I see Earl from Australia talking about the bikes and the film.As for the film,I have been a biker my whole life and first wore colours in 1971 and still do.I am also a film maker.The way they act on the film is just about dead on and as for the bikes.They are all Harley Shovel heads which were made from 1966 to 1984.None of the bikes are new and are all authentic to the period.In 84 they began building Evos and the switched to Twin Cam engines in 1998.They were Twin Cams in the harleys in 2011 so no you are wrong about the bikes.Those bikes are the bikes we road back in the 60s 70s and 80s.As for the Sportsters in the film,they were all period Iron Heads.Before you run things down maybe it would be wise to get your facts strait first.This was not bad film and it took me back to those days.It was very realistic in it's portral of bikers in the 70s and 80s.And as for Campbell,it isn't was but is as the Enforcer is still alive.
11 Reviews
A real good story
mikerogerburton20 June 2012
The show was really good but could have been a bit Meaner and maybe a bit more realistic but I must say I am not happy it was only 6 episodes long. I hope they make another series as this was good viewing. Maybe it could have gone into more depth on how the club got money and what the real war was over.
The show was over all a good show The actors did well playing the characters. The action was a bit slow but was tense when needed. I wanted to watch every week and looked forward to it.
I really wish their were more episodes.
go enjoy
The show was over all a good show The actors did well playing the characters. The action was a bit slow but was tense when needed. I wanted to watch every week and looked forward to it.
I really wish their were more episodes.
go enjoy
Great film
ringdown10 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
From someone who only read about the massacre that this film supposedly follows to me was great for an Australian production. We don't have a great reputation for great productions for both film and television but I did enjoy this series. I know that we do have the odd great hit, Mad Max comes to mind and Stone.
It has some violent bashings and extensive drug use and simulated sex scenes but the highlight to me was Callan Mulvey. This guy is going to be a superstar, mark my words. Every role he does he excels in, Home and Away, Rush and The Hunter are all recommendations to watch.
This may not be great to those who know of the characters in real life but to all of us other Aussies this series is great escapism although it is not in the league of Sons of Anarchy, but then no series will ever be able to take SOA's status away.
I ticked the spoiler box just in case I did write something that spoilt the experience of this for somebody. This is not my intention as I believe that you must watch not expecting anything.
It has some violent bashings and extensive drug use and simulated sex scenes but the highlight to me was Callan Mulvey. This guy is going to be a superstar, mark my words. Every role he does he excels in, Home and Away, Rush and The Hunter are all recommendations to watch.
This may not be great to those who know of the characters in real life but to all of us other Aussies this series is great escapism although it is not in the league of Sons of Anarchy, but then no series will ever be able to take SOA's status away.
I ticked the spoiler box just in case I did write something that spoilt the experience of this for somebody. This is not my intention as I believe that you must watch not expecting anything.
Weekend bikers? Mad Max lite?
emuir-128 March 2024
I found this series excellent, with only a minor quibble or two. In the 90's I rode a Harley Davidson and belonged to a group who worked during the week, but spent their weekends hanging out at a bar run by one of the group, and taking rides together to wherever there was a barbecue or party on a Sunday. The rides had many stops at favorite bars. We lived in Florida and never missed Daytona bike week and Octoberfest. All wore black leather and patches, but no club colors as those in clubs stayed apart. In my opinion, the riders liked to dress up and imagine they were big bad tough guys living the life, but few would have seriously considered joining a violent outlaw club. Never once did I see a party were they got naked or indulged in the antics shown in the series. I saw lots of drinking, but no drugs.
As no mention was made of how these supposed outlaw bikers earned their living, and some of them appeared to have jobs, they seemed more like weekend bikers to me rather than the full time hard core 1% criminal bikers. Australia in the early 80's may have been different for all I know, as the criminal outlaw gangs were alleged to be into the drug trade.
