Motorcycle Gang (1994 TV Movie) User Reviews

Late Night CLASSIC

[paolobut19 · 6/10 · 20 September 2004]

It was a dark, cold evening at 48 Hawthorn Avenue, with only my young Asian friend to keep me company. The night seemed to be innocuously drawing towards an uneventful conclusion, when all of a sudden a last desperate bout of channel-hopping produced a remarkable result - Motorcycle Gang. A superbly crafted piece of modern cinema (although it wasn't actually released in theaters - a travesty!), this film merely serves one purpose - to overawe the viewer with sheer class from every quarter, and it succeeds! Much better than others from the Late Night Classic collection such as On The Line (see review), it features another Oscar worthy performance from Jake "son of Gary" Busey, showing once again why he is widely considered to be superior in every way to his great father (watch starship troopers(1997), which is excellent, and the foot shooting party(1994), which is also probably excellent, for further evidence). The Directing is spot on, with John Milius finally rediscovering the flair shown in Conan the Barbarian (Phew, I hear you gasp in relief. The world is a better place with Milius on top form). But in all honesty, the finale is the pinnacle of this epic. The showdown between the gang and former Army man Cal is quite possibly the best fight scene in history. Cal takes on four, yes four, motorcyclists, and takes each one out with chilling yet breathtaking efficiency, and no little style, saving his pretty young daughter from the grasps of the evil Jake, Crab, Volker and Kincaid. You truly have to see it to believe it.

As you can imagine, that cold dark evening was infinitely warmed up by this unexpected gem of a movie, and if it were up to me, this film would be released on the cinema immediately, opening it up to the wider audience that it surely deserves. Masterpiece!

Updated 50s biker movie ........... pretty entertaining ...

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 14 January 2010]

"Motorcycle Gang" benefits from above average performances and interesting, though marginally developed characters. The deliberate pacing is another plus, which allows for more than just the usual cursory dialog. Jake Busey is well cast as the leader of the gang, and Gerald McRaney is good as the dad in pursuit of his kidnapped daughter, Carla Gugino. Nice desert photography enhances the production as well. Overall, this has entertainment value because it never pretends to be anything except an updated 50s biker movie, and at that it succeeds nicely. So what you see is what you get, and that is totally acceptable from my point of view. - MERK

A Little Bit of Cheese

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 6 June 2014]

Cal Morris (Gerald McRaney) and his family are driving to their new home in California and are terrorized by a motorcycle gang along the highway.

From the genius of John Milius comes this film, which I believe is a remake of a 1960s Sam Arkoff film, written by Lou Rusoff and originally directed by Edward L. Cahn ("It! The Terror from Beyond Space"). Starring as the bad guy? Jake Busey, whose father previously worked with Milius on "Big Wednesday".

The film is rated R but is still sort of silly because it has that American International Pictures feel to it. There may be sexual assault and violence, but this is not the dark stuff that Milius tackled in "Apocalypse Now".

Stay Away!

[The Terminator · 1/10 · 4 June 2000]

This is officially THE worst film ever made. It is terrible! The acting is awful, the sets are awful, the editing is awful, the plot is awful, the props are awful, the soundtrack is awful, I simply could not state one positive comment about this movie! Set in the fifties, you can blatantly see 90's cars roaming around, the bikes the 'Gang' use are rusting even though they are ahead of their time, this is diabolical. Words cannot describe it! Take my advice - avoid this piece of junk at all costs! It will be the biggest waste of 80 minutes you could ever imagine.

Below average movie

[mooncrickit · 1 June 2003]

If I had checked for reviews with IMDB prior to my renting this movie, I would probably have still rented it since only one review was available. There are a lot of noticable errors in this film and the plot really doesn't make sense. The ending is just really unbelievable and would not happen even in today's time much less in the era this film is suppose to portray. However, if you are shying away from it because it says it has a Rape scene, the scene is not graphic as I have seen in other movies. Neither person gets their clothes off and there is no nudity in this scene at all. But I would just shy away from this flick because it really isn't good.

