The Wild One (1953)
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80% of critics liked it
(20 reviews) -
72% of users liked it
(9,018 ratings)
"What are you rebelling against?" asks someone. "What've you got?" responds surly, leather-jacketed motorcycle punk Marlon Brando. It comes as a disappointment to discover that The Wild One, the quintessential Brando "rebel" film, is at base a traditional… More "What are you rebelling against?" asks someone. "What've you got?" responds surly, leather-jacketed motorcycle punk Marlon Brando. It comes as a disappointment to discover that The Wild One, the quintessential Brando "rebel" film, is at base a traditional "misunderstood youth vs. the nasty system" effort, with a particularly banal finale. Based on a true incident, the film begins with Brando and his motorcyle gang invading a small town after having been kicked out of a cycle competition (but not before stealing the second-prize trophy). Brando's bikers raise hell all day, but some of the townsfolk are shown to be little better than the invaders. Sheriff Robert Keith, whose daughter (Murphy) has gone fond of Brando, finally responds to the bikers' destructiveness by jailing Lee Marvin, leader of a rival gang. When Marvin's buddies goes on a rampage, Brando exhibits his essential decency by safely escorting the sheriff's daughter out of the melee. The townsfolk misunderstand, assuming that Brando intends to rape the girl. He is attacked by a vigilante mob led by town hothead Ray Teal, who uses this excuse to exercise his own sadistic tendencies. Keith breaks up the mob and suggests that Brando leave; he tries to do so, but another angry response from the mob causes him to inadvertently strike and kill a pedestrian. At the subsequent hearing, the girl rushes to Brando's defense. Though grateful for the unexpected kindness, Brando is constitutionally unable to say "thank you" and rides out of town alone. The image of Marlon Brando astride his Triumph has entered movie folklore, just like King Kong on the Empire State Building or the billow-skirted Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway grating; it's too bad that The Wild One isn't a more worthy vehicle for Brando's talents. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Laslo Benedek
- Written By
- John Paxton, Frank Rooney
- Genres
- Drama, Action & Adventure, Classics, Cult Movies
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1954 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Legions of Brando impersonators have turned his performance in this seminal 1954 motorcycle movie into self-parody, but it's still a sleazy good time.
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Tom Milne, Time Out
Brando's biker seems disarmingly tame by comparison with the wild angels he spawned. Yet the film isn't half bad.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The first and best biker movie.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
The film is outdated and its message overly stated, but in 1953, Brando's rebel unwittingly became a new screen hero and heralded the arrival of the Beat Generation.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Risible and outdated.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Marlon Brando
as Johnny
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Mary Murphy
as Kathie
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Robert Keith
as Harry Bleeker
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Lee Marvin
as Chino
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Jay C. Flippen
as Sheriff Singer
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Hugh Sanders
as Charlie Thomas
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Peggy Maley
as Mildred
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Ray Teal
as Frank Bleeker
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John Brown
as Bill Hannegan
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Will Wright
as Art Kleiner
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Robert Osterloh
as Ben
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Robert Bice
as Wilson
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William Vedder
as Simmy
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Yvonne Doughty
as Britches
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Darren Dublin
as Dinky
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John Tarangelo
as Red
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Jerry Paris
as Dextro
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Alvy Moore
as Pidgeon
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Harry Landers
as GoGo
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Don Anderson
as Stinger
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Angela Stevens
as Betty
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Bruno Ve Sota
as Simmonck
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Pat O'Malley
as Sawyer
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Wally Albright
as Cyclist
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Timothy Carey
as Chino Boy
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Ted Cooper
as Racer
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Eve March
as Dorothy
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Mary Newton
as Mrs. Thomas
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Gil Stratton
as Mouse
