Hell Ride

"Quentin Tarantino Presents..." isn't as boastful as it might come off. Tarantino, for once, did the inspiring as he told pal Larry Bishop it was his calling to write and direct his own motorcycle "exploitation" film. The end result was dubbed Hell Ride, which is a fitting name for this shallow romp through the desert with several bike gangs including over-the-top nudity and satanic biker gangs.


The film comes off as childish and completely unnecessary. Every segment is separated by some form of biker party as aging Larry Bishop seduces some American whore in the sack. Belligerent and uninspired, Bishop is just another direct trying to imitate classic exploitation cinema, failing in the process. I admit that I saw potential in this film with it's cast and impressive cover art, but yet again, looks can be deceiving.

The technical aspects of the film are the only things to really admire, when you're not staring at sand and listening to Madsen perform a monologue on dust. Bishop allocates a psychedelic freak-out scene to confuse the audience into thinking there's some shadowed depth behind the badass main character. The hidden son plot reminded me of a violent Indiana Jones film. I was waiting for Short Round to pop up at any time.


The plot is strung together like stringy raw chicken. Minutes cannot cleverly pass without a flashback crudely thrown in your face, leaving you to decipher some ambiguous riddle that has a dud payoff. While I was watching this "Biker revenge film", It felt like I was watching a cutscene from a Grand Theft Auto game. Imagine if you will, a film that steals from Tarantino and Rodriguez and splices it together. What you get is a rehash of several rehashes. It's as stale as it sounds.


The only "real" talent in this film is Eric Balfour who plays Comanche; a cold-hearted kid who packs a mean punch. This is just another one of those Hollywood films that tries to make you feel cool for buying it. This isn't a grindhouse Easy Rider, no matter who much Dennis Hopper is in it. This is a self-indulgent stew of pretentious ingredients, boiling to a unsatisfactory climax. Nothing about this film really shined at all. It's just best to stay away.

-mAQ