Customer Reviews

Hell Ride

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Many people are bashing this movie as being a "tribute" to Tarantino, or damn it in comparison to Easy Rider. Both points of contention couldn't be farther from the truth. First, this movie pays tribute to classic biker movies such as "hells angels on wheels" "The Glory Stompers," and "The Wild Angels." I enjoy all these movies for what they are, cheaply made, mostly poorly acted, but with plenty of sex, violence, and motorcycles to go around. Hellride is a very faithful tribute to this cannon of movies. Bad acting? Trippy party scenes? Gratuitous nudity? Violence? Hipster soundtrack? All are there. Like all these movies, the bikes themselves are the most artfull, well constructed features of the films.
Now, as for comparisons to Easy Rider, it must be stated that the 1969 classic was NOT A BIKER MOVIE. The choppers are only the vesels that propel the protagonists to there destiny. It is about trying to be individuals, but being damned to sell out in the end. It is about the duality of the American individual.
In the end, what may condemn Hell Ride, is the same thing that condemned the Grindhouse feature. Very few people under the age of 50 recognize what these movies are paying homage too, and i am probably one of the few. As a 27 year old, these movies remind me of my childhood watching 70's car chase and chopper movies with my father, a 1970's greaser now forced to settle into fatherhood.
Go watch Peter Fonda in "the wild angels" followed by "Hell Ride" and you'll realize that they came from the same drug filled vein.

When I saw the "red band" trailer for Larry Bishop's HELL RIDE I knew it was going to be a film worth checking out.

Violence? It had it. Nudity? Oh yeah. Had they thrown in a little drug use it would have been the perfect mix. (hint: they did)

A lot of folks may remember Larry Bishop as the sleazy owner of the nudie bar Bud worked at in Kill Bill 2. He chewed up the scenery in the 5 mins or so he was on camera. After doing a little googling, I found out he was the son of Joey Bishop and the star of a hand full of 1970s biker flicks.

Since Tarantino is a "huge fan" of everything and everyone we've never heard of- it goes without saying that he had seen all of Bishop's films and invited him in for that cameo.

He also told Bishop that it was his duty to write, direct and star in the 'Ultimate Biker Movie'.

Not necessarily the existential road movie that EASY RIDER was, but a throwback to the sleazy grindhouse biker flicks of years past.

Did he?

Oh yeah. The casting choices were amazing. Bishop himself, Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, Dennis Hopper and David Carradine and the ever lovely Laura Cayouette all fill their roles perfectly. Out of context the dialogue would be cheesey. But you put Madsen on a chopper in a tuxedo and it makes perfect sense.

The film is violent with liberal amounts of nudity. Don't watch it with the kids around. Don't watch it expecting a documentary on outlaw bikers- but watch it!

This movie was a tribute to the old biker movies of the past. I went for that kind of feel and did the job in spades. The only problem that I had with the movie was the dialogue. Everything and everybody sounded like Larry Bishop trying to do his super cool talk. That would have been ok if it was just Pistolero doing it but when every character talks like that it gets to be almost ridiculous and annoying. I just once wanted to hear one of the characters in the movie listen to this goofy jibber jabber and say, "What the heck are you morons saying?"
The chicks in the movie were really hot but again just like I said above the dialogue was all Bishop. Nadas first scene was sexy but the stuff she said in it and in her other scenes was just too forced, too goofy and too contrived.
I liked the cast pretty much from top to bottom though I wasn't sold on Eric Balfour at all at first. I think in the end he ended up doing an ok job. David Carradine and Dennis Hopper were welcome suprises and like all the others they did an ok job with the terrible dialogue they were given. Michael Madsen and Balfours fight in the Dani's bar was just completely nonsensical and stupid. Also Bishop looked like he was trying to hit the right pose in every shot and for the most part it was the same pose ever time.
The bikes were really cool and I also enjoyed all the extras on the DVD about the making of the movie and about the guys, girls and bikes used in the movie. This movie was pretty much total exploitation trash which is what it was going for but it could have been so much better if it would have had somebody else write the dialogue. The story was actually pretty good. If you are a fan of this genre, of bikes or of naked hot girls you might like it but it is not for everybody and I could see where people might say that it stunk.

From executive producer Quentin Tarantino comes "Hell Ride," a throw-back biker flick/vehicle for Larry Bishop, who not only serves as the lead in the film, but also steps up to the plate as writer/director. The film follows the exploits of a hardened clan of bikers known as The Victors whose penchant for booze, women and good old fashioned revenge seems to have bonded them for life.

