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Sundance Review: Quentin Tarantino Presents Hell Ride

by Alex Billington
January 22, 2008

US Release Date: Sundance Film Festival 2008
Genre: Action, Drama
Running Time: 83 minutes
Directed by: Larry Bishop
on IMDb
9.5/10

If you loved Grindhouse, then you're in for a treat. Hell Ride is a biker flick produced by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Larry Bishop that pays homage to the old school biker movies of the 60s and 70s. It's one 83-minute non-stop biker party that exploits the three Bs: bikes, beer, and booty. If you've been anxious for another edge-of-your-seat grindhouse fix until Tarantino and Rodriguez team up again for the sequel (if it ever happens), then this is it! I'll say it plain and simple: Hell Ride was a fuckin' blast!

In Hell Ride, two rival biker gangs, the Victors and the Six-Six-Sixers, have been at war for years. On July 4th, 1976 the Six-Six-Sixers kill and burn the Victors' president's wife, now 32 years later they're getting revenge. The Victors are headed up by the gang's president, Pistolero (Larry Bishop, who played the "asshole on the elbow" guy in Kill Boll Vol. 2), The Gent (Michael Madsen, who played Budd in Kill Bill Vol. 2), and recently added member Comanche (Eric Balfour). The Six-Six-Sixers is lead by Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones), a ruthless biker who uses an air powered crossbow that's as badass as Anton Chigurh's cattle stun gun in No Country for Old Men.

I love movies that can keep up the energy and action the entire way through and never let down and it's rare to find these nowadays. For the exact same reasons that I loved Grindhouse last April, I love Hell Ride. It's full of so much intensity, endless hot women, awesome gun fights, and badass characters that you wouldn't dare mess with. If anyone calls Hell Ride boring, than they've got some serious ADD issues, because this is packed with more guns, tits, and action than even all of Grindhouse. I owe Larry Bishop quite a bit of respect for creating one of my new favorites of 2008!

I said it before and I'll say it again, Hell Ride is a fuckin' blast. I loved every last minute of this film and can't wait to see it again. It's Grindhouse but with bikers and endless hot women. Hell Ride is a full-on 83-minute thrilling ride to hell and back.

Hell Ride review

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Related categories: Movie Reviews, Sundance 08

http://www.slashfilm.com Hunter Stephenson

Hi, this is envy speaking. Your review differs a lot from the one I just text'd with, but Peter doesn't get down with biker movies. Bring on the Hell Ride trilogy.
jeff

Man, you must be retarded. That movie was so awful that I nearly shit my pants. No amount of boobs or gun fights could save the atrocious storyline, acting, direction, dialogue, art direction, costumes, music and everything else. So painful.
Enola

The movie looks good, but Grindhouse was crap on a silver plate... Death Proof was just bad, first QT movie I've hated, didn't like KB I and II, but DP was nothing to me. Just waste of film... Planet Terror was fun in a bad way, but still not good. The Fake Trailers were good as hell, but the main movies kinda sucked. I hate "Quentin Presents" movies, he gets all the credit if they are good, but if they are bad he gets no blame... He is becoming the new Luc Besson, producer of mostly crap movies, but there are some gems and Hell Ride looks like one of them
nick

That jeff kid has a real attitude problem.
jeff

If you saw this movie you would have an attitude problem too. It feels like my whole psyche was raped and the dirt won't wash off. This was worse than anything I have seen in a long long time.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

I don't know why you have such a big problem with it Jeff. Maybe the subject matter just wasn't for you... I'm sorry that you can't handle the kind of stuff in this, but I loved it as much as I loved Grindhouse... What were you expecting with Hell Ride?
jeff

