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Hell Ride is written and directed by Larry Bishop and is set to be released under the Quentin Tarantino Presents banner come 2008.
{sidebar id=1}Youve got Dennis Hopper, Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones and Larry Bishop himself cast to star. IESB loyalist Snake is back on the scene to give us the lowdown on the script.
Snake here . . .
Just got finished reading Larry Bishops new joint called Hell Ride which is a Tarantino presents type deal. Here goes . . .
To put it as plain as the ass that you sit on, this script is a trip. An absolute fucking trip.
Larry Bishop is a crazy man. A real balls-to-the-wall type crazy man! And honestly hes peaked my interest when it comes wanting to see where all this is all going, because as its inked here, this thing is just plain way-the-fuck-out-there!
Which of course, is always a good thing!
Granted, Im not really familiar with the biker exploitation genre of the late 60s and 70s (which Im pretty sure this script is cribbing from, Easy Rider is as deep as it goes for me, which isnt saying much at all, seeing as how it isnt technically exploitation) but I did do a little rummaging (www.trashpalace.com is a good place to start) to get a taste of what this genre is all about. Havent seen any of them yet, but I plan on checking out a few choice titles asap.
Right on par with my ignorance of the genre, is my ignorance of pre-Kill Bill Mr. Bishop. Both as an Actor and as Director/Screenwriter. When it comes to most aspects of this screenplay, sans the Tarantino connection, Im a blank slate. A total tabula rasa, which is what I dig about Tarantinos tastes! Because when it comes to movies . . . I enjoy doing homework! A movie that gives you an excuse to watch even more movies! Where do I get hitched! Gives me a chance to find new and seemingly forgotten back alleys and dead ends to explore within cinemas nether regions. And that is what Tarantino is all about, as we all know.
The flip side of all this however, is that it gives me only a slightly more informed opinion than most, but that will be the mind set of most going into this flick . . . so let it be. Of course, this goes against my no research rule when it comes to reading all this leaked stuff. You may have heard me going on and on with some high fallutin talk Ive spouted off about; like judge the script on its own merits . . . blah . . . blah . . .blah!
But this is Tarantino were talking about here! Everything hes made or is making, or is presenting is often blatantly built upon other cinematic sources, so as it is with all Tarantino joints, some crate digging, at least for curiosities sake, is necessary. Or else you may end up like some of those poor pedestrians who accidentally stumbled into the aisle for either Kill Bill volumes. Well that . . . and rules were made to be broken. At least this once. So, yknow . . . sue me.
Getting back to the subject . . . its obvious that Tarantinio is not only friends with Mr. Bishop, but also a great respecter of his work. And although, for me, he is definitely one of those faces you see pop up from time to time and go What else have I seen that guy in . . .? I am largely unfamiliar with him (just a smidgen before my time) outside of the quick IMDB retrospective. That being said, for the limited amount of screen time he gets in Volume 2, he definitely makes his presence felt. That ass-on-the-elbow line is a memorable one either way you slice it. My Pop has a interestingly similar analogy to myself, likening my usefulness on this earth to a pair of women's breasts being attached to a skateboard. Oh, Pop . . . what a kidder!
So, you might be asking yourself what of this madness which I speak? Well, Ill give it to you as straight as I can. Because with a script that is this off the wall, its about all I can promise.
Basically, what we got our selves here (besides a failure to communicate) are few really bad hombres. To use a Tarantino-ism (and what better place) theyre a bunch of really mean motor scooters. THE VICTORs, as theyre called, are a band of drinkin, bikin, mother-fuckin' SOBs who cruise the back roads of America in search of anything they can take, drink or fuck.
Lead by the charismatic, nihilistic, and pretty damn twisted PISTOLLERO (aka JOHNNY PISTOLLE), with COMANCHE and THE GENT pulling up the rear (his two number twos) a series of double crosses ensue that all lead back to one of Pistoleros many loves lost. Her name was CHEROKEE KISUM and she had a son named SONNY KISUM. She also had three keys to a box that held a fortune and was murdered as a result.
Years later when a Victor expatriate by the name of ST. LOUIE is murdered, the ghost of Cherokee's memory (as well as her Narration) begins to stir up long dormant secrets concerning a long running grudge between the Victors and the 666s (a rival biker gang), led by BILLY WINGS.
With the help of an old pal long since though left a road smear by the name of EDDIE SCRATCH ZERO, Pistolero fixes to arrange a meeting between himself, Billy Wings and THE DEUCE, a one time biker gone business man who like Billy was behind the death of Cherokee.
But it isnt so easy for Pistollero.
Especially when he has to win back his two number twos (countm) after they tuck tail and try their hand at playing the forces enacted against one another like pawns in some crazy chess game, the way their erstwhile mentor (Pistollero) often does with his own competitors.
Double crossed by both, he eventually reunites with the two, going to war with Billy Wings gang, ending what started on that Bicentennial day in 76. The day Cherokee died. Turns out also that the son of Cherokee Kissum rides along side Pistolero, unbeknownst to most and is none other than Comanche himself. Its an all out revenge fueled, octane powered, road rash apocalypse in the making! You dig?
If all of this sounds convoluted as all hell, its because it is. And I mean hot damn it is! Say not that I didnt do my best to simplify it for you. But be warned that in doing so Im not doing the whole strange affair justice. Simply put, this script has so many twists, turns, double crosses and characters, that I found when scanning the ink, it took several scans just to get my facts straight. Add to that additional fact, that the story is sometimes told out of order, with the help of Cherokees narration, or in flash back, and it makes it an even more dicey proposition.
To top it all off the dialogue is trippy, and forced and lyrical. These are three strange combinations that shouldnt sit well together, but rather are entertaining as hell (a motif that is routinely called upon in the script no less) and very much like our own moonfaced presenters repertoire of linguistic dialog gymnastics. Also, the tone is about as un-PC as anything Ive read in a long, long time. Bound to chap some hides for sure.
But fuck-all if this isnt some bad-ass shit when it all comes down to it! This is more what I wanted in the Death Race script! Pure, unadulterated bad-assed-ness! No apologies accepted.
But heres trick. This stuff is definitely an acquired taste to some degree, Ive learned. The rubric to see if this is your cup of coors, than? A little while back there was a movie that came out called Running Scared starring Paul Im not a blonde Keanu Reeves Walker. Did you like that flick? Yay or nay? Well, bottom line is . . . if you like movies like that (and I do!) youll dig this. If you dont . . . you wont. Period.
As it reads, this is a movie that is unabashedly cinematic, making use of every trick in the book to give the viewer the most visceral experience possible. Its what Tarantino seems to like himself, and what he seems to aim for in his own entertainment. Cinema for Cinemas sake, pushed to the umpteenth degree, with a visceral dose of machismo and bravado taboot.
Will it work though?
Its dicey. Its an ambitious project in many respects, but than again Mr. Bishop has been in the industry a long time, so Im sure hes picked up a few things or two along the way. That big question I reserved an entire parapgrah indentation for above, is just about anybodys guess. Mr. Bishop has already directed one film that Ive expedited to the top of my Net-Flix cue, just to satisfy the curiosity in me. I just gotta see what this guys capable of. A script that hits this hard practically begs the question! And just by reading it, this is a script that was meant to be directed . . . not just to be perused by eyes on paper.
Well see. Either way, its nice to see that somebody in La-La Land is taking risks, keeping the spirit alive, and doing something other than remakes. Heres to Biker cinema! I got some catching up to do . . .
Once again . . . call me Snake.
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