Thank Heaven Gerald McRaney is in it, otherwise I would not go near this

[Boogalow · 5/10 · 25 September 2007]

This is the type of movie I would usually avoid and only watched it because of Gerald McRaney. Indeed, it is his acting in the movie which gives it any credibility at all; he is exceptional. After his character's daughter is abducted and raped by a gang of idiots on motorcycles he vows to rescue her, which he does towards the end of the movie. Being an ex serviceman he knows how to take the gang on single handedly (with a little help from his wife) - he does this in fine style but be warned it is very graphic and very bloody - even if the gang deserved exactly what they got. Gerald McRaney is one of THE finest actors ever (imho) and he suits the hero role very well, heck, he can come rescue me anyday! Seriously though, I wish he hadn't been in this, maybe I'm an old romantic at heart but I don't need reminding of the very basal elements in society through the movies. Now I'll have to go watch Gerald McRaney in one of his other movies to take the taste of this one out of my mouth so to speak. I didn't like this at all but that doesn't mean others will too; watch if you must and make up your own minds.

The 5 stars are for Gerald McRaney (only). I admire this incredible man in everything he's ever done (yes, even this) and he has never, to my knowledge, turned in a bad performance - ever, he is such a talented man, a very gifted actor, he even makes the art look easy ... take it from me, it isn't. As I said earlier, Gerald McRaney makes this film bearable because of his can-do, take no nonsense attitude, he is simply the best.

Not Bad Necessarily but Something Seemed a Little Off

[Uriah43 · 5/10 · 14 January 2022]

This film essentially begins sometime in the 50's with a man by the name of "Cal Morris" (Gerald McRaney), his wife "Jean Morris" (Elan Oberon) and their teenage daughter "Leann Morris" (Carla Gugino) packing up the car and heading out from Houston to their new home in Los Angeles. Naturally, since the interstate highways system was yet to be completed during this time, Cal figures that their trip will take approximately 3 days. Meanwhile, about 700 miles down the road, a motorcycle gang has recently gone on a killing spree and when they meet the Morris family at a roadside diner, the leader of the gang, known simply as "Jake" (Jake Busey), decides that he can make some money by kidnapping Leann and selling her in Mexico. What he doesn't realize, however, is that Cal is a former Army veteran who has seen his share of combat and is more than willing to take matters into his own hands to get his daughter back. Now, as far as the actual merits of this movie are concerned, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, although the film takes place in the 50's, there was something about the setting that just didn't feel right for some reason. I don't know, maybe it's just me but something seemed off. Likewise, I didn't particularly care for the acting on the part of Jake Busey all that much either. While it's true that his character was quite unsavory, his performance wasn't nearly as menacing as it should have been. Perhaps it was his goofy smile during some of these scenes, but whatever the reason, he just didn't seem right for this role. On the other hand, I thought that Gerald McRaney put in a good performance and--along with the reasonably interesting plot--managed to overcome some of the weaknesses just mentioned. That being said, while this was certainly not a great "biker film" by any means, it wasn't all that bad and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

More than just a biker flick

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 11 March 2014]

Made for TV (Showtime) and directed by John Milius ("Conan the Barbarian," "Red Dawn"), 1994's "Motorcycle Gang" relays the story of a family traveling through the Southwest circa 1959-60 wherein they run afoul of a small gang of criminal bikers. The daughter is kidnapped and taken into Mexico. The father has no recourse but to take matters into his own hands. Will this crisis tear the family further apart or bring them closer together (i.e. a blessing in disguise)?

Jake "Gary's Son" Busey plays the charismatic bike leader and does it well. The father is played by Gerald McRaney (Major Dad), who's always perfect for father-type roles. The wife is played by Elan Oberon, who doesn't seem all that spectacular looks-wise until you see one shot of her at the motel (whoa!). One of the highlights is Carla Gugino (Silk Spectre in "Watchmen") as the daughter. The daughter's only 16 years-old but Carla was 22 at the time of filming.

