Born Losers, The (1967)
“If we allowed citizens to take the law into their own hands, our streets would become jungles — armed jungles.”
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Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:
Review: However, the film also very much wants to be a western of sorts, as evidenced by a variety of iconic settings (open landscapes, bars, town centers); villains versus Laughlin’s good-guy (a “sheriff”); Laughlin’s cowboy hat and laconic nature (until he’s pushed to action); and motorcycles serving in place of horses. (I got specific vibes of Peckinpah’s Ride the High Country [1962] due to James’s pixie haircut a la Mariette Hartley.) But the most direct cinematic reference is the strategic poster of rebellious James Dean, which provides the backdrop for later exploitative confrontation scenes. James is super cute and sexy in her white bikini, glasses, boots, and head scarf — though the female rider in me (when I rode, I wore a full-on armored suit) was screaming at her internally for not wearing more protective gear of all kinds on the open road… There’s not much else to say about this film other than to be fully prepared for vile characters committing gross acts of violence and intimidation, repeatedly. However, with Billy Jack on the horizon, rest assured justice of some kind will be served. Watch for Jane Russell in a cameo role as the mother of an impacted girl; apparently she got upset enough at Laughlin that she channeled this into her scene of anger at authority figures, and it shows. Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments: Must See? Links: |