This movie I went into more or less blind. I knew it was about a trip on motorcycles, and I knew it had Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson in it. That's about it. I was surprised by what I found in the film, both in positive and negative ways. There were aspects of the film that I really liked, and likewise, aspects that I did not.
Let's start with what I didn't like. First and probably the largest issue that I have with this movie is the plot, or lack thereof. I have thought about this film for a while now, and I'm still not completely sure what the story was. Two nomad friends make a cocaine deal, get a lot of cash, then go on a trip to New Orleans. That is the entire plot. They have various encounters with different groups of people along the way, but really, that's it. This annoyed me as I wanted more of an explanation as to why the characters are doing what they are doing. There are also some scenes that seem to be missing that I would consider important. A prime example of this is the two men obtaining their motorcycles. In the opening scene they are riding what appear to be cheap, off-road, motocross type motorcycles. Soon after they are riding the choppers that are considered iconic to the film. We never see them buy the bikes, I never even noticed them mentioning buying the bikes. I read that almost an hour and a half was cut from the film, but I feel that maybe some of the cut scenes should have remained.
Another part of the movie that bothered me is the extremes of the characters moods. All of the characters seem to be in the same mood for the entire movie. Peter Fonda is always sort of staring into space and thinking. Dennis Hopper is always loud and animated. Jack Nicholson is always being friendly and naive. Even when faced with serious events such as the death of their friends they retain these moods. They change once or twice, but usually they just all stay the same. I had a hard time connecting to the characters because of this.
Lastly, the directing of the move was a little... strange. There were several transitions between scenes that involved flashing back and forth between the current scene and the next one. These flashes back and forth were disorienting, and I would often be confused about what was going on for a little bit until I was able to get my bearings. Also along these same lines there were several other scene transitions that were abrupt and blunt and in some cases downright startling. We might be taken from a quiet dark scene instantly to a bright loud scene with no warning. I suppose I could understand these transitions if they were trying to simulate the experience of being drugged like the main characters were, but I just found it off-putting.
Alright, so like I mentioned earlier, I like the movie too. So now here are some things I liked about it.
I first want to mention here the music. It was great. Apparently when this film was made it was unusual to use songs that are already created/popular for the soundtrack. At the time it was a fairly groundbreaking move and I have to say for this movie it was brilliant. My favorite parts of the movie usually contained a great song that I recognized from that time period.
Next up would be the way they portrayed the spirit of freedom that the characters were representing. The scenes featuring the characters riding through beautiful landscapes on their motorcycles were wonderful. I enjoyed seeing the characters interact at night when they were usually camping out. I've been on several camping trips and the feeling of the nights when the work is done and the fires are lit was spot on. I felt like I was right there, sitting on the ground and talking with these characters under the open sky.
Lastly I want to mention the ending. It's a shocker, and after some thought I've decided that I liked it. They took on the issue of hate crime head on, and it was brutal and real. Just like in real life. It was pointless, as in reality hate crime often is, and I thought it fit fairly well. I will mention this however, if this movie had a more involved plot and I were better connected to the characters I might have felt differently. As it was I had a lesser attachment to these guys, and so the ending didn't effect me too much other than to cause a "man, that sucks" reaction. Regardless of the reasons though, I felt the ending was bold and a good move.
So there you go, I both like and didn't like this movie. That's a pretty horrible stance for a review I realize, but it is what it is. I give this movie 6 golden football helmets out of 10.
~Matt
Origin: U.S. (MGM) 1935