I particularly liked the fact that the actors appeared to be riding the motor cycles - no stuntmen other than the one time a rider wore a helmet and was thrown from his bike. I had thought several of the mullet cuts were wigs, but as none of them flew off while riding (unless it was very good green screen work) I guess Damien Walshe-Howling isn't really bald after all.
The lead actor did an excellent job and handled a very good Scottish accent throughout. Not sure if it would convince a Glaswegian, but at least we could understand what he was saying, something I cannot do with Billy Connelly. Jock struck me as the kind of power drunk ex-military man said to wear his stripes on his pyjamas and drills his children like raw recruits. The military was likely the best time of his life and time stopped there for him. His ambition is to build the largest club in Australia, for no real reason other than ego, and anything getting in the way of his dream triggers his dark side.
I wish there had been more seasons, but of course, it would have to be fiction as the reason story ended when the bad guys faced justice.
As no mention was made of how these supposed outlaw bikers earned their living, and some of them appeared to have jobs, they seemed more like weekend bikers to me rather than the full time hard core 1% criminal bikers. Australia in the early 80's may have been different for all I know, as the criminal outlaw gangs were alleged to be into the drug trade.
I particularly liked the fact that the actors appeared to be riding the motor cycles - no stuntmen other than the one time a rider wore a helmet and was thrown from his bike. I had thought several of the mullet cuts were wigs, but as none of them flew off while riding (unless it was very good green screen work) I guess Damien Walshe-Howling isn't really bald after all.
The lead actor did an excellent job and handled a very good Scottish accent throughout. Not sure if it would convince a Glaswegian, but at least we could understand what he was saying, something I cannot do with Billy Connelly. Jock struck me as the kind of power drunk ex-military man said to wear his stripes on his pyjamas and drills his children like raw recruits. The military was likely the best time of his life and time stopped there for him. His ambition is to build the largest club in Australia, for no real reason other than ego, and anything getting in the way of his dream triggers his dark side.
I wish there had been more seasons, but of course, it would have to be fiction as the reason story ended when the bad guys faced justice.
Immersion Breaking issue
elvcowen17 January 2014
Overall I found this series to be quite good. The characters are believable and fairly true to the 1%ers I know.
I however find the absolute disregard for helmet laws to be very immersion breaking, helmet laws in Aus came in during 1961 (Jan 1st 1961) and the real 1%ers I know did not disregard the helmet laws (it wasn't worth the police hassle), especially considering this is set during the late 70's early 80's as is displayed by the cars shown, the characters in this show would have grown up with helmet laws in place therefore the characters would be likely to abide by the laws regarding helmet use. The only scene where a character is shown prominently wearing a helmet is one where the helmet clearly served it's purpose, he was injured not dead after suffering a head meets road incident. It is also very much an Americanisation of the series.
There is also a minor quibble that up until the mid-late 80's Harley's were not the bike of choice of the 1%ers it was generally heavily modified UJM's or British bikes.
I however find the absolute disregard for helmet laws to be very immersion breaking, helmet laws in Aus came in during 1961 (Jan 1st 1961) and the real 1%ers I know did not disregard the helmet laws (it wasn't worth the police hassle), especially considering this is set during the late 70's early 80's as is displayed by the cars shown, the characters in this show would have grown up with helmet laws in place therefore the characters would be likely to abide by the laws regarding helmet use. The only scene where a character is shown prominently wearing a helmet is one where the helmet clearly served it's purpose, he was injured not dead after suffering a head meets road incident. It is also very much an Americanisation of the series.
There is also a minor quibble that up until the mid-late 80's Harley's were not the bike of choice of the 1%ers it was generally heavily modified UJM's or British bikes.
Mostly terrible
paoneill-122 May 2012
I watched two whole episodes just to make sure. This really is mostly terrible, best illustrated by one unfortunate piece of casting.
Colin 'Caesar' Campbell was a big man, tall, broad shoulders, an imposing, perhaps threatening presence. He is portrayed here by Anthony Hayes, who is about as imposing as a teddy bear. He has narrow shoulders, a pot belly, he really isn't up to the job. He's not alone in that but, more than any other cast member, illustrates how this show falls so far short of anything remotely resembling a true portrayal of an outlaw motorcycle club.
