The Wild Angels poster & wallpaper

Bruce Dern, Buck Taylor, Coby Denton

Embittered by his experience working with 20th Century Fox on The St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967), and weary of the Poe films for American International Pictures, Roger Corman was in dire n...( read more  read more... )eed of inspiration for his next production. He found it in Life magazine, which featured a photo of the funeral of Mother Miles, head of the Sacramento, California, Hell's Angels. From this picture came both The Wild Angels and the biker-movie genre itself. Peter Fonda, who replaced George Chakiris, stars as brooding Angels chieftain Heavenly Blues. When his pal Loser (Bruce Dern) is shot by police, Blues attempts to bury him in a small town, but the locals resist, and a brawl ensues. Audiences and critics were alternately appalled and thrilled by the extensive drug use and violence, but beneath Angels' leathery hide beats the heart of a Western, especially in its ruminations on personal freedom. Charles Griffith's script (cowritten by Peter Bogdanovich, who also cameos in the film) helped make Angels the sole U.S. entry for the 1966 Venice Film Festival, which irked the State Department enough to try and revoke the honor. Corman's direction, freed from AIP's period pieces, is lean and exuberantly active, aided by Monte Hellman's editing. The film helped give Fonda the counterculture clout to later make Easy Rider, and boosted the careers of Dern and then-wife Diane Ladd; Nancy Sinatra, however, renounced the picture, fearful of its effect on her image. Mike Curb's score features Davie Allan and the Arrows' fuzz-tone-soaked hit "Blues' Theme." --Paul Gaita

Flixster Users

46% liked it

1,544 ratings

R, 87 min.

Directed by: Roger Corman

Release Date: July 20, 1966

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 20, 2001

Stats: 79 reviews

Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites
report incorrect info

Photos

The Wild Angels Peter Fonda Poster The Wild Angels Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra Poster The Wild Angels The Wild Angels The Wild Angels
Upload a Photo |

View All The Wild Angels Photos (9)

Your Rating


clear rating
Share on: Facebook Twitter

Flixster Reviews (79)

  • rubystevens
    April 8, 2009
    rubystevens
    peter fonda plays a hell's angels chapter president with nancy sinatra as his girlfriend. as awesome as that sounds it's not quite as ridiculous as i was expecting. more fun than good in typical corman fashion. nice scenery, lame script, bad acting. and way cool to see young...( read more) bruce dern and diane ladd
  • paulanthonynelson
    January 16, 2009
    paulanthonynelson
    Boasts an appealing rawness and is surprisingly sympathetic (only occasionally damning) toward its Hell's Angels subjects. It has its moments, makes an interesting case for those of us who just want to cut free of society's chains, and Corman keeps proceedings short and snappy......( read more) but there's not a lot going on here, it's not nearly as visceral as one may hope or expect (it was the MID-1960s, after all) and I don't buy Peter Fonda as the leader of a Hell's Angels chapter for one blinking second.
  • mikezillatron
    June 14, 2008
    mikezillatron
    these biker's are about as fearsome as Michael Jackson is as a gang memeber in "Bad".
  • cmrnlewis
    June 13, 2008
    cmrnlewis
    Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, Nancy Sinatra and an ugly bunch of bikers. That's what makes for a good cult flick.

    Great line: "We want to be free to ride our machines without being hassled by the man!"
  • notofthisworld
    April 22, 2008
    notofthisworld
    Peter Fonda asa a leader is unbelieveable. Not much of a storyline, just a bunch of partying.
  • hugonar
    November 2, 2007
    hugonar
    Classified as a classic = Interested.
  • bcmacsac1
    September 2, 2007
    bcmacsac1
    GOOD BIKER B MOVIE FILMED NOT FAR FROM WHERE I LIVE AND HANG OUT. BRINGS BACK LOTS OF MEMORIES

View All The Wild Angels Reviews

Critic Reviews

No recent reviews.

Comments

This board looks lonely. Be the first to talk about "The Wild Angels" !

Post A Comment | View All Comments

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

All Rotten Tomatoes content is used under license from Rotten Tomatoes. Rotten Tomatoes, Certified Fresh, and the Tomatometer are the trademarks of Incfusion Corporation, d/b/a Rotten Tomatoes, a subsidiary of IGN Entertainment, Inc.

Official Trailer

View Larger The Wild Angels Trailer

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Easy Rider
    Easy Rider (83%)

More Movies like The Wild Angels

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

The Wild Angels : Watch Free on TV

The Wild Angels Trivia

  • Which actor has been in all of these movies? Back to the Future, The Doors,Wild at heart, What's Eating Gilbert Grape?, Nurse Betty,Like Mike, Charlie's Angels, and Epic Movie?   Answer »
  • Which of the following movies directed by Roger Corman is NOT an adaptation of a story written by Edgar Allan Poe?  Answer »
  • Name the actor or actress that has been in all of these movies: Meatballs Tootsie Little Shop of Horrors Kingpin Wild Things Hamlet Charlie's Angels Osmosis Jones Coffee and Cigarettes  Answer »
  • Name the actor who appeared in all of the following movies: Charlie,s Angels Kingpin Wild Things  Answer »
More The Wild Angels Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for The Wild Angels. Want to create one?

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add The Wild Angels to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?