Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

markmuhl Expectations are high when watching a much acclaimed cult movie for the first time, maybe too high for an immediate love affair but it does not take very long to sense the special atmosphere of this artwork.At first sight, it is the mixture of a fabulous soundtrack together with the beautiful landscapes of a road movie and the coolness of the two protagonists, which stand out, although in my eyes, it seems to be quite a risky thing to have two drug dealers as the popular figures of the movie. Is it possible to identify with their search for freedom if this freedom is bought at the cost of harming others? Or is this meant to be already the first indication that the trip will have no good ending! Then there is the moral aspect of the movie, which is perfectly analyzed by the great side character given by Jack Nicholson: People are afraid of too much freedom and it makes them dangerous towards its representatives. How dangerous becomes clear already in the very same night that these words are spoken out and at the uncompromising end of the movie. The performance of Jack NickNick Nicholson is really striking and it appears to be only logical that this was the starting point of a great career.The film is also special because of some unusual shots, like the drug-selling scene just underneath the flight path to LA airport or the drug money hiding in the tank scene. I also appreciate the quick and bewildering cuts of the New Orleans LSD trip. I could imagine that this is a good cinematic approach to a real LSD experience (though probably not) and builds a nice contrast to the otherwise slow pace of the movie, which in some comments is even described as having no plot at all. This may be a bit exaggerated but it is true that the movie is mostly a sequence of little connected encounters along Fonda's and Hopper's road trip from LA to Mardi Gras, including the rather elaborate portrait of a hippie commune in the middle of nowhere. This may be also a reason for not falling in love with the movie immediately but in the end, it is the sum of all these occurrences, which result in a well-balanced overall picture of the portrayed society in its time.

willwoodmill Easy Rider was one of the biggest surprises I ever had (the biggest being George Washington), it was not at all what I expected. I was expecting a cult comedy, somewhere along the lines of Airplane! or The Big Lebowski. One thing I was not expecting was the film to send me into a melancholic depression, with tears in my eyes. Easy Rider is a perfect example of "New Hollywood" Cinema, a movement that started in the mid 60s and typically focused on more taboo subject matters, and had much darker protagonists. Easy Rider meets both of these qualifications, as it is about two drug dealing, pot-head, biker, hippies, that after making a big drug deal in California, try to drive all the way to New Orleans in just a few days for Mardi Gras, while simultaneously trying to find the American Dream. As they meet different people and camp in old ruins. The film was co-written by its leads, Dennis Hooper, (who also directed it), and Peter Fonda. It was also produced by Bob Rafelson, who was a key figure in the New Hollywood movement, and stars another key figure, Jack Nicholson, who starred in several major New Hollywood films (Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, One a Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, etc). Jack Nicholson gives the best performance in the film, which is pretty impressive feat, because they're all great and noteworthy, and he doesn't come in until halfway through the film. Jack Nicholson plays the character of George Hanson, a drunk in a small town with some pretty crazy theories about the government. But before we meet George Hanson, our protagonists have already traveled with several other colorful individuals that bring their own philosophy. Some of the best scenes in Easy Rider, are the camp fire scenes, where after a long day of biking the characters will just sit down and talk for 3-5 minutes, before going to bed. And the conversations they have during these scenes are some of the best written dialogue I have ever heard in any film ever, I don't won't to spoil any of the conversations for anyone who hasn't seen the film, but when you get to these campfire scenes, get ready for pure gold. One thing that isn't so good in Easy Rider is a montage that happens towards the end of the film, the idea is fine by itself, but goes on so much longer than it needs to that it just comes of as forced, but that's a small thing in an otherwise great film. Easy Rider is one of those films that has huge potential to change someone's life, like Ikiru or The Graduate, something that just is filled with some many emotions, and lessons, something that sticks with you long after you've finished watching it, and gets better the more you think about, something that will not only forever change the way you look at cinema, but the way you look at life. 9.3/10

SnoopyStyle Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) smuggle drugs across the border from Mexico. After selling their haul in LA, the set off on their bikes for New Orleans and Mardi Gras. They aren't allowed to stay at a roadside motel. On the other hand, they are received warmly by a friendly farmer. They pick up an old hippie hitchhiker who invites them to stay at the commune. They join in a small town parade and are arrested. They befriend George Hanson (Jack Nicholson) spending time in the drunk tank who turns out to be an ACLU lawyer.Dennis Hopper directs a counter-culture icon to shake up Hollywood. It's mostly a meandering road trip. The flash edits are experimental and kind of annoying. Then there are moments of great dramatic tension like the guys walking into a small town diner. Those kinds of scenes elevate the movie and there is the great music. There is also an energy of immediate realism like when they walk around during Mardi Gras. This is a compelling watch and an important one.

