Jack Nicholson is poised and relaxed here, but he doesn't get to show much wit as a good boy who decides to run with the Angels' dastardly misadventures for a spell. In so doing, he hooks up with the leader's gf, the better for them to offer their detached commentary on the varied depravity. This 'redeeming social value' move is extraneous and entirely unconvincing, even if the filmmakers believe every word; it's pure gamesmanship, something for the eggheads to chew on. The actual content of the film resides in the episodic procession of set pieces, each chosen for maximum visual interest - an amusement park brawl, a body-painting party, a biker wedding, a duel to the death amid some scenic ruins. Cinematographer "Leslie" Kovacs makes the most of these, but in the end it's pretty thin gruel. The big musical interlude in the middle sums things up: "Moving but going nowhere". Going nowhere fast, too, as in the absurdly abrupt ending; not that there was anything that really needed doing beyond that.
Review of Hells Angels on Wheels