There's an interesting subplot about sexuality -- the wife is bored with her husband and was having an affair to fulfill her sexual desires before the trip; the daughter (who suspects the affair) is just awakening to her sexuality and finds it intriguing; the father has grown bored with romance/sex and has drifted from his wife, but the vacation reinvigorates him and stirs his passions; the bikers only regard sex on the most base level.

Another theme is that of universal justice. Scum who choose to give themselves wholly over to their dark side and commit extreme criminal acts don't deserve lovey-dovey mercy and understanding -- they've gone too far; they deserve nothing but obliteration from this realm of existence (say a prayer with 'em if you want).

At a mere 84 minutes the film is short-but-sweet with almost no filler.

The gorgeous Southwest locations are a definite plus.

Being made-for-cable-TV "Motorcycle Gang" is obviously low-budget fare, but that's okay because the biker films of the late 60s/early 70s were just as low-budget. The good thing is that "Motorcycle Gang" is actually better than most of those films. In fact, it's on a par with 1992's "Beyond the Law," although I much prefer "Motorcycle Gang" (Charlie Sheen isn't believable as a hardcore biker plus that film had too many goofy elements).

This isn't "Apocalypse Now," it's a low-budget TV biker flick, so don't expect to be blown away. Just enjoy it for what it is, and maybe you'll discover that it's even more than that.

GRADE: B+

No great shakes, but not just another biker film.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 12 January 2022]

The Morris family is moving West from Texas to California. The father, Cal (Gerald McRaney, 'Simon & Simon') is a war veteran eager for a fresh start, although this is the third time they've moved in the space of five years. The family is rounded out by Jean (Elan Oberon, the original "Red Dawn"), the hot to trot mother who was making time with a neighbor, and Leann (Carla Gugino, "Watchmen"), the innocent teen daughter. During their journey, they will be terrorized by a degenerate young biker gang: Jake (Jake Busey, "Starship Troopers"), Volker (Richard Edson, "Do the Right Thing"), Crab (John Cassini, "Se7en"), and Road Pig (Pete Antico, "29th Street"). Jake kidnaps Leann, and spirits her across the U. S. - Mexico border where he hopes to make a deal with a local kingpin (Orestes Matacena, "The Mask"). Cal, realizing that he won't be able to turn to the law for help, decides to take on the bikers by himself.

'Motorcycle Gang' was filmmaker John Milius' entry into the 'Rebel Highway' series of mid-90s, cable TV, in-name-only remakes of old American International pictures. At its core, the story is pretty routine, although as in any story like this, it's worth it to see a group of antagonists set up to be so loathsome that we inevitably cheer when they finally get their comeuppance. (Although Jake tries to pass himself off as a romantic figure to Leann, we KNOW that he's just as mean and nasty as the rest of his boys: they murder a crooked lawyer (Robert Miranda, "Midnight Run") and a waitress on the way to confronting our main protagonists.) Fortunately, Milius and the writers DO take the time to include as much character detail as possible among the family. They've grown distant from each other, but this debacle might just be the glue that brings them back together. Jean (Oberon is the real-life Mrs. Milius) is a woman with demons to confront, and Cal has always been hesitant to talk about his war experiences, although he has a nice moment with an Asian hotel owner (Akio Mitamura, "Conan the Barbarian") who refrains from charging him for the rooms after they do some bonding.

The performances are all solid: nothing flashy, apart from the dynamic Busey (playing the kind of character that his father Gary played once upon a time). McRaney is effectively low-key, while Oberon does a capable job as the character going through the biggest arc.

A good soundtrack, a decent pace (this wraps up in 84 trim minutes without commercials), and a reasonably rousing finale (violent, but not that gory) all make this basically agreeable entertainment.

Six out of 10.

