Runtime: 87 minutes
Directed by: Al Adamson
Starring: Russ Tamblyn, Gary Kent, Jacqulin Cole, John “Bud” Cardos, Robert Dix
From: Independent-International Pictures
Before I get to the meat of the review, two points have to be addressed:
1) It is probable that I won't see as many foreign films this month as expected. Considering that I watch movies from all over the world the other 11 months of the year, it is not something I should sweat.
2) As sometimes occurs, it was a comment on a messageboard that served as a germ for an idea. Someone mentioned that they were not a fan of the 1978 movie Death Dimension; I hadn't seen it even though it stars quite the trio of Jim Kelly, Harold Sakata and George Lazenby. It then made me realize that despite knowing of Al Adamson for many years now, I actually haven't seen any of his motion pictures before. I knew more about his gruesome murder than what he did behind the camera.
It made me realize that this was something I should fix even if his work was cheap B-movies of varying quality. Perhaps I was the right market for Severin's well-regarded box set of his filmography that came out in 2020. As is, that was a limited release so that's not a purchase I can make unless I wanted to literally spend hundreds of dollars for it. Instead, it's to the backwaters of the Internet due to most of his work not being legally available for streaming... This was selected, mainly due to some of the praise I have seen for it. While the movie was not something I loved like some do, it was still fine overall.
A small gang of bikers do some vile things to a young couple in the opening, then harass some innocent folk at a tiny diner attached to a Chevron gas station in the middle of the California desert. Unluckily for them, one of the innocent folk is a young Vietnam vet. Things escalate & various people are now tramping around this barren desert wasteland. My first impression of the gang was that while they had some mean moments in a movie w/ a nasty streak running throughout, they are also goofballs who have petty squabbles. Kind of odd for a gang of ruffians that wear swastikas and other related symbols. Also, for a biker movie this sometimes... spins its wheels.
All that said, this was still a good time overall; the potent moments do still sting. Russ Tamblyn as the lead was a nice get; the acting was a mixed bag but he was a standout there. I don't know what to make of later directors playing two of the bikers: John “Bud” Cardos and Greydon Clark. I once met Clark at an event in Orlando and if I had seen this beforehand the topic of his acting career would have been broached. The groovy flower child era music and a strong final act meant that I don't regret picking this movie first... perhaps I shouldn't phrase it that way as I don't plan on seeing everything that Adamson has done, not by any means. Even fans say that some of his schlock was rather rotten. Instead, once in awhile one of his motion pictures will be given a spin by myself.
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