I want to start my own little column. Part movie review, part film history, and part stroll down memory lane. The “Chopper Opera” — a slang term for the straight-to-the-drive-in-movies that define the exploitation film genre — is probably my favorite sub-genre. While it is defined by hits like “The Wild One” and “Easy Rider,” there are literally hundreds of cheezy biker movies out there.
Some are done with big budgets and land absolutely flat. Others are low budget films that were never looking for recognition: just a paycheck. They span from the 1950’s teen-scare film to the modern. Let me be clear too: I won’t just be reviewing films about biker gangs. There are films that only loosely even have a motorcycle in them.
Some will be documentaries, some dramas, and many will be the classic exploitation film we often think of. Films like “Angels Hard as They Come” and “Hells Angels On Wheels” and “Savage Angels” all follow pretty much the same formula, and are as similar to each other as their titles.
I love me some low-budget film, but I won’t ignore the sour eggs from the 21st century either, like “Torque” and “Biker Boys.” There’s plenty to go around, but I figured instead of starting with a major classic, I’d hit a nearly dead-zone for biker films.
The 1990’s had big-dollar stuff like “Beyond the Law” with Charlie Sheen, Linda Fiorentino, and biker-movie-great Michael Madsen. There was also “Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man” with Don Johnson and Mickey Rourke. Still, biker movies were in decline over all at the time, which is why I want to start with a pretty easy-to-forget movie that is absolutely LOADED with talent: “Masters of Menace.”
The most interesting part is the biggest names all have either minor parts or supporting roles. This was an era in Hollywood where you got a half-decent script and a team would sit down and try to figure out how to make a decent movie out of it. The solution for Masters of Menace seemed to be “call everyone you know.”
Dan Akroyd plays an Evel Knievel-esque stuntman towards the end. Jim Belushi plays a bike-builder who doesn’t make it more than a few minutes into the movie before being the cause for the entire movie’s plot to take off. John Candy shows up out of nowhere as a beer truck driver. Katherine Bach (yes, Daisy Duke herself) plays the main character’s “old lady.” You might miss it, but one of the bikers (named Roy Boy) is actually the front-man for the LA based punk band Fear.
Since he plays an almost Kenny Rogers-like character you could certainly miss him, but he breaks out the guitar at least once.
Basic Plot
The story is simple. The first thing to remember is this movie is meant to be a comedy, so the thin plot is part of the joke instead of the result of terrible writing. So, a biker gang called the Road Masters are in trouble with the law (go figure). Their straight-outta-law-school attorney manages somehow to get their sentence suspended to probation. While celebrating at their clubhouse, Jim Belushi’s character “Gypsy” finishes his nitro-burning drag bike.
They all want to set a world speed record with it, so the best place? Right there on the street, during the party. Things turn out as you’d expect and now the Road Masters are going to take Gypsy’s remains to his father in Las Vegas. But aren’t they on probation, and not allowed to leave the county? Right…there’s your set up.
For unexplained reasons, their attorney (played by Lance Kinsey, better known as “Proctor” form the “Police Academy” movies) thinks he has to go along to keep them out of trouble or his career will somehow suffer (don’t ask me, just go with it). And so off they go, with the prosecuting attorney chasing after them so he can bolster his bid for State Attorney (sure, why not?).
Hilarity ensues, because, well…bikers.
The movie is supposed to be fun and not serious, and manages to pull it off. This was filmed in the late-80’s, so expect the comedy to be pretty campy and dated. But despite there being strip club scenes and plenty of boozing and raunchiness, the movie is very tame. I don’t remember any nudity and despite mentioning drug use, I don’t remember seeing anyone actually doing drugs: just making some kind of booze out of window cleaner and god knows what else.
Probably the main draw of Masters of Menace though is the nostalgia of it. If you remember John Candy you are of an age where this movie would be fun simply to watch and see who pops up. Movies in the 80’s relied a lot more on actors acting and far less on special effects. Plus, when something actually explodes or jumps over something, they actually had to do it and catch it on film.
While you could hunt for an old VHS of the movie, modern times have made it far easier than back in the day. Masters of Menace is actually available for free on YouTube if you have a lazy afternoon to kill during this weird gap between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
And of course, if you’ve got some recommendations for a good B-movie or exploitation film, drop it in the comments. It doesn’t have to be a biker flick per se, but obviously great looking bikes make up for bad acting. All the low budget stuff is great though, just to see how crews managed to handle wardrobes, set design, vehicles and props, and still make the movie happen.
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Johnny Killmore 