The Peace Killers

A young woman (Jess Walton), who is the former "old lady" of the vicious leader of a motorcycle gang, is living in a rural hippie commune with her brother (Michael Ontkean) when she is spotted by several members of her former gang. The bike gang ("Death Row") shows up at the commune, "crucifies" the pacifist leader of the group on a peace symbol (some heavy symbolish here), and takes off with the girl, planning to "teach her a lesson" by gang-raping her. She escapes again with the help of a bizarre interracial rival biker gang, which is led by a black woman(!). They return her to the commune with the "Death Row" gang hot on their trail, and the brother tries to convince the pacifist leader to fight back this time.

This biker vs. hippie movie is no masterpiece, but it's surprisingly entertaining. Whatever message it is making about violence and pacifism seems a little confused, but I still find movies like this vastly preferable to the mindless, simplistic movies that have dominated the action/revenge genre since the era of Reagan and "Rambo". In real life, of course, the bikers actually got on pretty well with the hippies, despite their diametrically opposed politics and attitudes towards women, mostly due to their mutual interest in drugs (which said a lot about the priorities of the hippie movement). It's also a little hard to believe anyone still regarded hippies as naive, gentle pacifists after the Manson Family murders.

The lead actress Jess Walton is absolutely beautiful (and has nude scenes). She kind of reminds me of British actress/singer Jane Birkin. This is her only major movie, but she would go on to a long television career. The director Douglas Scwartz would also go to a long television, uh, career (he later created "Baywatch"--oh, the horror, the horror!). Michael Ontkean though is the most recognizable talent having appeared in both famous movies ("Slapshot") and TV series ("Twin Peaks"). This is definitely worth a look.

What more could you ask for in a biker flick? The Peace Killers features hairy hippies, Jesus freaks, pot smoking pill popping baddies, gratuitous psychobabble, a fuzztone driven score...everything adds up to one of the best (and least known) entries in this entertaining genre. Directed by future Baywatch creator Doug Schwartz, the film features an attractive lead in fresh-faced Jess Walton, who plays ex-motorcycle mama Kristy. She's being pursued by her former paramour Rebel (Clint Ritchie, who looks like a gone to seed James Brolin), a biker with a HUGE stars and bars flag flying from the back of his hog. This is a very violent film--the pencil skewering scene is unpleasant, and a rape sequence early on quite nasty--but a well made one, with good location photography by the director. (Incidentally, I think the Topanga gas station in this film is the same one utilized in Ray Dennis Steckler's The Thrill Killers--but I may be mistaken.) Add in some great folk-pop numbers from singer Ruthann Friedman and an unforgettable crucifixion scene, and you have a real winner! Side note: future Terrence Mallick cinematographer and husband of Sissy Spacek, Jack Fisk, was the gaffer on this film.

It's not Easy Rider, but it's an excellent example of a late 60s/early 70s youth culture drive-in movie experience. Terrifying and disturbing with a message of peace that makes the violence even more distressing. The conflict between a life of mindless violence and a life of intellectual peace is not wasted in a thin story. There is a thoughtful intent in the script and the film's direction. The fight scenes were a bit soft, but pacifists don't have that much butt-kicking training. The uses of original songs to convey the inner life or lack of an inner life of certain characters seems corny by today's standards, but the songs themselves are nice. For what it is, it's well done.

Kristy used to be the 'old lady' of the leader of a biker gang. However, after seeing another woman brutally raped, she'd had enough and ran off--even though they promised to track her down and kill her if she did. Some time has passed and by chance, a member of this old gang sees her in a general store--and not surprisingly, he goes to get the gang. As for Kristy, she's being hidden by a group of annoying hippies--annoying because they promise a lot but won't lift a finger to fight. What will become of her? I sometimes enjoy an old biker film--mostly because they are so cheesy. However, "The Peace Killers" was not a film I particularly liked since it went farther than most films in the genre. For most of the films, the gangs looked mean, talked mean and even did a few mean things. These folks, in contrast, really are evil--and the film is pretty vivid in its depiction of rape and nudity. I just felt uncomfortable with a film glamorizing or exploiting rape...and never actually finished watching this one. See it if you like--I just think it crosses the line from entertainment to sleaze. Not enjoyable--just nasty.

Siblings Kristy and Jeffrey are buying supplies at a remote desert gas station when some members of a biker gang come cruising in. The bikers recognize Kristy, who used to be the main squeeze of the gang's leader before she ran away.

What is the deal with hippies versus bikers? I presume this trend was inspired by "Easy Rider", but it seems like there is a large (but still obscure) subgenre of films about hippies who get attacked by bikers. Some from Roger Corman, and some from even lower budget producers.

In this film, the hippies are so obsessed with love, with their leader being a perverted sort of Christ figure. I could not decide if I was supposed to sympathize with them or not. While the siblings are obviously the protagonists, the "new age" factor was just a bit too much for me.