【A Stunning Movie!!!!】
A group of reckless bikers, on their way to the Florida cycle races, stop for lunch in a small town diner.
There they wreak general havoc, and as night falls, the local townspeople make plans for revenge.
The film was intentionally designed to look like a low budget 1970's biker film (a la Roger Corman), but it manages to transcend the genre. Dafoe does not always look completely comfortable in his first role.
He does, however, demonstrate a real screen presence and visually commands whatever scene he is in. (Some of the other actors are not so lucky.)
Most of the sexuality in the film is implied rather than explicit (with two rather brief and slightly creepy sex scenes), and there is a surprising lack of profanity.
The camera often focuses on the scenery, watching the actors performing mundane tasks, and spends a lot of time on close-ups of the tattoos on the bikers' anatomy, wardrobe details and the period-authentic motorcycles.
The music features rockabilly icon Robert Gordon (who also has a small role in the film), John Lurie, and a brilliant but un-credited film score from Eddie Dixon.
This is augmented by `50's standards from sultry Brenda Lee and Little Richard playing on the jukebox. (The title line of this review is taken from Gordon's opening credits song.)
Substance may take a back burner to this film's lush and gorgeous style with its `50's mixture of vintage motorcycles, black leather, ducktail haircuts, poodle skirts, roadside diners with Wurlitzer jukeboxes, ribbons of endless highway and, of course, bad boy bikers.
"The Loveless" isn't just for gear heads and biker culture enthusiasts.
The film had the odd effect of making me feel really nostalgic for a time I didn't live through.
Extras include a blended commentary track with Kathryn Bigelow, Willem Dafoe and Monty Montgomery; a gallery of still photos; the original posters for the film; the theatrical trailer and scene selection.!!!!