Gregory Porter The premise of Easy Rider is rather quite basic; two friends, Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper), ride their motorcycles from LA to Louisiana for Mardi Gras. Their drug fueled journey becomes a spiritual journey as the pair learns about themselves and America. The movie opens with the pair of guys parking cheap motorcycles outside a run down cantina. They are there to meet a cocaine dealer. The pair sample and approve of the powder. The camera cuts to the pair waiting near an airport runway. A Rolls-Royce rolls up and a well dressed man steps out. He, too, samples and approves of the powder before buying it for a large sum of money. The pair has made a fortune and plans to spend the money on a trip to Mardi Gras. They buy new motorcycles and set off into the desert roads.The acting in Easy Rider is solid. Dennis Hopper's performance as Billy is great. Initially, I labeled his character as "hippy": he has long hair and a bushy mustache and uses "man" as punctuation. At one point the two pick up a hitchhiker who is traveling back to a commune in the middle of the desert. The hitchhiker made me realize that there is a complexity to the characters that I missed. Billy is a hippy-like character in appearance but his temper and focus on worldly pleasures differentiate him from the others. Wyatt is a "cool" or relaxed type of guy and is the one that really grows through the journey. Unlike Billy or George or the hitchhiker, Wyatt is not a representative of a 1960's demographic. As George (Nicholson) explains, "You are change and people don't like change."As Easy Rider is something of a road trip movie, a common artifact is the super long, scenery shots. Denisoff and Romanowski note, the music played during these riding montages, forms a sort of "musical commentary". The soundtrack, beginning with "The Pusher" by Steppenwolf, continues with the iconic "Born to be Wild" also by Steppenwolf. You can see the progression of the story and tone throughout the rest of the soundtrack. Easy Rider is a perfect example of how music can be utilized to complement the images on the screen. Sure, we might have a great orchestration that provides emotional support but, here, the music provides a political (as well as emotional) support.Have you ever watched a movie where a particular scene is burned into your memory? Maybe it strikes a chord with you but as you see the shot you know that it is going to stick with you. I'd bet that it usually happens with scary movies. For example, you're in the shower and the Psycho shower scene flashes through your mind or if you are in a narrow, creepy hotel hallway, you might imagine The Shining's the twins. Easy Rider had one of those moments for me. Wyatt rolls the money they earned by selling cocaine into a rubber tube. He hides that rubber tube in his motorcycle's American flag painted, teardrop gas tank. It is a beautifully succinct yet complex statement about the US. One of the best parts is that the movie lets the image speak for itself.The cutting used at times in the movie is jarring. Instead of a Star Wars-like swipe cut or a fade to black transition, the movie alternates between the two scenes. We are watching scene A, then the movie cuts scene B but after a second cuts back to scene A. The movie alternates between the two scenes a couple times until resting on scene B. It is the type of cutting you might expect in an action movie. A character has a gun and points it at his or her target. The camera focuses on the gun, then the target, then the gun, 'bang,' then on the target. This rapid cutting is exciting so we are used to seeing it in an action but in Easy Rider the transitions between scenes aren't exciting. One jump, for example, takes us from the pair sitting around a campfire to Wyatt walking through a dilapidated Church. It felt jarring and don't quite know how to feel about it. I like the idea of using film techniques in unconventional ways but it feels awkward. Yeah, I can dig it. The idea that it is disruptive fits in with the rest of the movie which is socially disruptive.My only major qualm about the movie is that sometimes it moves away from visual messages to just sitting around a campfire telling us something. Consider the image of the gas tank and money. I know you can show some good stuff, movie, keep going; don't just regress into telling me something. This isn't a deal breaker by any means but it is noteworthy.If, for no other reason, to function as a time capsule, I recommend you see Easy Rider. It is clear depiction of a definitive time in American history. It also illustrates how film can resonate socially and politically. I think for a discussion post I will think about the responsibility of art, if there is such a thing. On a superficial level, or if you saw Easy Rider without actually watching it, it might appear like this film is glorifying a wayward and drug filled lifestyle. From what I hear, that's the message a majority of the original audience left with. In reality, Easy Rider is criticizing this lifestyle. If people misinterpreted its meaning, should it have been more overt?