I was expecting some semblance of talent with regard to writing and directing. The story was so convoluted and hackneyed that I felt a high school A/V student could do better. It was simply a big amateur attempt at making a Tarantino movie complete with blatant rip offs (or "homages" as Pee Wee put it). The safety deposit box "secret treasure" was ridiculous because it was the focal point and driving force of all the characters. The reason it worked in Pulp Fiction is because it wasn't center stage. But besides all that, you really enjoyed the acting and direction? You liked the gunfights for the sake of gunfights? You liked how the whole thing was basically "really really stupid dudes follow other dudes right into a trap multiple times and then get shot really easily"? There was never any tension, no challenge, no reason to give a crap about any character! Any screenwriter with half a brain could have made that basic story good but instead we have Larry Bishop who obviously has nothing but an ego. Oh and lest we forget the amateur slam-poetry-esque scene in which Bishop and that chick trade horrible "fire" innuendo for a painfully long time. Nice dialogue, Bishop! You'll get some kudos for that from writing afficionados!
Dave

we will never see another pulp fiction or resevoir dogs in our lives, so dont compare qt or qt presents movies to it or you will be let down every single time
nick

"from writing afficionados!" lol nice
Rob

I must have seen a different version of 'Death Proof', where there wasn't 'action and energy' all the way through. Just endless scenes of pretty women talking a whole bunch of crap with 2 very ho hum action sequences thrown in. I was bored out of my friggin mind.
Enola

I guess I watched the same print of Death Proof as Rob. Bad dialogue with pretty women and Uwe Boll action scenes...
Scott

#&*$^&#*$*&# LOL man, Grindhouse a pile of crap? I admit DP wasn't that hot but if you have any interest in those types of movies at all then you should have loved Planet Terror. Mind....blown.
DarkDhalia

Well, I cannot let say Death Proof is shit since it is certainly not. Death Proof has 4 fucking different layers of meaning -- intersected 2 by 2. Death Proof is a fucking mix of Grindhouse movies and art project (the sexual outline) Death Proof's content is rich when you dare analyse it -- don't be fucking passive. Anyone saying Death Proof is shit may be an asshole who boast about being cultured while he just knows anything about movies. That's it.
Joel M.

In my opinion Death Proof is Tarantino's first real failure, artistically. There are tons of good things about it, but the movie just falls down. If I had to speculate, I'd surmise that Tarantino has trouble when he moves away from his comfort zones - everyday dialog said by big genre characters (instead of small everyday characters); a cast of criminals. I've never felt that violence and foul language were what makes Tarantino's great work great (he's a helluva storyteller). However, violence and foul language help balance out Tarantino's work. If you imagine Pulp Fiction without the offensive language and violent, it becomes a cartoon. See Kill Bill for more examples. Having said all that, Death Proof is no worse than the other thousand scary movies that come out each year and are heralded as the second coming of George Romero. In may ways, Tarantino has done it better than anybody, but only if you focus on the details.
blackmoto

are you bashers fuckin' retarded?!? IT'S A B MOVIE FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!!!! A biker movie. just for fun, just because. anyone looking for some kind of hidden story, moral of the story, production values etc... well, you're fucked. art?!? it's a biker movie ass-clowns.. maybe it'll only appeal to real bikers.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

blackmoto is right, this is a b movie and it's meant to be crappy and fun, I guess. Even though I'd say it did have awesome production values, but morals, fuck morals, it's all about how much badass shit you can throw into it, whether it's girls, weapons, bikes, or anything else. I hope that soon enough most of you guys will get to see this too and give it your own opinion...!
Little Richie

Grindhouse is da kind. I say that cause I'm a Taratino junkie and he is da Man. I thought Death Proof was fucking awesome to say the least. I can't wait for Hell Ride, release it quickly please.. Little Richie
Jumpin' Jack

