For years this film has been referred to as a cult classic and it should be. The odyssey of two young men making their way across the USA in that time period on Harley’s was so far off the beaten path it’s incredible. Remember the Hippie culture was barely tolerated and anyone not looking like John Q Citizen was cause for suspicion.
The two drug dealing, Harley riding, freedom seekers gave the community at large pause because they were free. Most of us have never had an actual taste of that. What with schedules, school, work and family we usually miss it. Yet in this film we could sample it because these two.
Although not all the music rocks our world and the plot is thin here and there, it does track their mind sets and the time period very well. The clothes, like the bikes, which are both panheads, are true to the time period. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were involved with every aspect of this movie from the acting to directing, the writing and producing. Good on them because in real life they both love to ride and I would like to believe they have had a taste of that very freedom the movie is about.
This is not an outlaw club biker film but they were defiantly outlaws in their time. The end is fitting, wrong both then and now but again they stayed true to the prejudice s of the day. Something like many of those wearing a patch in today’s world might be experiencing.
It’s 2010 and we could use an updated version of Easy Rider. What with the “Yuppie” biker culture, trying to eradicate the outlaw culture that they are trying so hard to emulate. Peter and Dennis if your listening how about “Easy Rider 2010”? It seems today like then most of us have forgotten what freedom is all about!
No doubt this one gets six out of six shots!
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