Lowkey Classic

[rjones444 · 8/10 · 17 March 2006]

I first saw this film on TV late one night. It starts out with the basic fundamentals of a road movie, a family are driving across the mid American desert to their new home in California in the mid sixties when they become terrorised by a motorcycle gang. The father, Cal, appears to be a mild mannered family man, spontaniously dealing with the angst displayed by his wife and teenage daughter whilst also trying to negotiate moving the family across the country. When his daughter is taken hostage by bikers it would seem he is powerless to alter the events that occur.

Nothing however could be further from the truth, it turns out that Cal is actually a World War 2 combat veteran and despite his humbled and fifty something appearance is a very efficient killing machine. When the final fight sequence occurs the character transformation becomes something to behold, as family man Cal takes on his opponents with a supremely violent and ruthess efficiency.

This movie is a classic. despite being shunned at the cinema, i would recommend it to anyone interested in good film. Neither a road, action or adventure movie, this picture defies a specific genre and in doing so in my opinion has become one of the best low key American classical of all time.

Not Just a Late Night Classic

[hmay-65256 · 8/10 · 17 April 2016]

John Milius's Motorcycle Gang is a damn fine film. Originally made as a part of the Rebel Highway Series, a short lived series of made for TV movies for the Showtime channel, (ten TV-Movies produced in all) were made as homage to the great B-movies of the 1950's. Each director was given a very modest budget ($1.3 Million) and a limited time of shooting.

While the vast majority of the Rebel Highway films are campy and silly, or overacted bordering dangerously close to the realm of soap operas, Milius's Motorcycle Gang is none of these things. It's adult, serious, dark, wonderfully written, well-acted, and at its core a damn fine story. In fact this film does exactly what a movie should do, it takes its audience to another time and place, where they are then thrown into circumstances where otherwise they would (hopefully) never find themselves. In truth this movie showcases some of Milius's best work.

Motorcycle Gang stands out for a number of reasons - first, it takes its self seriously. With the intention of making a good movie and not a campy, cheesy, and over sexualized film, John Milius gives a realistic take on a normally outrageous idea (a vicious hoard of psychopathic bikers terrorizes an innocent family, chasing them across the American desert). And in doing so he paints a much more accurate description of life in 1950's America. Motorcycle Gang is able to achieve this in a number of different ways, first by manifesting the typical beliefs and opinions of many 1950's Americans in its characters. Throughout the film you will see many of the characters beliefs and opinions on pop-culture, values, history, and taboos being challenged as well as the lasting effect of those challenges.

Second by having more realistic characters, not only the performance of the characters is strong. Gerald McRaney's (the Father) portrayals very accurately a deeply conflicted man, a former war hero, now striving for a new start. Carla Gugino (the daughter) experiences a coming of age story. And Elan Oberon who plays (the Mother) battles her own demons and experiences a great deal of growth. Interestingly, actress Elan Oberon is John Milius's real-life wife and was previously terrorized by another gang of psychopathic bikers in yet another Milius story, this one part of the Miami Vice TV series entitled Viking Bikers from Hell. But all of the characters are driven by their own personal desires, goals, and experiences. And you see these recur again and again throughout the film in the characters.

Increasing the realism once again are the costumes - much more than your typical, blue jeans and Chuck Taylor shoes combination in a 1950's movie. The costumes that the characters wear truly help define them. The action scenes (the stunts and fights scene) are very realistic. For example, the fight scene, encompasses real-life Jiu Jitsu moves and 1940's military combat techniques. There are also a wonderful almost cameo appearance by Rorion Gracie (one of the co-founders of UFC) as Sgt. Lopez who I am sure, accompanied with Stunt Coordinator, Terry Jackson and John Milius had a hand in the fight scene).