This just cracks me up. I haven't seen the movie yet but I absolutely plan on doing that. It's a $10 ticket, some popcorn and Cokes, a date, at a drive-in if those were still around. When did we all get so serious? If you want to be serious, read the Wall Street Journal where you can REALLY get depressed. I figure a few bucks for a good time, some road trip gratuitous (not-real) violence and some drop dead gorgeous scantily clad babes who don't look down their noses at anyone over 25, who could ask for anything more? It's a popcorn movie, be happy you're not on the bread-line somewhere. Chill. Get some viewer-friendly vicarious thrills. Enjoy and mellow. Jumpin' Jack
Sarah

does anyone know if going to be shown anywhere anytime soon? i have to see this...
Dash

I haven't seen this yet, and since there is literally nothing about it (save this review and a few others), I can't speak directly on the film. What I can say is that the Grindhouse films were supposed to be GRINDHOUSE films. Grindhouse films take something and exploit it. Both Planet Terror and Death Proof succeeded in doing that. I highly doubt QT or RR had any hopes of being praised by the Golden Globes or the beloved Oscars for those films. They were making genre films for an established fan base. Zombie movie fans/ Old School Car Chase fans. I think they succeeded there. As far as Hell Ride, I'm sure its in the same vein. I'm sure its supposed to be pretty light on story and heavy on tits, guns, and badassness. So if you don't like tits, guns, and bad ass shit for the sake of bad ass shit, then don't see the movie. I can think of much worse ways to spend 86 minutes. You want a good story, go watch the Godfather (one of my favorites) but if you just wanna zone out and watch some cool shit, maybe check Hell Ride when it comes out.
Dash

edit.. 83 minutes
Zach

Well... QT isnt just a fucking director or producer or any of that, he is most of all a fan. If you had the power to make any movie you wanted (which he pretty much does) then why the fuck not. I cant wait to see Hell Ride. I want you fuckers to stop over anaylizing everything and have a good fucking time. Thats what QT's shit is all about.
The Big Boo

I am a fukin biker and can't wait for this to hit the screen. There is an art form to B biker pics but if you haven't really watched any, then ya outa keep yer trap shut. Sonny and 81 were in the early ones... alot of stars, Nicholson, Sinatra (Nancy not Frank), the Buseys, even that fu'kin twerp Casey Kasem (Wild Wheels) were in 'em. Ya want art. then see the trinity, "The Wild One", "Wild Angels" and "Easy Rider". You can add to those the Aussie film, "Stone". But for good old "gas, grass, or ass" then the B pics are a hoot... Jeffie sounds like some wannabe extra in Wild Hogs, leaving the set in his fuken cage. If any of you ever rode, or rode in the day, you'd know. The Big Boo - President, LoneWolf
-Sepp

Sure some of the old classics rocked but, this thing looks like it is taylor made for every poser who plunked down 15 grand for a black and chrome driveway decoration in a laughable attempt to teach em how to be "stereotypical bikers". I get "hey bro'ed" by this flick's obvious target audience who is john milquetoast by day and thinks he's the second comming of Lee Marvin by night. Whenever any of you guys condense this flick down to only the nude scenes, send it to me.
Ben Wood

Man, Australia sucks. I want to see the tarantino movies before they come on DVD or critics ruin my excitement. Poo
Michael Livingston

I agree with the comments by The Big Boo and would add that biker movies are definitely not for everyone. But for people who do enjoy them they have a very specific kind of look to them. Most people don't understand that in a biker movie the acting and the plot is not real important. A lot of it is watching people ride motorcycles mixed with over the top gratouitious (sorry spelling?) violence and sex like the orgy in the church at the end of The Wild Angels. There are no biker movies that do not have a rape scene either.
http://www.AmericanBikerX.com L.J. James

