The Loveless

Kathryn Bigelow's first film as a director. It's a superior biker flick, with the characteristic Bigelow gloss already visible. Don't remember much of the plot, but there are scenes - mostly between Dafoe and the eerily underage-looking Marin Kanter - that have stayed with me ever since I saw it years ago. Violent and sexy and almost too cool for its own good, with a rockabilly soundtrack by Robert Gordon and lots of long tracking shots of glossy cars and bikes. Worth watching, and one of Dafoe's less stunned performances (he really is much better on stage.)

Before director Kathryn Bigelow became widely recognizable with her later effort in 1987's NEAR DARK, 1991's POINT BREAK, 1995's STRANGE DAYS and of course, right down to 2009's Oscar-winning war drama THE HURT LOCKER, she made her first feature debut in a low-budget independent drama called THE LOVELESS when she was still studying in NYC as a film student. THE LOVELESS is a stylized and eccentric genre movie that pays homage to 1950s biker movies (notably Marlon Brando's THE WILD ONE) with art-house sensibility. This movie is also notable as Willem Dafoe's first lead role.

Set in 1950s, the story centers on Vance (Dafoe), a leather-clad biker who rides into a small Southern town where he supposes to meet up with his fellow motorcycle gang at a cafe somewhere at Highway 17. Their plan is to head over to Daytona Beach for the races, but they forced to postpone for a while when one of their motorcycles breaks down. While waiting the broken motorcycle to get fixed in a nearby garage, Vance and his motorcycle gang hang around at the cafe. Along the process, Vance flirts a bit with a widowed waitress named Augusta (Liz Gans). She also hooks up with Telena (Marin Kanter), the rebellious teenage daughter of a psychotic father, Tarver (J. Don Ferguson).

THE LOVELESS is also co-directed by Monty Montgomery, who is best known for producing David Lynch's WILD AT HEART (1990). Both he and Bigelow favors a lot in fetishism (mostly close-up on leather outfit, motorcycle, chrome) that it's quite mesmerizing to watch their stylized eroticization of a '50s biker culture. Somewhere in between, you can also see Bigelow's earlier attempt in lurid direction that will later becoming one of her trademarks in her subsequent movies. Despite its low-budget standard, the visual is adequate enough for this kind of genre, while Robert Gordon's (who also appeared as an actor here, playing one of Vance's motorcycle gang member named Davis) rock soundtrack is a standout. As for Willem Dafoe, he made quite an impression playing a stoic lead character.

But most of the movie is a disappointment. Despite clocking at a brief 82 minutes, the movie can be excruciatingly tough to sit through. The pace is deliberately slow to a crawl, especially in the long-winded first hour. Here, the movie lingers in a circle as we watch the characters sit around and talk about nothing in particular. Other times we see them stare silently into space, waiting for something to happen, and all the mundane tasks that goes on and on. The purposefully-stylized dialogues, which meant to be cool, are mostly borderline into self-parody. Meanwhile, the sudden burst of violence that occurs in the final act, fails to deliver any would-be shocking impact.

Suffice to say, THE LOVELESS isn't much of a recommended effort, other than those who always curious to see how Bigelow and Dafoe get started during their early careers.

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I think this movie comes closest to what bikers experience while on the road. Boredom, waiting, mechanical problems, prejudice of the locals. I have done many transcontinental motorcycle rides alone, and this one captures it best. You're not going to come across Timothy Leary in the middle of nowhere (Roadside Prophets), or pick up Nicholson and get blown away (Easy Rider). There are long stretches where absolutely nothing happens. There is a scene where Dafoe sits in the bar and it is filmed in real time, security-camera style. Unbearable minutes go by and nothing happens at all, while a gorgeous Brenda Lee song "I Want To Be Wanted" plays in the background.

The loneliness of riding alone and coming into town alone is what makes this movie poignant and beautiful in a quiet way.

This movie is also a rockabilly heaven. Eddy Dixon's superb opening song Relentless is possibly one of the most difficult songs to find in print. NYC rockabilly singer Robert Gordon also serves up some over-the-top method acting here. DaFoe's narrative voice is already wonderful here, as is Bigelow's filmmaking style. Sometimes I explain this movie to people as one where the tables are turned and men get objectified. It's an interesting dynamic to see what mainstream films have done for so long to women done to men.

The plot is about a group of bikers who are en route to Florida to see some auto/bike racing. They are coming from different states and planning to converge at a meeting point. One of the biker's Harleys break down and there is a delay that holds them up in a small Georgia town. Dafoe runs into a daughter of a redneck at a gas station and hooks up there. Everything finally hits the fan at the local bar.

Lots of nice shots of vintage bikes. Harley shovelheads and knuckleheads are in effect throughout the movie.

I saw 'The Loveless' years and years ago but I'm still searching the internet for it; it must have been on TV because I didn't see it at the cinema and it isn't available on video. I watched the film because it had bikes in it and was amazed - it has a great sound-track, stunning visuals with glistening chrome and shots of motor oil that you can almost touch (the repair scenes in the garage).

The first time you see the film the ending is a surprise - after you've thought about it for a while it becomes obvious that it's the only ending the film could have.

I'm stunned that this film seems to have vanished. It is impossible to obtain on tape or DVD and even some of my film going friends that reckon they like Kathryn Bigelow have never heard of it.

Bring it out on DVD - NOW!

Kathryn Bigelow's first feature, as well as Willem Dafoe's first credited role. Dafoe plays a 1950's biker who rolls into a small Georgia town en route to Daytona and meets up with some biker friends. The locals treat them with a mixture of fascination and contempt. But this isn't EASY RIDER or THE WILD ONE... its moody atmosphere plays more like a meeting of Kenneth Anger and David Lynch. Eerie bright colors, an aura of sleazy cool, homoerotic imagery, long lingering shots, smoky score and hip soundtrack. I found it fascinating and it unexpectedly drew me into its world. Some of the performances are weak and some of the writing is corny, but ultimately these flaws just add to the sense of iconography at play, a kind of mythical recreation of archetypes from another time. These characters (both the bikers and the townsfolk) are indeed "loveless", living without drive, detachedly picking up cheap kicks wherever they can. I really enjoyed watching this stylish, elegiac film.