But the writing is what stands out most of all. It is genius. While simply "the writing" is a very broad topic and encompass most of what has been previously mentioned, it must be mentioned because the writing is what makes this movie. (It should be noted that while the story is by Kent Anderson and while he also has a teleplay credit accompanied with Laurie McQuillan, what is not mentioned or credited is the fact that John Milius rewrote the teleplay (as stated in a 2003 interview)). It is in the rewrites by John Milius where his true genius emerges and it is there where the film gains its great and incredible depth, especially in a movie that does not even eclipse the 90 min mark. As previously stated the characters are more than simply one dimensional. They have goals, beliefs, taboos, and fears. But the characters also have a past, and in typical John Milius fashion he ties his characters into a significant historical incident and has them shaped by these events. It should be noted that while Milius's characters are known for giving great speeches, I always found it is the subtleties in his speeches, not just what the characters say and do, but the reasons behind them that truly shapes his movies. And Motorcycle Gang is no exception, it contains all of those accepts. And it is that, which makes this movie great, and truly a worthwhile film.

Now that I have written far much more than I originally intended I well leave you saying only this. I enjoyed this movie because it was fun, fraught with great adventure, history, and terror. It is a movie that, if given a chance, will sit right up and grab you.

Great movie.

[muhammadhandsome · 8/10 · 31 May 2006]

This movie is pretty damn good if you ask me.

This movie may not have that much action, or a lot of adventures. And your probably thinking the movie may be rubbish, but guess what no it isn't. This movie is worth watching and is worth your while. I enjoyed it a lot, and I definitely give the movie an 8/10, enjoy for those who will consider watching it. Its just basically about a normal family who are just wanting to move to California to live a better life, but soon are terrorised by a bunch of motorcycle thugs. Once there daughter is kidnapped. The father goes out and seeks revenge and also to get his daughter back. So there ya have it a pretty basic movie if you ask me, but its much better the way I describe it lol.

This motorcycle gang picked on the daughter of the wrong ex-military dad.

[TxMike · 30 April 2013]

Gerald McRaney and I go way back, not literally, but I remember him for the 1980s TV series "Simon and Simon." Here he is an ex-military by-the-book type of guy, Cal Morris, moving his family of three from Houston to Los Angeles for better work. As he tells his wife and daughter, it will take three days if they drive straight through, only stopping in motels at night and avoiding too much sight-seeing.

He talks about serving in Korea, and is driving a light blue 1953 or 1954 Ford Custom, so the story seems to be set in the mid to late 1950s. There certainly wasn't any interstate highway yet. His wife is Elan Oberon as Jean Morris. (In real life she is the wife of the director and I believe this was her last movie.)

But the real reason I wanted to see this movie is a young Carla Gugino who plays the 16-yr-old daughter, Leann Morris. Best I can figure she was actually 22 during filming but still had a very youthful exuberance about her. And cute as can be, which is no surprise since even now, in her 40s is one of the best-looking actresses working.

Their nemesis turns out to be Jake Busey as "Jake", a totally bad boy on a motorcycle, along with his three bad-boy friends. They are dangerous, they rob and kill, having no respect for anyone. They have left a trail of havoc and the authorities are looking for them.

At a gas stop Jake sees Leann, likes her right away, and decides that he wants her. So the rest of the movie is that theme. Do we really think a highly trained ex-military dad will let them get away with that?

This is a "B" movie all the way. Except for McRaney and Gugino, who are the only real actors here, all the others are parodies. However, I found it to be a great "guilty pleasure" to see the motorcycle gang members get their due.

SPOILERS: Jake at night at the motel cuts a slit into the car's coolant hose, so the next day the car overheats in the middle of nowhere in Arizona. As dad goes to get water, the motorcyclists come and Jake kidnaps Leann, somehow convincing her that he is protecting her from the others. He takes her to Mexico (border crossing seemed to be real easy in the 1950s) and is joined later by the other three. Dad gets on their trail somehow and, deciding the Mexican police will not be much help, tracks them to a secluded barn, frees his daughter, kills the four in various ways, then burns down the building. As they drive on the next day, they all vow to keep their secret between the three of them.