Rebels for no reason Probably, there were no more popular characters in the second half of the 60s of the XX century in independent American cinema than bikers. Running through the endless roads of America on their motorcycles, they symbolized a rebellious spirit and a desire for change, which was highly consonant with the public mood of the era. Therefore, it is not surprising that along with such milestone films as Roger Corman’s Wild Angels and Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider, there have been many films of much more modest artistic merit, exploiting the biker theme. Even the titles of these secondary and imitative paintings were surprisingly similar. These words fully apply to the criminal drama Bill Gref “Wild Rebels”.
This film tells the story of racing driver Rod Tillman, who crashes his car on the track and decides to leave the sport. In the bar, he is recognized by the leader of a gang of Nazi bikers, nicknamed Banjo, who offers Rod to participate in the robbery of a bank as a driver who will take the bandits from the crime scene. Knowing Rod's professional skills well, the bikers hope he will help them escape a police chase. Initially, Rod refuses to participate in the crime, but later on the advice of a police officer he agrees to Banjo's offer, while becoming a secret informant to the police. Rod has another reason to return to the gang - he really likes the girl Linda, who is involved in criminal cases not so much for money, but because of the love of thrills.
Even against the backdrop of many low-budget films of the time, Wild Rebels seems a poorly made and incredibly drawn-out film. The first half offers the viewer to admire a series of scenes almost unrelated to the main plot like dancing to popular music or kissing against the background of a giant swastika. In the second half after the bank robbery scene, the tempo of the tape becomes a little more energetic. The film has mandatory for the genre of criminal drama chases and shootouts, but in general, the artistic level of the film is at a very low level. This is not surprising when you consider that the main actors were not even professional actors. Steve Alaimo (Rod Tillman) rose to fame as a singer, and Willie Pastrano (Banjo) initially became known as a boxer. In "Wild Rebels" they showed extremely poor mastery of the basics of the craft, and it is not surprising that the acting careers of both performers were very short. The film can hardly be recommended to fans of good cinema.
2 out of 10