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+
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+