BlazeLime
Strong and Moving!
VeteranLight
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Loui Blair
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
preppy-3
Two wealthy bothers--Chuck (Tom Stern) and Wes (Jeremy Slate)--want to rob Caesar's Palace just for kicks. They join the Hells Angels and use them as a diversion while they rob Caesars. The Hells Angels figure it out pretty quick. They don't like being used and go out for revenge.The story is pretty stupid. Seriously--robbing Caesar's Palace for no good reason AND join the Hells Angels to do it??? To make it worse Stern and Slate are pretty terrible actors--VERY wooden. They also wrote the script. It IS kind of fun to figure out what's worse--their acting or writing. (It's pretty much a draw) They also used real Hells Angels in the cast and they're even worse actors than Stern and Slate (which is saying a lot). Also most of the lousy dialogue seems to be post-dubbed; there's endless shots of the Angels riding around; there's a hysterically bad and obviously staged fight between Stern and Slate and this is just pretty boring all around! This gets two stars for some nice shots and a very good performance by Conny Van Dyke as Betsy--but it can't save this. A sleep-inducing mess. Skip it.
ST LOUIS SINNERS PRESENT SCHLOCK-O-RAMA FILM FESTI
After the success of Roger Corman's Wild Angels in the mid sixties, there were probably a hundred or so biker movies flung out to the masses. Most with Hell's Angels or some rip off version of The Angels' name. All shared some degree of low budget schlock value. This movie is completely different from the rest! First, it has a decent and interesting plot and even some back story subtext between the two brothers in the movie. Secondly, it has an original soundtrack that, although slightly dated, isn't that bad. A sort of psychedelic garage band plays at the party at the beginning of the movie. Also the movie seemed to have a decent budget spent in all the right places. Lastly, The actual Oakland Hell's Angels appear in the movie as not only extras but speaking and acting roles and their actually not too bad.So I highly recommend this to motorcycle movie and crime caper fans. If nothing else, it's got the most real Harley's and choppers you will ever see in a 60's/70's biker flick.
movieman_kev
Tom Stern and Jeremy Slate are swing bachelor's planning to hijack a casino, ala "Ocean's 11", and pin it on the Hell's Angels. Bad move. For a film with the words Hell's Angels AND the number 69 AND featuring actual Hell's Angels, this movie is surprisingly tame. The Hell's Angels truly deserve a better film to be centered around them. Not this snoorefest. Luckily this is one of the DVDs that features commentary by Joe Bob Briggs so the pain of having to sit through it is greatly alleviated. If you watch it any other way, let me recommend something to you. DON'T!! My Grade: D DVD Extras: Joe Bob Brigg's commentary; Conny Van Dyke's message to her fans (she has more than one?); Photo gallery; Theatrical Trailer; and Trailers for "Blood Shack", "Hell High", "Samurai Cop", and "The Hollywood Strangler"
TimVonKreitzhaus
Like many of the low-budget hippy/biker/exploitation films of the late '60s and early '70s, Hells Angels '69 is a stomach-turningly terrible piece of movie making. From shot selection to sound to the acting, virtually everything about this film will make the average movie-goer wince in agony. I won't even go into the plot, because it's so dumb that I'd lose I.Q. points just by attempting to explain it. Suffice it to say that it's a typical biker movie of the era with a totally lame caper thrown in.When the idea for the film was initially pitched by its writer and eventual protagonist Tom Stern, it was turned down by every major studio he went to. To get the movie made, Stern had to finance most of it out of his own pocket, which makes one wonder what kind of "masterpiece" the guy thought he had written. It boggles the imagination.The only redeeming aspect of Hell's Angels '69 is its plethora of classic custom choppers, the shots of which alone are more than enough to make most old school motorcycle enthusiasts go out and grab a copy for the nostalgia factor alone. Along those same lines, it's kind of surreal (albeit interesting) to see actual Hells Angels of the day playing themselves in the movie -- most notably a young, slender Sonny Barger, who gives one of the best performances in the film (which is not necessarily a compliment).Bottom line: If you like old V-twin choppers and/or biker movies in general, you'll find at least some redeeming value in Hell's Angels '69. Otherwise, I don't recommend a viewing unless you just happen to surf across it on late night television.
