Devil's Angels (1967)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Better Late Then Never

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

When things begin to get a little too hot in the city where they live the motorcycle gang known as the Skulls decide to head out on the highway and look for a new place to call their own. This brings them to the small town of Brookville which just happens to be enjoying a carnival on that day. Because they are so rowdy the local lawman, "Sheriff Henderson" (Leo Gordon) tells them to leave town. However when the leader of the Skulls, "Cody" (John Cassavetes) informs him that they have nowhere to go for the night the sheriff makes a deal where they can sleep out on the nearby beach but have to be gone the next day and that they cannot come back into town. Cody agrees and the motorcycle gang camps out on the beach. Unfortunately, a local girl named "Marianne" (Mimsy Farmer) cannot leave well enough alone and goes out to party with them. However, when things get a little too adventurous for her she runs back into town in a dishevelled state which causes several leading citizens in the town to take matters into their own hands. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that although it starts off rather slow it eventually gains momentum and ends up satisfactorily for the most part. In short, it's not a great motorcycle movie but it wasn't that bad either.

After the 1966 biker movie "The Wild Angels" became a box office smash, American-International Pictures over the next few years made and released a number of other biker movies, "Devil's Angels" being one of the first. While the movie definitely was profitable, the profit was much less so than what "The Wild Angels" grossed. Watching the movie, it's pretty easy to see why drive-in audiences weren't as enthusiastic. There is pretty much no plot or character development in the first half of the movie - it's just one vignette after another. The second half of the movie has a little story and fleshes out its characters slightly, but not too much more. Also disappointing is that the movie is nowhere as sleazy and explicit as some other biker movies of the time (it got a PG rating); it's quite tame even by 1967 standards. The best I can say for the movie is that there is some good widescreen photography and composition.

The best thing about Devil's Angels is the humor. This is a movie that makes it's point without taking itself too seriously. The violence is minimal compared to most other of this genre and the emphasis is on characterization. There are some genuinely funny moments in this movie and plenty of memorable lines. The part with the old lady and her shopping list is my favorite. The use of solid veteran actors helps fill in for the script lapses and keeps the viewers interest. Good luck finding this movie though. It is no longer shown anywhere and is not distributed either. After 10 years of searching, I finally found a used VHS tape on Ebay. It cost me $25 but I consider it worth it.

A good example of 1960's biker films. Nothing too new here, just a basic story of a biker gang forced to flee its home town after a member accidently kills a citizen. Basically, they ride around and cause mayhem for anyone who gets in their way. More funny than violent in places, but a serious enough treatment of the subject matter.