Motorcycle Gang

If I had checked for reviews with IMDB prior to my renting this movie, I would probably have still rented it since only one review was available. There are a lot of noticable errors in this film and the plot really doesn't make sense. The ending is just really unbelievable and would not happen even in today's time much less in the era this film is suppose to portray. However, if you are shying away from it because it says it has a Rape scene, the scene is not graphic as I have seen in other movies. Neither person gets their clothes off and there is no nudity in this scene at all. But I would just shy away from this flick because it really isn't good.

This film essentially begins sometime in the 50's with a man by the name of "Cal Morris" (Gerald McRaney), his wife "Jean Morris" (Elan Oberon) and their teenage daughter "Leann Morris" (Carla Gugino) packing up the car and heading out from Houston to their new home in Los Angeles. Naturally, since the interstate highways system was yet to be completed during this time, Cal figures that their trip will take approximately 3 days. Meanwhile, about 700 miles down the road, a motorcycle gang has recently gone on a killing spree and when they meet the Morris family at a roadside diner, the leader of the gang, known simply as "Jake" (Jake Busey), decides that he can make some money by kidnapping Leann and selling her in Mexico. What he doesn't realize, however, is that Cal is a former Army veteran who has seen his share of combat and is more than willing to take matters into his own hands to get his daughter back. Now, as far as the actual merits of this movie are concerned, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, although the film takes place in the 50's, there was something about the setting that just didn't feel right for some reason. I don't know, maybe it's just me but something seemed off. Likewise, I didn't particularly care for the acting on the part of Jake Busey all that much either. While it's true that his character was quite unsavory, his performance wasn't nearly as menacing as it should have been. Perhaps it was his goofy smile during some of these scenes, but whatever the reason, he just didn't seem right for this role. On the other hand, I thought that Gerald McRaney put in a good performance and--along with the reasonably interesting plot--managed to overcome some of the weaknesses just mentioned. That being said, while this was certainly not a great "biker film" by any means, it wasn't all that bad and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This is officially THE worst film ever made. It is terrible! The acting is awful, the sets are awful, the editing is awful, the plot is awful, the props are awful, the soundtrack is awful, I simply could not state one positive comment about this movie! Set in the fifties, you can blatantly see 90's cars roaming around, the bikes the 'Gang' use are rusting even though they are ahead of their time, this is diabolical. Words cannot describe it! Take my advice - avoid this piece of junk at all costs! It will be the biggest waste of 80 minutes you could ever imagine.

Made for TV (Showtime) and directed by John Milius ("Conan the Barbarian," "Red Dawn"), 1994's "Motorcycle Gang" relays the story of a family traveling through the Southwest circa 1959-60 wherein they run afoul of a small gang of criminal bikers. The daughter is kidnapped and taken into Mexico. The father has no recourse but to take matters into his own hands. Will this crisis tear the family further apart or bring them closer together (i.e. a blessing in disguise)?

Jake "Gary's Son" Busey plays the charismatic bike leader and does it well. The father is played by Gerald McRaney (Major Dad), who's always perfect for father-type roles. The wife is played by Elan Oberon, who doesn't seem all that spectacular looks-wise until you see one shot of her at the motel (whoa!). One of the highlights is Carla Gugino (Silk Spectre in "Watchmen") as the daughter. The daughter's only 16 years-old but Carla was 22 at the time of filming.

There's an interesting subplot about sexuality -- the wife is bored with her husband and was having an affair to fulfill her sexual desires before the trip; the daughter (who suspects the affair) is just awakening to her sexuality and finds it intriguing; the father has grown bored with romance/sex and has drifted from his wife, but the vacation reinvigorates him and stirs his passions; the bikers only regard sex on the most base level.

Another theme is that of universal justice. Scum who choose to give themselves wholly over to their dark side and commit extreme criminal acts don't deserve lovey-dovey mercy and understanding -- they've gone too far; they deserve nothing but obliteration from this realm of existence (say a prayer with 'em if you want).

At a mere 84 minutes the film is short-but-sweet with almost no filler.

The gorgeous Southwest locations are a definite plus.

Being made-for-cable-TV "Motorcycle Gang" is obviously low-budget fare, but that's okay because the biker films of the late 60s/early 70s were just as low-budget. The good thing is that "Motorcycle Gang" is actually better than most of those films. In fact, it's on a par with 1992's "Beyond the Law," although I much prefer "Motorcycle Gang" (Charlie Sheen isn't believable as a hardcore biker plus that film had too many goofy elements).

This isn't "Apocalypse Now," it's a low-budget TV biker flick, so don't expect to be blown away. Just enjoy it for what it is, and maybe you'll discover that it's even more than that.

GRADE: B+

"Motorcycle Gang" benefits from above average performances and interesting, though marginally developed characters. The deliberate pacing is another plus, which allows for more than just the usual cursory dialog. Jake Busey is well cast as the leader of the gang, and Gerald McRaney is good as the dad in pursuit of his kidnapped daughter, Carla Gugino. Nice desert photography enhances the production as well. Overall, this has entertainment value because it never pretends to be anything except an updated 50s biker movie, and at that it succeeds nicely. So what you see is what you get, and that is totally acceptable from my point of view. - MERK