Hells Angels on Wheels

Before achieving fame in Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson played a moody and restless cycle-riding gas station attendant named Poet in this 1967 film directed by Richard Rush. Poet is adopted by biker king Buddy (Adam Roarke) after jumping into a friendly brawl, and he walks out on his job to join Buddy's gang. This episodic, somewhat rambling tale of cheap thrills, easy sex, bar fights, and turf wars ultimately comes across as a buddy film about rootless rebels without a life. Poet's scrappy energy impresses Buddy but eventually leads the newfound friends into an inevitable showdown when Poet challenges Buddy's despotic leadership. While the film's climax is more dramatically potent than cinematically convincing, Rush neatly carves a portrait here of hollow activity passing for freedom. The era saw a lot of cheaply made movies in this genre, and while Hells Angels on Wheels is one of the better examples, it's still a minor effort that is mainly of interest because of Nicholson, director Rush (who went on to make The Stunt Man), and legendary cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs. Presented in a Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, extras include audio commentary by Rush. An optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)