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Biker feeling up close - legendary cult movies

17 Mar 2020

Source: Photo by Harley-Davidson on Unsplash

Source: Photo by Harley-Davidson on Unsplash

If you still haven't had enough of motorcycles even after a long road trip, we recommend a movie night with biker movies. We proudly present three cult films which really put the pedal to the metal.

Easy Rider

It doesn't take much to convey the feeling of wild independence. A strong song ("Born to be wild") and two bikes are all that is needed for you to be mentally speeding towards the sunset on a Harley on Highway 66. "Easy Rider" is THE motorcycle road movie and the cult film of the sex, drugs and Rock 'n' Roll generation. Released in 1969, the film became a worldwide success despite its low budget of just 325,000 US dollars. It has grossed over 16 million US dollars and won numerous awards.

The story is quickly told: Two friends leave California after a drug deal and make their journey across the American West towards New Orleans. Sounds like a rather modest plot, but it's enough to make you feel the magic of riding a motorcycle. The modern Western turned its director and leading actor Dennis Hopper into an icon - and saved the struggling Harley Davidson company. By the way: Peter Fonda's legendary "Captain America" was a 1962 FL Panhead Harley.

Ghost Rider

Nicolas Cage is not exactly known for his multi-faceted facial expressions. Sharp tongues even claim that he has only three facial expressions. Fortunately, in "Ghost Rider 2" he only had to show his face in half of the movie - the rest of the time it is covered by a flaming skull. The elaborately produced film adaptation of a Marvel Comic came to the cinemas in 2007 and was anything but successful. The reviews were more or less devastating. Nevertheless - or maybe just because of its trashiness - "Ghost Rider" became a cult movie.

The story: The motorcycle acrobat Johnny Blaze makes a pact with the devil. To save his dying father, he sells him his soul and breaks up with his great love Roxanne. Years later, he has turned into a famous stunt driver whose actions become more and more death-defying. But at night he is condemned to become a Ghost Rider - a bounty hunter for Satan who sends evil souls to hell. One day though, fate brings Johnny and Roxanne together again. Now Blaze is looking for a way to defeat Beelzebub and win back his soul.

Rumble Fish

"Rumble Fish" by Francis Ford Coppola is based on a novel by the American author Susan E. Hinton and paved the way to stardom for Mickey Rourke. The 1983 film, shot mainly in black and white, tells the story of two brothers in a typical small American town. Rusty James is the leader of a biker gang, but he stands in the shadow of his brother called "Motorcycle Boy". Obsessed with outdoing his brother, Rusty becomes increasingly self-destructive and gets seriously injured in a brawl, subsequently losing his girlfriend and his position in the gang. What makes the film so special is its feverish atmosphere, which draws the viewer into a spiral of desperation.