A gang of outlaw bikers strike a bargain with the Sheriff of a small beach town; let them stay and the town is safe. But a local girl strays into their lair and sets off a full-scale war.
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Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
The acting in this movie is really good.
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.
... as objective as possible. My grandfather (mom's side), the late ROY THIEL, played the deputy in this film. And somewhere in the family archives is a lobby poster for Devil's Angels. Word has it our family packed up the station wagon and watched it at the local (Seattle, WA) drive-in a few years after it's release. Now, years later, the keywords Roger Corman, 1967 biker film, and John Cassavetes shed a new light on the movie I barely knew of while growing up. Unintentionally kitschy, one of those movies you watch for the ambiance of the era rather than scrutinizing the plot line, but all in all, a nice time capsule of B-movie biker films of mid-late '60s. Devil's Angel's comes highly recommended (of course).PS. My grandfather's name is attributed to (though he acted in commercials and several other non-credited roles) is yet another "Devil" titled-movie of the era: "Devil's Eight."
Devil's Angels (1967) ** (out of 4) AIP biker flick is yet another take on THE WILD ONE. Biker Cody (John Cassavetes) wants to find his gang a "Hole in the Wall" just like Butch Cassidy's gang but soon they run into a Sheriff (Leo Gordon) who they're able to make a deal with but the locals have their own plans. When AIP had a hit with THE WILD ANGELS they quickly threw this film into production and while it's far from a classic there's no doubt that it's at least entertaining and fans of the genre should have a good time with it. It's funny to think that the entire film we're supposed to be rooting for the bikers but when you view this film today, and I'm sure it was the same in 1967, you can't help but look at them as the bad guys. They're rude, loud, obnoxious and I don't see how anyone could agree with the stuff they're doing through the first hour of the movie. So, how did the producers try to make us like them? By throwing in equally dumb and obnoxious locals including a Mayor who decides to best way to teach the bikers is to accuse them of rape, which of course just leads to a whole 'nother battle. As with THE WILD ANGELS, the material is handled a lot more serious than most biker movies from this era. What violence is here is usually in the background and there's not even any nudity, profanity or other things like that. As straight as the movie is, there are a few campy moments including a bit with the boys filling up their gas tanks and then not having the money to pay for it. The final courtroom sequence also doesn't do anything but it's a pretty funny form of justice. Cassavetes is obviously way too talented for material like this but his performance certainly raised the quality of the film. Beverly Adams and Mimsy Farmer are both fun in their roles and Gordon does a nice job with the Sheriff. Non-genre fans might not find this worth sitting through but fans of the genre will want to check it out at least once and especially with dialogue like "When God created woman he made her pretty stupid."
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.