loyal to None!!!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 1984 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Breakdown

Filming Locations:

USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pioneer Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally titled "US 17" after the highway in Georgia where it takes place. Distributors renamed it "Breakdown" for its worldwide premiere at a film festival in Switzerland.

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Quotes

Vance: [last lines, voiceover] Every one of us... dollar chips in one big floatin' crap game.

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Connections

Featured in The Bad Sister (1983)

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Soundtracks

Goodbye Baby
Written by Jack Scott
Performed by Robert Gordon

User Reviews

Hyperrealism in real time.

I think this movie comes closest to what bikers experience while on the road. Boredom, waiting, mechanical problems, prejudice of the locals. I have done many transcontinental motorcycle rides alone, and this one captures it best. You're not going to come across Timothy Leary in the middle of nowhere (Roadside Prophets), or pick up Nicholson and get blown away (Easy Rider). There are long stretches where absolutely nothing happens. There is a scene where Dafoe sits in the bar and it is filmed in real time, security-camera style. Unbearable minutes go by and nothing happens at all, while a gorgeous Brenda Lee song "I Want To Be Wanted" plays in the background.

The loneliness of riding alone and coming into town alone is what makes this movie poignant and beautiful in a quiet way.

This movie is also a rockabilly heaven. Eddy Dixon's superb opening song Relentless is possibly one of the most difficult songs to find in print. NYC rockabilly singer Robert Gordon also serves up some over-the-top method acting here. DaFoe's narrative voice is already wonderful here, as is Bigelow's filmmaking style. Sometimes I explain this movie to people as one where the tables are turned and men get objectified. It's an interesting dynamic to see what mainstream films have done for so long to women done to men.

The plot is about a group of bikers who are en route to Florida to see some auto/bike racing. They are coming from different states and planning to converge at a meeting point. One of the biker's Harleys break down and there is a delay that holds them up in a small Georgia town. Dafoe runs into a daughter of a redneck at a gas station and hooks up there. Everything finally hits the fan at the local bar.

Lots of nice shots of vintage bikes. Harley shovelheads and knuckleheads are in effect throughout the movie.