Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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

bkoganbing Arch Hall, Sr.'s first attempt to make his son Arch Hall, Jr. a star was with this tale of juvenile delinquency Choppers. The film sat on the shelf for two years before being released in 1961. That fact in and of itself should have convinced the senior Hall that his son was not destined for stardom other than in family made vehicles.The junior Hall is a kid with a souped up hotrod and a gang who specializes in stripping cars. They're a real fine group of rejects and they've been taught the car stripping trade by Bruno Vesota and his sidekick Britt Wood who did a year as a sidekick for Hopalong Cassidy back in the day.Tom Brown who also saw better parts in his career and in his salad days played juvenile in much better films than Choppers is the detective from the auto theft squad.Shot on a G-string budget Choppers did not make Arch Hall, Jr. a star. But that didn't make dad give up. Even worse films than this followed.And people get down on Ed Wood.

MartinHafer This is Arch Hall, Jr.'s first film and it's strange that although he appeared a year later in WILD GUITAR that he looked a lot younger and less polished in THE CHOPPERS. Not surprisingly, his father, schlock film maker Arch Hall, Sr. was also in the film in a bit part as a radio announcer decrying the sad plight of youth run wild. Leigh Jason directed this film with enough style and grace to make me almost think that Hall, Sr. had done so--in other words, he, too, was a hack.Despite the title, this film is NOT about motorcycles or helicopters but about youths who make money and get cheap thrills "chopping" cars. In other words, they strip cars illegally--selling the parts to an unscrupulous junkyard owner who resells them. The beginning appears to be narrated by Hall, Sr. and much of the film feels very stiff--like a much stiffer version of "Dragnet". The only performers who weren't stiff in their deliveries were the teens--who seemed like total stereotypes of the "youth gone wild" beatniks of the age. Also, I am pretty sure that at least one of the songs you hear in the background is one of Arch, Jr.'s--he sang in several of his films and I'd recognize that adequate voice anywhere.There were a few interesting quality touches in the film. One occurred at about the 47 minutes mark. As the truck was driving down the highway, you see the driver turning the wheel back and forth in the closeup--like he's turning the corner. But when the camera pulls back, you see the road is straight as an arrow for miles! Another was the great acting by the drunk dad near the end--a terrible performance that stood out way ahead of all the other poor performances! Overall, a bad film that is worth seeing for a laugh. In other words, bad movie fans will enjoy it immensely--others probably won't be so impressed.

CLEO-8 For a movie that rhymes "Monkeys in my Hatband" with "I can do a handstand" for the lead character's big song, this movie was pretty good.It's a movie with a moral that if parents don't look out for their kids they will start stealing car parts and shoot a bunch of cops. Does anybody know what he meant by "Monkeys in my hatband"?I don't get it. Perhaps watching this movie on the roof of a supermarket in center city Philadelphia made it a bit more entertaining.I hope that Arch Hall Jr. is one day recognized as the genius he is.

eminges As bad as this should be, it's kind of fun, and you could actually find yourself watching it a second and third time. Arch Hall Jr. was 16 when this was shot, and even gets a writing credit.What makes it work, kind of, is that the gang of car-stripping JD's are NOT stupid and embarrassing, but halfway interesting and believable. And it's got Bruno VeSota at his scintillating, stogie-smelling, sausage-fingered best. Continuity? Fageddaboudit. But it's got a simple little story to tell and does it well.And it does feature the inimitable "Monkeys In My Hatband," which you'll play again and again with your jaw dropped, wishing that YOUR dad had put YOU in a movie when YOU were sixteen and let you play that absolutely dumbass song you made up on the crappy $39 guitar you got for your thirteenth birthday and drove everybody crazy with."The Choppers" IS available, but you'll have to hunt for it. Definitely worth tracking down if you're huge on beatniks, juvies, and playing chicken.