THE WILD ONE was a shocking exposé in the 1950s about unbridled youth and crime. For its time, it was rather timely and a wakeup to all the "squares". As a result, this film which certainly would have merited a score of 8 had the internet and IMDb been around in 1953. Then it was a ground-breaking film and would have thrilled the audiences--seeing excessive violence and nihilism. However, just a decade or two later, the motorcycle "heavies" of this film would seem quite wimpy and ridiculous--especially when you compare them to those in films such as THE BORN LOSERS or SATAN'S SADISTS!! My teenage daughter watched part of the movie with me and she laughed, saying "are they SUPPOSED to be tough--they seem so silly". And, unfortunately, that's probably the reaction MOST would have to the film today, though it does have some quality acting and writing. The problem is that the tough gang just seems silly--committing no crimes more serious than petty theft and "hooliganism". Plus, having Marlon Brando play a gang leader who is BOTH anti-establishment but basically a nice guy at heart just seems like a big cliché. I really wish he'd been rotten to the core--this would have seemed much more realistic and believable.
Some fun things to watch are the actors playing supporting roles as gang members. Lee Marvin is a tough guy who in reality probably would have killed or severely mangled Brando, but since it was Brando's movie, the "hero" quickly beats Marvin to a pulp. Also, I noticed Jerry Paris and Alvy Moore were members of Brando's gang. Paris was "Jerry Helper"--Rob Petry's neighbor on the DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and Alvy Moore was "Hank Kimbell" from GREEN ACRES. Just imagine how much I laughed when I saw Hank Kimbell acting like a 50s thug!!
Some fun things to watch are the actors playing supporting roles as gang members. Lee Marvin is a tough guy who in reality probably would have killed or severely mangled Brando, but since it was Brando's movie, the "hero" quickly beats Marvin to a pulp. Also, I noticed Jerry Paris and Alvy Moore were members of Brando's gang. Paris was "Jerry Helper"--Rob Petry's neighbor on the DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and Alvy Moore was "Hank Kimbell" from GREEN ACRES. Just imagine how much I laughed when I saw Hank Kimbell acting like a 50s thug!!