It's quite clueless. These rough, tough bikies, who mostly look like a bunch of nice middle-class youngsters after a biggish weekend, ride around on shiny new Harleys, straight off the shop floor in 2011. So there you go, how many telephone calls would it have taken to line up some authentic old motorcycles? One, if you rang the right place, it wouldn't be that hard.
There are whole sequences where nothing happens, nothing is learned about the characters, the narrative grinds to a halt. There is the occasional brief flicker of a scene that isn't all that bad, usually featuring Callan Mulvey and Matt Nable , the two leads.
Okay, so we've got some pedestrian direction and photography, a lousy script, woeful casting, fair-to-middling acting, some reasonable art direction and set direction, poor attention to relevant detail and an overall look and feel of the whole project being rushed along too quickly. So it's pretty much your standard Australian teev series.
It's quite extraordinary in its own way. A show about bikies that is boring and mundane.
Colin 'Caesar' Campbell was a big man, tall, broad shoulders, an imposing, perhaps threatening presence. He is portrayed here by Anthony Hayes, who is about as imposing as a teddy bear. He has narrow shoulders, a pot belly, he really isn't up to the job. He's not alone in that but, more than any other cast member, illustrates how this show falls so far short of anything remotely resembling a true portrayal of an outlaw motorcycle club.
It's quite clueless. These rough, tough bikies, who mostly look like a bunch of nice middle-class youngsters after a biggish weekend, ride around on shiny new Harleys, straight off the shop floor in 2011. So there you go, how many telephone calls would it have taken to line up some authentic old motorcycles? One, if you rang the right place, it wouldn't be that hard.
There are whole sequences where nothing happens, nothing is learned about the characters, the narrative grinds to a halt. There is the occasional brief flicker of a scene that isn't all that bad, usually featuring Callan Mulvey and Matt Nable , the two leads.
Okay, so we've got some pedestrian direction and photography, a lousy script, woeful casting, fair-to-middling acting, some reasonable art direction and set direction, poor attention to relevant detail and an overall look and feel of the whole project being rushed along too quickly. So it's pretty much your standard Australian teev series.
It's quite extraordinary in its own way. A show about bikies that is boring and mundane.
Really bad
bubblesarbear6 March 2018
The characters arent even believable as bikers, especially the guy who plays Cesar, that guy looks like a short fat women with a wig and fake beard. I guess it's hard for feminine men to try and play tough manly men. What a waste of time!!!
Just terrible.
bellab197220 January 2020
This Show Is So So Things That Bikers Missed On This Show Maybe
jbabel-8582814 December 2021
I'm Not An MC I Wear A Cut But I Put Random Patches Not MC Colors The Bandidos Did not Have The Mexican Hat With Two Guns They Had The The Name And The Fat Mexican And Where They From Back In The 80s And The Bandidos Color Are Yellow And Red Not Yellow And Black Now Caesar Had A SGT AT ARMS But Also Had An Enforcer You Can Have Either A SGT AT ARMS Patch Or An Enforcer Patch But You Can't Have Both I'm 21 years Old I Know What I'm Talking About Shows OK But The Colors On The Characters Cuts Does Not Make Sense St All.
Eh
Headturner122 May 2021
I've been watching everything Matt Nable's in lately. I saw this and thought of Sons of Anarchy( which I know is fictional and I didn't love the series) but this is worse. It looks like it was shot ages ago. The acting and everything is fine but it's based off a true story?!? So the goal was to be the biggest MC in the country??? That's it? What for if you aren't running things besides bashings?!? Didn't see them making money illegally? The cops didn't seem to care of their doings ( like they were paying them off) but for what for?!? Unless they didn't portray that part of it. Oh and Suzie Porter was also a plus. I watched all but the last episode as I really could care less what happens at this point. Moving on to another Nable series...
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
