 | Big Bill Rides Again
rating: 3
CHROME AND HOT LEATHER, another biker epic from the 70's starring the man, the legend, the best crazed over the edge psycho in the history of motion pictures: William Smith. Ok, this bugger won't win any awards but it has Big Bill. What else does one need?
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Back In The Day
rating: 3
I first saw "Chrome And Hot Leather" in 1985.I enjoy the film mainly for the bikes.There are a couple of scenes that really show off the bikes,one in particular when Marvin Gaye rides up to a few guys sitting on a warehouse deck,enjoying a few beers.The bikes in that scene are beautiful.If your like me and into Harleys and nostalgia this film captures a little bit of that from 1971.Unfortunately the "Mini Skirt Mob" does nothing for me.Some beautiful ladies in the film though!
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Unintentionally Hilarious
rating: 2
Since someone has already reviewed "The Miniskirt Mob" I'll comment about the other biker film in this DVD package, the best things being that both are very good prints, both are in widescreen, and both feature some very beautiful actresses.
The saddest thing about "Chrome and Hot Leather" (1971) is that it could have been a fairly decent film; at least by American International biker film standards. They seem to have had a large budget; at least enough to cast in quantity if not quality; and to outfit their biker gang (Wizards) with Harley's-something that was often beyond the budget of these things.
They had William Smith, the best movie baddie of the day, for their gang leader T.J. and Michael Haynes for the chain-throwing mama slapping Casey. In fact the whole biker thing is handled pretty well by the standards of the early 1970's. As are the stunts and most of the action sequences.
Then they had an extremely young Cheryl Ladd (she looks about 16 although she was 18) and former Miss Ohio and Miss America Runner-Up Kathy Baumann (note the John Havlicek Basketball Camp t-shirt she is wearing). In high school she dated someone I knew and she looks about the same in this film as she did then. Unfortunately neither actress gets to show much in the way of acting skills or exploitable assets. .
This is one of those movies the Army and Air Force Exchange Service saw fit to show us GI's at posts and bases around with world back in the early 1970's. To us at the time virtually everything military related was unintentionally hilarious, from Peter Brown's non-GI haircut (if it was a paying role couldn't he at least have cut it enough so you could see a portion of his ears) to the moronic combat training. It got laughs from us for months whenever someone brought up the topic. On the other hand what was supposed to be the film's comic relief, sequences of Peter Brown and Company learning to ride motorcycles is funny only to those amused by things totally lame and stupid.
In retrospect the film never had a chance given its director Lee "The Man With Two Heads" Frost and its star, the aging Tony Young. When you look bad in comparison to a non-actor (Marvin Gaye plays Tony's pal) it is time to find another line of work. Young lined up the financing for this baby and hired Frost on the condition he be given the lead. You won't find a more wooden actor than Young, whose character looks like an extremely dour 55 year-old man and is supposed to be the love interest for the two teen actresses.
Several times they appear headed in the self-parody direction (if that is what they had emphasized the film would be a classic) and Smith lets you know that he is playing this thing for laughs. But this tiny attempt at real humor is dwarfed by the unintentional hilarity and the giggles you will get from the many continuity errors that occur throughout the movie.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
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They're Hog Straddling Female Animals On The Prowl!
rating: 3
"The Mini-Skirt Mob" is no classic, but it delivers enough action to make it worthwhile. Diane McBain stars as the leader of a female motorcycle gang (hence the title) who is determined to punish the guy who jilted her. With the aid of her companions, including biker film veteran Jeremy Slate and future cult actor Harry Dean Stanton, she proceeds to harass both her ex-boyfriend (Ross Hagen) and his mousy new bride (Sherry Jackson). Along for the ride, and good in a sympathetic role, is ex-child star Patty McCormack, as McBain's little sister. The photography is excellent as is the color, and the movie doesn't take forever to make it's point. McBain is terrific as "Shayne". Very watchable. [phillindholm]
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NO LEGS
rating: 1
These two cheap double-feature motorcycle flicks from the 1960s are said to be 'lurid'. Unfortunately, they're just not lurid enough.
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