Quasi-comedy biker flick with western-genre elements has motocross champ Jeremy Slate (as the one decent character, and convincingly so) plotting his vengeance on the Arizona biker gang who stole his prized cycle. He catches up to them but is beaten badly, and for compensation the scurrilous pack leaves him scowling chopper chick Jocelyn Lane (an attractive cross between Nancy Sinatra and a post-teenage Hayley Mills, but a bit too refined for this kind of movie). "Hell's Belles" isn't much, nor does it strive to be, but the desert locales are interesting, Les Baxter's score is campy, and the performances aren't bad. Adam Roarke, a fine actor who made more than his share of groaners, plays the leader with admirable finesse, and the growing relationship between Slate and Lane is intriguing. The final showdown is well done, as is the closing scene. American International Pictures, having had huge success with "The Wild Angels" in 1966, had a tough time getting out of the biker rut, and by 1970 it was all starting to look like rehashed goods, but this entry has some modest surprises up its sleeve, and leaves you with more than just a quick biker fix. ** from ****
Review of Hell's Belles