MOTORCYCLE CLUBS THE BROTHERHOOD MENTALITY VERSES THE GANG MENTALITY This Month I want to talk about the Brotherhood mentality verses the gang mentality in the Motorcycle Club world . Now for those of you who may be asking what is the difference? I will set up a scene to help give you an idea! At a small Bar a member of a Motorcycle Club walks in he sees four Bikers playing pool, He can tell they are a bit nervous, They see his patches and they know who he is with. Now how does he act? Does he walk over to the pool table knock the 8 ball in the pocket say games over and tell one of them to buy him a beer? Or does he walk over introduce himself and let them know when they are done shooting pool they are welcome to stop over at the bar have a beer and talk with him! One is the gang way of thinking the other is the Brotherhood way of thinking! I really don't think I need to tell you which is which! Now one thing everyone needs to remember is all of the original Motorcycle Clubs Started out with the idea of being a tight nit group of Brothers and just about all of these Motorcycle Clubs got along. Don't forget many of the men who started the first MCs where returning home after serving their country during times of war. They were looking for that feeling of Brotherhood here at home that they had been left behind. These were good men seeking adventure, looking to ride their Motorcycles and have a good time with others like themselves. Today most Motorcycle Clubs have gone back to that way of Club thinking, There are very few Clubs left that still have the Gang Mentality that was seen mostly during the 70's threw 90's. During the late 90's things had just gotten too far out of hand and most Motorcycle Clubs began to realize the Gang Mentality was not the way it was meant to be and it was not the way they wanted it to be anymore, This was not what the Clubs were started for ! Many Clubs who had been friends were now fighting with each other. No one wanted to wear club support gear and things were just not fun anymore. These MC's had all started their Clubs with the same ideals and ways of thinking, How and why had they grown so far apart that they now hated each other! Well the answer to how is during the 50's and 60's the golden age of the Brotherhood years of Motorcycling, The Motorcycle Clubs were really huge. During this great time many of the Biker Movies that came out showed Motorcycle Club Members as Bullies and Thugs. The Bikers in these movies would pick on those weaker then them, take over small towns and the Clubs in these Movies all fought each other just like the street gangs of the time! So of course over time many new Bikers came to believe that this was the way it was. So when New Clubs started this was how they would act and the Original Motorcycle Clubs now had members who where young kids looking to prove how tough they were by starting fights with each other. The Original Motorcycle Club Members had been threw real wars together and they were as hard as nails and had nothing to prove to no one! But these younger members felt that they did and would imamate the Biker Clubs from the Movies they had scene and soon it was Biker against Biker, Brother against Brother, MC against MC. Thus began the Dark age of the Motorcycle Gang Mentality years. Now for the question Why did this Happen? Well When something Changes the way of thinking and being of Groups like the Motorcycle Clubs so far from their original ideals, You have to ask was it just an accident these movies did this? Or is there more to it? Was there a plan behind it? Is there someone or some group out there that would benefit from having these large groups of Motorcycle Clubs who are run in a very military fashion and are made up of many ex-Military Members fighting against each other? If these Clubs all got along and worked together the world could be a very Different place! Are there people out there who are afraid of this happening? Today there are very few Clubs left that have the Gang Mentality. Most have gone back to the Brotherhood way and the word Gang in the Motorcycle Club world has become almost the equivalent of a racial slur. Now as Motorcycle Clubs are beginning to go back to the way it was at the start and trying to put the past behind them, I am noticing that there are more and more Biker movies and TV shows Coming out. Will these shows show MC's in a good way? Will they go out of their way to stir up the quarrels of the past? Will they show us as mindless Bullies much as the Movie Wild Hogs did? Most Important will we let them influence how we really are? Or have we learned from our past? If all continues to go well we could soon be making our way into the second Gold age of Motorcycle Club Brotherhood back to where it all began!!! Are you part of the Problem? or part of the Solution? I am Your Bro L.J. James AmericanBikerX.com
Dog

I have pre-ordered my Hell Ride DVD from amazon today, and am waiting for it to premier in the Seattle area on 8-8-8. You can't have that much talent in one film and not be impressed with the individual character each one brings out. Maybe those that criticize the movie are desperately looking for a "chick flick" so they can wring their PC hands and weep with their S.Os. Anyone with any common sense knows that this is a remake of those popular biker flicks that present day "law enforcement" agencies use for actual training material for profiling and harassment. It's about exaggerating the lifestyle beyond reality with the stereotypes and action that far exceeds believability. And to the M/C Clubs that are the Real Deal and live the life 365/24/7, L&Rs
Don

