The Rebel Rousers

source: The Rebel Rousers

The Rebel Rousers

"The Rebel Rousers" is a short, sloppy biker pic from 1970 that showcased future stars like Harry Dean Stanton, Dianne Ladd, Bruce Dern & Jack Nicholson. The cast is so good they give gravity to an otherwise disposable film. The plot is silly... a biker gang terrorizes a young married couple because... because the script says so. Much of the dialogue sounds improvised, and many of the scenes run far too long on one note, the result of under-edited footage... or an experimental director. It's Nicholson and Ladd who steal the show... when they're on screen you see no one else, and they're simply ten times more Watchable than anyone else around them. If you're a huge fan of Jack, Diane or biker flicks you may want to check this out... but it's safe to say that all involved would go onto greater things. GRADE: C

Ahh, bad biker flicks. Bad biker chicks in underwear. Bad Jack Nicholson before he got any respect. Bruce Dern is the star of this piece, and he's an actor in search of a plot. His wife (in real life) Diane Ladd, has a thankless role as a damsel in distress, at the mercy of a juvenile motorcycle gang. Cameron Mitchell is no help. Jack Nicholson leers and trys to look menacing. And I believe Harry Dean Stanton plays the comic hipster biker in the 1940's be-bop suit. But I could be mistaken. The best scene is when Nicholson and Dern are arguing, and Dern tells him to quit grinning....how either one of them kept a straight face during the proceedings is beyond me.

This film was in the cult section at the local video store, and I've come to find that "cult" films are often one of two things. They are either masterpieces which are over-the-top/bizarre/cryptic/left-of-center and can be watched again and again, or they are very lame films with little-to-no redeeming qualities which have gained a cult following because people get a kick out of unintentionally bad films. This film falls into the latter category. I can't imagine anyone would think this was actually a decent film. Everything about it is lame. The best (best meaning worst in this case) part of the film was when one of the men escaped from the biker gang, got a car, and drove into town to the police station. When he comes into the police station, he's out-of-breath and fatigued. Wasn't he just driving? He's worn out from driving? This film is awful. 1/10