BY ERNIE MAGNOTTA

Biker films have been around for decades. Although most cinephiles cite Marlon Brando’s The Wild One (1953) as the first great biker movie, it wasn’t until the mid-1960s and the release of the 1966 Roger Corman-directed classic The Wild Angels that biker films really exploded onto the scene. Made for $360,000 and grossing close to $16 million, The Wild Angels started a cinematic cycle trend that lasted well into the 1970s.

Noticing that other enterprising filmmakers were cashing in on their film’s success, legendary studio American International Pictures quickly decided that another biker flick was in order. They gathered Corman (to produce); Wild Angels scribe Charles B. Griffith (Rock All Night, A Bucket of Blood, The Little Shop of Horrors, Death Race 2000) to write and, together, came up with the next biker extravaganza, 1967’s Devil’s Angels aka The Checkered Flag.

Directed by Daniel Haller (Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century, The Wild Racers, Dunwich Horror), Devil’s Angels concerns a group of rebellious, anti-establishment bikers called the Skulls who are searching for a police-free place they’ve dubbed Hole-in-the-Wall. They roll into the small town of Brookville and are immediately ordered to leave by the intimidated mayor (Paul Myer). The Skulls’ leader, Cody (played by independent filmmaking icon; the late, great John Cassavetes), informs the sheriff (Tobruk’s Leo Gordon) that they’re not looking for trouble and that he, his girl Lynn (the beautiful Beverly Adams from How to Stuff a Wild Bikini) and the rest of the posse just need a place to crash for the night. The sheriff decides to give Cody a chance and agrees to let the group spend the night on the beach if they promise to remain there and then leave first thing in the morning. Cody gives his word and the bikers take off along with a local beauty contestant (Mimsy Farmer from Four Flies on Grey Velvet) who’s infatuated with the group. The mayor berates the sheriff for letting them stay in town, but the lawman doesn’t budge. While at the beach, the group gets the girl high, teases her a bit and sends her running back to town in fright. The mayor lies by telling the sheriff that the Skulls raped the unharmed girl and Cody is arrested. When the sheriff learns the truth, he immediately lets Cody go, but orders him and his friends to leave town. Meanwhile, the Skulls, who don’t like being accused of rape, decide that the town needs to be taught a lesson. With the help of a larger group of bikers called the Stompers, they ride back into town (against Cody’s wishes), completely take it over and put the authorities on trial. The mayor’s lie is revealed and he is sentenced to a public beating which Cody goes along with. The Skulls also feel that, because they were accused of rape, they are owed a rape. Cody is totally against this. He tries his best to stop it, but all hell winds up breaking loose. As the Stompers and the Skulls (including Lynn) tear Brookville apart, Cody, realizing that his Hole-in-the-Wall doesn’t exist, quits the group and rides off alone before the state police arrive.

With only a $4 million gross, Devil’s Angels may not have been a major hit for AIP, but it’s still an interesting and well-done biker film which features several highly recognizable faces from 1960s/70s cinema and television such as Marc Cavell (Cool Hand Luke), Russ Bender (Bonanza), Buck Taylor (Gunsmoke), Bruce Kartalian (The Outlaw Josey Wales) and Mitzi Hoag (Deadly Game).

Although not nearly as well-remembered as the Dennis Hopper/Peter Fonda 1969 classic Easy Rider nor as hard-hitting as Al Adamson’s Satan’s Sadists from the same year, Devil’s Angels is a solidly-made, quirky and enjoyable exploitation film that benefits most from a wonderfully complex performance by the legendary John Cassavetes as well as an entertaining and thoughtful screenplay by the extremely underrated Charles Griffith. There’s also a terrific musical score written by Mike Curb and performed by Sidewalk Productions. Not to mention a catchy theme song by Jerry and the Portraits with additional music courtesy of Dave Allen and the Arrows.

As far as the Skulls go, they’re mainly benign (but not as cool as the goodhearted bikers from 1976’s Northville Cemetery Massacre) and just looking for a place to be free. The havoc they cause (with the exception of an accidental death) is mostly light (and presented humorously) and they’re never really violent until the very end, so if you’re looking for an intimidating band of evil hell raisers, look elsewhere. As for me, I thoroughly enjoy this film; always have. It’s a fun biker flick with a strong cast and a thought-provoking story. If you’re a biker film fanatic or just a fan of AIP/Roger Corman in general, I definitely recommend checking it out.

Devil’s Angels has been released as a DVD-R from the MGM Limited Edition Collection. The film is presented in its original 2:35:1 aspect ratio and, although it’s far from Blu-ray quality, the movie is more than watchable. Also, the audio is clear, and the DVD’s sleeve and menu feature the original and very cool-looking poster artwork.