"There is an art form to B biker pics but if you haven't really watched any, then ya outa keep yer trap shut." Sage wisdom from a man who obviously knows what he's talking about. Too bad so many pimple-faced fanboys who think "guy movie" means FIGHT CLUB and "tough guy" means Matt Damon have had a chance to see preview screenings and completely missed the point. Watching EASY RIDER on AMC doesn't qualify you as an expert on biker movies, kiddies, and if you think it does, you've got no business reviewing a real one. If Ross Hagen or Bud Cardos or Adam Roarke were here, they'd slap the snot out of Jeff's little "film school wannabe" ass, and deservedly so.
mizmite

at least peter fonda had the sense to stay away from this mess.
http://cornerboyfilms.com Vantanna

This MOVIE was Effin' Great!!! I absolutely loved it. Put me in touch w/ Larry Bishop!!
http://www.patocastro.com Sriram

Can you please tell me the list of OST in this movie. It is the best movie I've seen in quite a long time ??? I want to hear the sound when he rides bike after Gent shoots two of his fellow bikers in the pub.
Ruckus

Best thing was the Soundtrack, Its Awesome!!!
Grindhouse

Ok enough about the fucking dialouge and acting and the fucking direction of the film, moral story ect! Who gives a fuck. Its a homage to old grindhouse movies back in the 60's! Its suppose to be stupid, and poorly put together. Thats what makes it so awseome. And if you cant see that, then your a very plain person with no insight for movies. Go jerk off to some spiderman or transformers movie you fuckin blockbuster special-effects rapists.
TimeWaster

Enough with the arguments over its artistic merits and comparisons to other films. In the end, after I lost 83 minutes of my life, it simply didn't entertain. Long gaps between the action and the fool who said that the air gun rivaled the one in No Country, well you didn't see Old Country. You can't make that argument with a straight face. This film sucked on every level, instantly forgettable.
Wari

alot of people all want the same kind of movie over and over and over again.....they all want a lame ass Twilight, chick flick, lifetime presents meloncholy type of movie, and if they don't get it then they diss the film. GrindHouse was a great project. There was poetic dialog in Death Proof and it wasn't designed for main stream audiences...it was designed for B-movie fans. If Hell ride is anything like GrindHouse them I'm in all the way. And the person that said Kill Bill 1 & 2 sucked needs to have his head examined.
Wari

You know what did suck........No Country for Old Men. It had great potential, but the film was sloppy as hell. The main star dies in the middle of the film, an the way they killed him ( off camera) was fuckin stupid.....and that ending? wtf was that?!!? If you liked No Country for Old Men, but you hated GrindHouse, you need to be slapped.
Joel M

I cannot believe some of the posts here. This movie was terrible! I have ridden bikes my whole life and know what bikers are and what we believe in and let me tell you.....this movie is still shit! I was so amped to see it as we haven't seen a good biker film come out in a long time, can't remember the last to be honest. I thought to myself , cool, QT has a biker flick; Well after DP he would have pulled his head out of his arse and redeemed himself...not so unfortunately. This movie had all the ingredients for a top film, as do most of his flicks...I cannot see how he fucked this one up so bloody badly?? Please stop Quentin enough is enough. By all means continue with the ideas but give it to someone talented to run it for you, their way.
Mastablubba

Hey Guys just watching this salacious prat Shaking vid on youtube... check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsoHCukkeUo May you can share something similar. happy watching mastablubba
QTrule!

You people that downtalk this movie have obviously never seen a QT movie before, why dont you all just shut the hell up and go back to your german pedophile movies that you all like so much, and let the rest of us that think QT is awesome watch this!