Stone

source: Stone

I remember first seeing this film one Saturday night on SBS after watching a documentary called "Stone Forever". The documentary was about the classic Motor-Cycle Funeral Ride in which tens of thousands bikes are displayed in magnificent distance shots. I had a feeling the film would be a lot like George Miller's Mad Max for many of the tag-lines for the films said "Before Mad Max...there was Stone!" I was in for a totally different movie which was altogether better than Mad Max. Sure the film had a crappy plot (why didn't that boss just rub out the hitman for doing such a lousy job instead of killing the entire gang!) and the acting was nothing to marvel at but the fact was that independant Australian film companies could come up with really great Hollywood type B-Grade movies. See the film "Stone" and take the trip with the Australian classic!

Declared by many fanatic and knowledgeable cinema experts – amongst them Quentin Tarantino – as THE ultimate biker-exploitation classic, "Stone" indeed is a quintessential 70's highlight that fully surpassed my already high expectations. In his genre, the movie simply is a lot better than the other and this is illustrated through a non-stop series of powerful and astonishing sequence from the opening credits and onwards. "Stone" is different to watch you expect at first … more stylish, classier and absorbing than you could ever imagine. You anticipate seeing a trashy and savage biker-flick, but you actually get the complete opposite. For example, usually the opening credits in this type of film exist of images of tough bikers riding through desolate landscapes guided by heavy guitar music and loud rock lyrics; am I right? Well, "Stone" does the contrary. The opening credits are serene, with close ups of mechanical motorcycle equipment and no music at all. Simply the distinctness of this particular sequence made a very big impression on me. Then immediately after follow three murder sequences, but not at all gratuitous or unnecessarily violent ones. Almost saddening killings of biker men who – as far as we know up until that moment, at least – haven't even committed any crimes. Someone is targeting the members of the Sydney biker gang The Grave Diggers for elimination. In spite of their hugely different opinions and moral codes, The Grave Diggers – led by the charismatic Undertaker – eventually allow undercover cop Stone to ride with them and thus infiltrate in the harsh world of crime, brotherhood, violence and Kawasaki 900's. The most powerful sequence of the entire film is undoubtedly the phenomenal biker funeral parade. This scene is extendedly shown and discussed in the superb documentary on Australian cult cinema "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation" and it was the main reason why I desperately wanted to see the film. It certainly doesn't disappoint as I even experienced goose bumps at the sight of more than 400 amateur bikers participating in this event. Inevitably, but understandably as well, "Stone" can't keep up the level of brilliance throughout the entire film. The scenario gradually becomes more talkative and moralistic, but still there are several more flashes of sheer ingenuity, craftsmanship and subject matter expertise (like the downbeat climax, to name just one). "Stone" is the vastly admirable one-man-project of Sandy Harbutt, who wrote and directed the film, composed some of the soundtrack, designed the sets AND plays the complex role of gang front man Undertaker. Even though he never did anything else anymore after "Stone", cult freaks should nevertheless eternally respect Harbutt for what he accomplished here. I'm sure that if "Mad Max" hadn't came along, "Stone" would still be the number one cult movie of Australia. In my humble opinion, Sandy Harbutt's only mistake was the casting of Ken Shorter as the titular anti-hero "Stone". He certainly isn't plausible enough to depict a raw biker – even an undercover one – with his baby face and Prince Valiant haircut.

ah,Stone,,an old chess nut from the seventies,,,with lines like"whoever got you is gunna get got too",the amazing thing is their all riding Kawasaki Z900's as opposed to Harleys,the classic Sydney shots are perfect,its a real time capsule,Ken Shorter was very lame,they could've scripted someone better,Harbutt is excellent&its a pity he didn't continue on,its still a very big cult film today&the ride scene has been recreated several times, Vince gill is another strong actor in the cast, B grade,but still worth a watch! and still a collectible item,recently a Stone jacket sold for close to five hundred dollars on eBay,, imagine that!, this is up there with Mad Max one.

Apparently a "cult favourite" all over the world, STONE is a low-budget crime-thriller centred around a bikie gang whose members are being murdered one-by-one by a political assassin (that's not a spoiler because we're told this during the opening sequences). Before seeing this film, I expected this to be a true bikie cult classic - instead it's rather soft, with very few expletives, sex scenes, and not much violence, particularly given that it's rated "R". Unfortunately, the film became more of a "let's make the bikies accessible to everyone else" film, as they were portrayed as misunderstood alternatives (thank goodness for the climax!!). The film COULD have been a "cult favourite" but somehow I find it hard to believe that it is... Rating: 5/10

Stone is undoubtedly an Australian classic. It has some great sequences - the funeral ride is just beautiful. Its end was something different from what I expected as well. Unfortunately, the words like `man,' `cat' and `heavy' show us how old the film is. Nonetheless, it is a distinctly 70's film and a distinctive Australian film. See it.

