Hell Ride (Blu-ray)
APPROX. 83 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 2008 - MPA RATING: R
" Hell Ride can join the ranks of Planet Terror and Death Proof as an honorary modern-day Grindhouse feature.
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"Bikes, beer, and booty." -- The Gent
Quentin Tarantino fans might recognize Larry Bishop from the bar where Budd (Michael Madsen) hung out in "Kill Bill." But to Tarantino, a hard-core film buff, Bishop is a living legend who appeared in a whole slew of biker B-movies during the 60s and 70s. "The Savage Seven" (1968), "The Devil's 8" (1969), "Angel Unchained" (1970), and "Chrome and Hot Leather" (1971) are the types of films the young Tarantino idolized when growing up. They served as the driving force behind his filmmaking career, and eventually led to his partnership with Robert Rodriguez for their "Grindhouse" tribute.
Around the time "Kill Bill" was still in production stages, Tarantino befriended Bishop and--so the story goes--told him that it was "his destiny" to write, direct, and star in his own feature film. In a way, Tarantino passed on the inspirational torch given to him by producer Lawrence Bender--who guided him on the path towards developing "Reservoir Dogs."
Bishop spent the next five years or so working on his script. His goal was to bring back the retro biker movie, but spice it up a little with some added sexploitation plus a little bit of Tarantino-esque style. The result is "Hell Ride," now on DVD and Blu-ray under Genius/Weinstein's Dimension Extreme label.
It's important to point out right off the bat that "Hell Ride" is nowhere near the masterpiece that was "Reservoir Dogs," although to be fair it's an entirely different anomaly altogether. "Hell Ride" is supposed to be a campy B-movie throwback, more along the lines as Tarantino's "Death Proof." The plot is thin, the acting is flat at times, and the storyline is often disjointed and jumbled, but that's how it's supposed to be. It's the perfect example of style over substance.
The plot for "Hell Ride" revolves around two hell-bent motorcycle gangs at war with each other. On one side we have the Victors, with the president of the club, Pistolero (Bishop), leading the pack. The Gent (Michael Madsen) is Pistolero's right-hand man, who gets his name from his fashion sense--trading in the more traditional leather garb for a fancy tuxedo and Italian sunglasses (I know, I own the same kind of Persols). On Pistolero's left, is the newest recruit in the gang they call Comanche (Eric Balfour). Last but certainly not least, is Eddie "Scratch" Zero (Dennis Hopper), one of the longest standing members on the roster who supposedly faked his death sometime in the 80s.
The bitter rivalry is rekindled when Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), and other members of the vile Six Six Sixers, return to town. They capture one of the Victors, slit his throat, and torture the dying man by dousing him with gasoline and lighting him ablaze. The Victors naturally seek retribution for this, but for Pistolero in particular, the murder really hits home. Thirty-two years ago, the love of his life, Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones), was also killed in the exact same manner. Now that the Six Six Sixers are back, Pistolero finally has the chance to settle an old score that has been gnawing away at him for decades.
The plot does thicken up a little bit when the Deuce (David Carradine), who is basically the mirror to Eddie Zero on the Six Six Sixers' side, enters the picture. On the surface, the Deuce appears to have gone straight as a legitimate businessman, but underneath it all he's really the puppet master pulling the strings. Not only is the Deuce connected to both killings, he also has a history involving Comanche. I'm not really going to go into further details, as I previously mentioned there isn't much plot as it is and saying any more would just be telling the whole story.
Critics haven't been too kind to "Hell Ride," but I can see why it has had this sort of impact on some viewers. I think part of the problem is that Quentin Tarantino fully endorses the film and even sits in as an executive producer. His name shows up in big lettering on the DVD case and a few more times during the movie's credits. I even noticed it plastered on the R-rated trailer posted here on the main page of DVD Town. Unfortunately, this in turn leads to viewers setting the bar way too high. Maybe at a conscience level, they understand "Hell Ride" is a film by Bishop, but subconsciously, some will approach the film with a certain Tarantino mindset. The reality is if you're expecting to see the next "Pulp Fiction" or "Kill Bill," you're going to be sorely disappointed.
