Also known as: Nam's Angels
Tagline: "The army handed them guns... and a license to kill!"
Plot: When a prominent CIA operative (played by director Jack Starrett) is held captive in a Red Chinese compound in Cambodia, the U.S. military recruits a rebellious, anti-authoritarian biker group called The Devil's Advocates to rescue him. Are surly rebels with telltale nicknames like "Limpy," "Speed," and "Dirty Denny" up to the task? And will they be able to drag themselves away from spirited rounds of whoring, boozing, and brawling long enough to successfully execute their mission?
Key scenes: A biker with a swastika bandana reacts unfavorably when he learns he'll be answering to an African-American soldier. In the same scene, the Advocates fight over who gets to ride which bike, with one scruffy motorcycle enthusiast loudly protesting that a Yamaha is a "broad's bike." Later, when the wonderfully named Houston Savage learns that street urchins are disassembling his bike, he brusquely leaves a foursome with three prostitutes, races out into the street, and physically attacks a small boy and an old woman. Then he battles a small mob of adult men. As the film nears its grim conclusion, the frame fractures into still images capturing the gruesome deaths of many of its characters. Trippy!
Can easily be distinguished by: Its revolutionary fusion of the fading biker-movie genre and Southeast Asian political intrigue.
Sign that it was made in 1970: See above.
Timeless message: When it comes to accomplishing hazardous, important missions in hotly contested battle zones, it's sometimes better to recruit the services of angry counterculture types rather than, say, the squares over at Halliburton. Are you listening, Bush administration?
Memorable quotes: Upon realizing the incredible danger he and his men face, the biker gang's fearless leader (William Smith) gravely intones, "This could be a real bummer, man." Dude. War is, like, the ultimate bummer.
Available on DVD from Dark Sky Films.
- Comments