Publisher: CinemaSerf April 4, 2022
Marlon Brando just oozes charisma in this otherwise rather disappointing tale of two biker gangs who descend upon a small American town. He is "Strabler" - who hates any authority figure - and arrives with his "Black Rebels" gang. Noisy and intimidating but no real danger to anyone, which is just as well because the sheriff "Bleeker" (Robert Keith) is about as effective as a chocolate teapot. Anyway, "Strabler" takes a bit of a shine to local gal "Kathie" (Mary Murphy) but that all changes when he discovers she is the daughter of the policeman. He is soon otherwise distracted by the arrival of the "Beetles" - a group of erstwhile pals lead by "Chino" (Lee Marvin). Old grudges and testosterone take over and what starts as an uneasy truce soon borders on open warfare - helped by local vigilante "Charlie" (Hugh Sanders) who is trying to goad the townsfolk into taking action of their own. It is odd to say this about an whole town, but there is a certain claustrophobia to this drama. The gangs' grip on the place is intimidating to watch, much less to have to live in, and Brando and Marvin are strong sparring partners. The build up is tense and you can sense the palpable apprehension amongst the populace as our anticipated denouement looms. Thing is, though, the interventions of Murphy and an unwillingness from director Laslo Benedek to maximise the peril here, means that the film quite suddenly stops being menacing and starts being quite soppy. It didn't need a battle royal at the end, but somehow the conclusion just underwhelmed and was more of a damp squib. There is a paucity of dialogue - which always suited Brando, and the photography with/on the bikes works really well enhancing the tautness of the first half hour, but then it just peters out... Pity!