Bishop, along with his co-stars Michael Madsen and Eric Balfour, manages to conjure up enough charisma in spite of poorly written characters and the cringe-worthy dialog they are forced to spew. Here is where the Tarantino touch would have saved the film, but alas, the famed director's involvement appears to be limited to providing funding and promotion for the film, rather than actually helping to nurse it along. Bishop does the whole Grindhouse/Tarantino/Rodriguez schtick well enough on the surface; the film looks good and has a vibrant soundtrack, but not much else. What the film lacks is true charm and appeal, not to mention, a cohesive or even mildly interesting plot.

Bit parts from the likes of David Carradine and Dennis Hopper may serve to shake you out of the semi-comatose state the film lulls you into, but neither character do much to improve or advance the story. It's almost as if they are there for us to say "Hey, look! Dennis Hopper! Neat!" rather than having the actors put to good use. In the end, "Hell Ride" is all style and no substance. There's lots of eye-candy -- from the babes to the bikes -- but not enough plot to go around, even for it's miniscule 80 minute running time, which still makes for a ride that goes on way too long.

Taking equal parts inspiration from the films that he starred in during the 60's and 70's and dialogue that could be spewed in a flick from executive producer Quentin Tarantino; writer/director/star Larry Bishop's Hell Ride is an entertaining homage to the biker flick and grindhouse genres, and it shows. Bishop stars as the leader of a motorcycle gang (also consisting of Michael Madsen and Eric Balfour) preparing to go to bloody war with a rival club (featuring Vinnie Jones). Things aren't quite as they seem though, which you'll soon learn from watching this briskly paced flick that features plenty of blood, babes, and bikes. You should know by now whether or not Hell Ride sounds like the kind of film you'd dig. Anyone comparing it to Easy Rider shouldn't even bother, as the only real things each film has in common with one another would be the bikes, trippy sequences, and Dennis Hopper. Still, even though Hell Ride occasionally borderlines being a self-parody, there's still something about it that you can't help but dig. It definitely isn't for everyone to be sure, but Hell Ride is still a worthwhile trip regardless. Also featuring the sexy Leonor Varela and good 'ol David Carradine.

Hell ride brought me back to the 60's motorcycle movies again, in fact the person that wrote it was in those 60's films. Larry Bishop. The more I watched it the more I liked it.
Makes me want to see more!! This is for B movie fans.

Real simple- this is a tribute to the trashy biker movies of the '70s with some Tarantino/RRod elements to it (the witty exchanges). It was AWESOME!. If you're looking for substance, look elsewhere; this is ain't it.

I had high hopes for this one. The mission statement held promise: a homage of a 70s biker movie, Bikes, babes and lashings of gratuitous violence. Trouble is, 10 minutes into this flick its shortcomings become all too apparent. I mean, everything is in its place: the Harley-Davidson motorcycles are lined up and ready to go, the scantily clad damsels are present and correct and the body count soon rolls effortlessly into double figures. The trouble is it all falls rather flat. Or in accepted moviespeak, it doesn't `gel'.
In my opinion, the first mistake was the casting. This was supposed to be a gritty, low-IQ flick, a kind of spaghetti biker movie. Why, then, fill it chock full of A-list Hollywood movie stars? Hell Ride would have been much better served with B-movie actors or even unknowns. This is not a `stars' kind of movie. I know what some of you are thinking: `...but Michael Madsen and David Carradine are Tarantino regulars and Dennis Hopper was in the original biker flick Easy Rider'. Well OK, but it doesn't help the movie. We wanted to see ugly, inglorious bastards on two wheels getting up to all kinds of mischief and looking the part. What we get is pampered, immaculately dressed, impeccably tattooed moviestars wheeling out their old Reservoir Dogs characters and/or looking ponderously into the distance. Eric Balfour, probably a fine actor in his own right, looks hopelessly out of place in the biker scenario. And Vinnie Jones? With a rubbish American accent? Come on!
Some critics have panned this movie on the basis of its plodding script and `inconsistent' acting performances. To be fair, neither the acting nor the script are supposed to be Oscar winning material; this is, after all, a B-movie not a Merchant Ivory production. But in this case the script and acting - with the exception of David Carradine - are lame in a forced, self-consciously way. Or in the `oops I never bothered to learn my lines properly' sort of way. I really wanted to like Hell Ride but all my reserves of good intentions couldn't stretch that far.

I found Hell Ride to be everything and more considering they did this movie on a shoestring budget and in 20 days. It is outrageous and a great biker B-movie. It takes off where the old 60's movies left off. I really enjoyed it.

this movie is a amazing homage to the old biker flicks of back in the day but with a up to date feel its a must see great actors hot chicks an loads of action a must buy