The closest equivalent of "Easy Rider"; in my view, even better than that movie. A simple plot. Someone is systematically murdering a group of bikers, one by one. An undercover cop is reluctantly accepted by the group as a part-time member to try to find the murderer. He quickly gains a lot of credibility with the bikers; even some respect. The plot is oversimple, the dialogue is stilted, the film is corny, the characters are totally without depth, the acting is poor. However, the same could be said of movies such as "Deliverance". But none of that matters. The "ambience" of life as a biker is what matters; and again as in movies such as "Deliverance", the 1970s "feel" of the picture, the action, the "macho": that is what is important. To those such as I, who remember those times, it is nostalgic. To those who are too young to remember those times, a glimpse of the wilder side of life as it "used to be". Finally, no review of this movie would be complete without some discussion of the two "on the road" scenes. The low-angle shot of the bike race; and the helicopter view of the funeral procession down the F3 freeway can both rightfully be called "classics" of the motor vehicle movie genre. Every bit as spectacular and "significant" as, for example, the chase scene in "Bullitt" or the crowded street race in "The Italian Job".

The fairly basic plot follows the assassination of an environmentalist MP witnessed by a member of the GraveDiggers `motorcycle club', and the subsequent demise of various bikers as the inept hitman attempts to erase the witness. Unfortunately Stone (Ken Shorter) is not particularly convincing as an undercover cop sent to infiltrate the gang and solve the murders. His first scene ludicrously depicts him riding to meet the GraveDiggers dressed as some kind of white knight, and he fatuously asks the question in the bar `D'ya sell beer here?' The GraveDiggers discuss their philosophy and their own set of rules and when Stone transgresses their code he suffers the gang's bloody vengeance. The level of violence is expected but shown in a clumsy mechanised way firmly rooted to 70's style movie making. For the enthusiast the bikes are given plenty of opportunities to shine, including the highly original Gosford Expressway funeral procession and the low level shots of a street race, and Sydney's suburbs and coastline receive the scenic treatment. Helen Morse (Picnic at Hanging Rock; Caddie) in one of her earliest film roles, gives one of the more credible performances as Stone's rather sexy high society girlfriend who objects to having to share him with his cause of `fearless gang busting', and she is also credited along with Margaret Ure for the costume designs. Sandy Harbutt's quirky cult film (he also cast himself as the Undertaker) has obviously dated with its 1970's bikes, fashions, psychedelic rock music and colourful language (`I told you to keep your spanners off our molls'), and its authenticity in depicting `bikie gangs' maybe only slightly more believable than the Hell's Angels in the Clint Eastwood orangutan comedies (especially Any Which Way You Can). The recent report in the Sydney Morning Herald (3/9/01) of the Perth car-bomb killing of a former West Australian policeman embroiled in a dispute with bikie gangs, believed to be an act of retribution, illustrates the true menace. The real life intrigue involved a gang member being shot by a sniper soon after the ex-policeman had evicted him from his hotel, which was subsequently blown up. A spokesman for the NSW police stated that when it comes to organised crime, the bikie gangs are "the single biggest threat" confronting them and the community, and that compared to youth gangs and other crime syndicates, the bikies are "clearly more organised, ruthless, hierarchical and controlled in their organisation." However, Stone remains an interesting piece of Australian nostalgia and justifiably a classic for its subject and style, rather than as a polished thriller, with youthful performances by some of Australia's seasoned actors. The ScreenSound (Australia) Shop has commercial copies of the video for sale.

Although it now looks rather dated, you must remember that when this movie was made, Australia was a very conservative place. This film broke a lot of new ground in the early 70's. Firstly, it was all Australian. Written, Produced, Directed and Starring. Not an American in sight. Secondly, it contained shots of male and female nudity. Thirdly, it was extremely gory and violent for it's day. But, the biggest thing it had going for it was it's incredible bike stunts.(Have you ever seen a Kawasaki Z900 do a wheelstand?) There's some fantastic locations in and around Sydney, and the funeral procession is spectacular, but the opening 10 minutes, or so, will have you on the edge of your seat. For those of you who are interested, 4 of the actors starring in "Stone" (Vincent Gil, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward and Reg Evans) would later appear in George Miller's "Mad Max". It must be something about motorbikes!

The seventies hold a special place in time for me. 1974 was all about (in no particular order) Motorcycles, beer, LSD, marijuana, underground comics (freak brothers), Hawkwind, my girlfriend Karen and of course Stone (the movie). Outlaw Motorcycle clubs were a lot different in Sydney back then, riding motorcycles (and drinking beer) was our only purpose in life. Back then only an idiot would ride a Harley and the dream bike was the Kawasaki Z1 900 that had only just been released. So imagine a film like Stone blasting it's way onto the screen resplendent with custom painted Kawa 900's! We were mesmerized, personally I remember seeing it 6 times at the local cinema. Watching it today opens the gates to memory lane, those that use the F3 freeway north of Sydney will appreciate the shots of the road in the funeral procession scene; the road was brand new then! And the shots of the lower North Shore and Pittwater are truly a piece of Sydney's history. Note the absence of traffic. Forget the acting, when you're 18, off your nut on drugs and that Z1 starts up with the baffles removed at the beginning of the movie, it's mind blowing!!! Non bikers can turn off here :O) Midnight's black Kawa 900 was my favorite, come to think of it, how many indigenous Aussies had a real part in a movie before this? Not many I'd say... I've now been riding bikes for 35 years now and Stone still holds a special place in my heart. 10 outa 10 for Sandy. Cosmic flash, and there ya go... Mick.