Hells Angels on Wheels is a 1967 American cult film starring Jack Nicholson, Adam Roarke, and Sabrina Scharf. This film was directed by Richard Rush.
Adam Roarke starred in several other motorcycle films of the era.
Sabrina Scharf later played the role of a Sara, one of the girls at the commune, in the film Easy Rider.
Plot
A gas-station attendant with a bad attitude (Jack Nicholson) finds life more exciting after he is allowed to hang out with a chapter of the Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle club.
The Angels first take note of "Poet" after one of them inadvertently damages his motorcycle and breaks its headlight. "Poet", with far more guts than brains, challenges the Angel that hit his motorcycle (an act that would traditionally result in every Angel present participating in a gang beating of the attacker "When a non-Angel hits an Angel, all Angels retaliate"), but the leader of the Angels, Buddy (Adam Roarke), intervenes and tells Poet that the Angels will replace the headlight. In the meantime, he's welcome to ride with them while they take care of business—which turns out to be going to a bar and beating up the members of another gang who previously beat an Angel.
Poet is told to wait outside, but ends up helping the Angels. Later that night, the Angels return the favor by hunting down and beating four sailors who beat Poet four-against-one after he parted company with the group (as in The Born Losers, the issue of "good" and "bad" is muted; Poet accidentally bumps into one of the sailors and speaks rudely to him before he realizes that the sailor has three other sailors with him. The four sailors then refuse to accept his apology—but the Angels only know that four sailors beat up Poet, and he doesn't tell them how the earlier fight started). One of the sailors pulls a knife on the Angels and is then killed accidentally in the fight that follows.
Poet is allowed to ride with the Angels and is eventually elevated to "prospect" status. He is attracted to Buddy's some-time girlfriend (Sabrina Scharf) who toys with him while remaining hopelessly committed to Buddy.
Much of the story that follows consists of scenes of the Angels partying or being provoked to violence by "squares". Although the Angels are shown as being loud and generally irreverent, they are never shown starting trouble except when taking revenge on members of other motorcycle clubs.
As a scene somewhat similarly to The Wild One, one of the Angels inadvertently causes the death of a bystander—in this case when an elderly motorist loses control of his car and drives off a country road into a field. The Angels are blamed for the man's death although the story ends without the case going to court.
Buddy is written as a responsible and clear-thinking leader. Poet is cynical but much more conservative and straight-laced than Buddy.
Eventually Buddy's girlfriend succeeds in provoking a confrontation between Buddy and Poet that only one survives.
Production notes
Ralph 'Sonny' Barger, the president of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hell's Angels, is seen in an early scene but has no spoken lines in the film. He was also credited as a consultant.
See also
External links
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The films of Richard Rush |
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| 1960s |
Too Soon to Love • Of Love and Desire • A Man Called Dagger • Thunder Alley • Hells Angels on Wheels • The Cups of San Sebastian • Psych-Out • The Savage Seven
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| 1970s |
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| 1980s |
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| 1990s |
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| Screenplays |
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