Hell Ride [Blu-ray]

From Executive Producer Quentin Tarantino (Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof) and Writer/Director Larry Bishop (Mad Dog Time) comes this lean, mean mayhem machine - fully loaded with bikers, babes, and booze. Michael Madsen (Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2), Eric Balfour (TV's "24") and legendary "Easy Rider" Dennis Hopper are part of a wild motorcycle gang bent on avenging the death of one of their own. With Vinnie Jones (The Condemned) as the crazed arrow-wielding rival gang leader, Hell Ride is a savagely enjoyable good-time where the women are hot, the bikes are even hotter, and the action never stops! The quirky characters at Crane, Poole and Schmidt are at it again, bringing the most outrageous and often times improbable cases to court.

Stills from Hell Ride (Click for larger image)

Actor Larry Bishop, who made his name in the '60s as the star of biker pictures like The Savage Seven, revives the genre with Hell Ride, a rough and raunchy action-drama produced by indie director and cult film aficionado Quentin Tarantino. Bishop, who wrote, produced and directed the film, is also top-billed as Pistolero, chief of the outlaw Victors, who cruise the sunbaked Southwest to avenge a fallen mama. Their target is Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), head man for the Six-Six-Sixes, and Michael Madsen, David Carradine and Dennis Hopper (himself no stranger to biker flicks) are along to make sure that the job is completed. As pure exploitation, Hell Ride delivers the goods: the cast overacts with relish, and the on-screen excitement is divided equally between chopper action, fistfights and shootouts and plentiful female nudity, all set to a soundtrack of new and vintage fuzztone rock. However, those expecting the complexity and sheer cheek of Tarantino's own features may find the picture a little too retro-minded for their own tastes, and Bishop's pulpy dialogue is more overcooked than Tarantino at his most self-indulgent. Still, those craving old-school cycle movie satisfaction are likely to find that action with Hell Ride. Bishop is front and center for the DVD commentary, in which he explains in the most passionate of terms how he conceived and executed the project with Tarantino's help; featurettes on the cast (split between male and female) are brief and flashy, with "The Guys of Hell Ride" providing the most juice by focusing on the veteran actors. There's also a look at the film's custom made bikes, but the most "special" of the Special Features is Michael Madsen's video diary, which gives amusing insight into his distinctly offbeat perspective. -- Paul Gaita

Stills from Hell Ride (Click for larger image)