The Cycle Savages

The problems do abound in The Cycle Savages, but it could have possibly been a better movie. I did get into the sheer artificiality, and unbelievability, of the movie at times just on the basis of kinda, sort of buying into it. But it's also got a central problem in that there is really nothing 'there' in the side of the 'good guys'. Not that this is a totally bad thing really, for it is the mean dirty rat-bastard bikers that really are the show for anyone seeing the film today. And it's almost luck that first time writer/director Bill Brame has Bruce Dern to fill the part of Keeg, one of the sleaziest of the kind of totally immoral, however with a kind of Little Alex ala Clockwork Orange style of immediate intelligence. Even in all of his occasional mania and outright outbursts getting into the over-dramatic, Dern has this character completely down. It's actually best in the scenes where he ends up being most provoking by having the most controlled, almost calm voice. A lot of his 'wit' in the film is scabrous, and not really funny, but on the side of giving a convincingly deranged sociopath with a penchant for intimidation and girls it makes the film usually watchable.

It's a shame then that Brame isn't able to match him up with more competent actors. Or even, despite having a couple of good 'exploitation' style scenes of violence and nudity and rape, having not enough for what the rest of the material is asking for. The group, Hell's Chosen Few (strange for a half biker/half prostitution ring club), spends a lot of the movie waiting, and carrying on with side-stuff, while the main story involving the artist who previously drew the bikers who now gets drawn into the deceiving clutches of the decoy is weak and unconvincing. The motives most of the time, even for a B-movie, seem to shift and not seem very solid aside from the man's 'I love you' phase even after fighting with a slashed abdomen wound. The ending (coming all too quick and with a lackluster climax) and the musical accompaniment (likely the most annoyingly generic riff repeated in any film from the period) are along with some of the acting the weaker points of the picture, sometimes embarrassingly so.

So it does say a lot, however, that I could possibly recommend it on a bad movie level, where some parts become so crazy it's hard not to enjoy it. And Bruce Dern helps bring a good, tiny change of pace to the proceedings of the very typical ten-cent biker production, which by the way doesn't have a big abundance of throughout the film. In a career full of playing antagonists, this one is unnerving and realistic enough to be of note.

This Casey Kasem production has to be the funniest biker flick in biker flick history! The film stars a host of "cult" favorites. Bruce Dern plays a wild-eyed, demented, out-of-control, biker named Keeg(guess he has a "weakness" for beer!). Dern's performance is so over-the-top, it's great. Every time he goes off the deep end, you can't help but break out laughing! He is a"White-Heat Cagney" in leather on a chopped-up hog! The romantic interest is the beautiful Melody Patterson-Wrangler Jane on t.v.'s F-Troop. Ms. Patterson is the most talented actress in the film, but who cares? She's as lovely as can be, and she's nude too! The hero is played by South Florida "Cult" legend Chris Robinson. Robinson is the Bogart of "Z" films, this film makes you wonder how mainstream Hollywood didn't discover this "Diamond" in a mountain of garbage. The academy award for most colorful acting goes to character-actor Scott Brady as a less than tough-talking vice squad detective. The movie poster for this "stinker" bills the gang as "The Wildest Bunch of the 70's", unfortunately they are the funniest!

The leader of a biker gang (Bruce Dern) takes exception to an artist sketching them, so he makes plans to crush the artist's hands.

The film is cheap, with awful audio and terrible music. This was director Bill Brame's debut, though he had worked as an editor on "Star Trek" (and continued to be an editor for many years after). Although the movie has Roger Corman written all over it, this surprisingly is not one of his films.

We get some decent cast members here: Dern, Melody Patterson and even Casey Kasem (who doubles as executive producer). And there is some interesting conflict, but this is a largely disposable film.

I collect "cheap biker movies" and this qualifies. There is a lot to be said, but, most others out there covered it all. I thought I would throw in a few (of many) bloopers. When Romko's hands are in the vise, they are obviously loose (not being crunched). Check out how many times the cast accidentally bump the vise handle and spin it. If the vise was under tension, the handle would be tight. Another blooper was when a biker hops on his bike that is backed to the curb. Watch the exhaust pipes. Before he even "Kicks it over" there is a very obvious belching of smoke, indicating the bike was running at idle before he even got on it.(not to mention in need of valve guide work). Comical stuff. Thats why I love these cheap biker movies. Notice the sky high exhaust pipes on one bike? Cool. The leaders of most real outlaw biker clubs (not gangs) ride a Harley Sportster (for quicker handling and speed while being pursued by the law) not any English bike(s) like "Keeg" (what's a Keeg?) The purple Triumph of "Keeg" is cool, but not authentic. Outlaw clubs rode Harleys, not Limeys. It is just that cheap biker movies can't afford an all Harley cast, I guess. All in all, one great "Cheap Biker Movie". VERY racy for it's time. These movies were meant to terrify the viewers. Maybe at the time, but comical, now.

'The Cycle Savages' is 60s biker exploitation trash par excellence! Future 'Bold And The Beautiful' soap star Chris Robinson plays Romko, a nice guy artist. Cult legend Bruce Dern ('The Wild Angels', 'Silent Running', 'The Trip', 'Psych-Out') plays Keeg, a sadistic noogoodnik biker type. Keeg takes offense at Romko sketching him and his fellow bikers and roughs the guy up. Becoming obsessed he declares he will destroy Romko's hands if he ever catches him drawing again. Romko recuperates from his injuries with the help of nice girl Lea (Melody Patterson, who sent many a pre-pubescent boy's heart a flutter when she played Wrangler Jane in 'F-Troop'). Meanwhile Keeg and the boys carry on with what comes naturally - enticing local high school girls to their pad, dosing them with acid, gang raping them, and passing them on to his pimp brother (played by DJ Casey Kasem, who also co-produced!). Romko begins to fall in love with Lea not realizing that she is being intimidated by Keeg into spying on him. Remember just one more sketch and it's bye-bye to his hands! 'The Cycle Savages' is a cut above similarly trashy biker exploitation movies from this period (e.g. 'Hells Angels On Wheels', 'The Rebel Rousers') because of the memorable performance by Bruce Dern, one of the nastiest of his whole career! If like me you can't get enough of vintage Dern action then 'The Cycle Savages' is a must see! On top of that, Melody Patterson is easy on the eye (and has some very subtle nude scenes which sadly reveal virtually nothing), and there is a goofy fuzz guitar driven score that sounds like some old square geezer pretending (unsuccessfully!) to be Davie Allen. Great stuff!