Run Angel Run/Review
From The Grindhouse Cinema Database
< Run Angel Run
After selling his personal story to Like Magazine for $10,000, a biker named Angel ("King of Biker Movies" William Smith) skips town with his current floozy Laurie (Valerie Starrett). The two drive up the California coast towards San Francisco (Open Road Montage), but are quickly followed by Angel's old gang who are out to get revenge on him for exposing the bike club to the public.
Angel and Laurie have their second argument (I love the way these two go at it) so Angel drops her off at a train station and splits (he does this about 4 times in the movie). Pretty soon the biker gang track them down and Laurie is attacked in the trainyard. Director Jack Starrett utilizes split screen editing here and it really creates an exciting effect. Angel finally comes back and saves Laurie from harm (YAY!). Laurie hops on the train while Angel goes into Evel Knievel mode and pulls a cool stunt in which he jumps onto the traincar with his bike. Bravo! The two get away safe and sound...that is until they run into some boxcar hobos who start messing with them. An altercation occurs and Angel throws two of the bums off of the train. He gives the black hobo his colors (biker jacket) and splits again with Laurie.
On the road the two are able find an old abandoned barn in the country, where they decide to roll in some hay and smoke weed. Like far out maaaan. They argue some more, make love and find a vacant house where they begin setting up their own little place. Meanwhile, the bikers are still looking for them and while hanging out at a bar, they get into a fight with some squares (Biker Bar Fight).
Back at Casa Del Biker, Angel runs into a local farmer named Dan Felton (Dan Kemp) who he strikes up a friendship with. Angel shows Dan how to ride a chopper (Country Road Montage) and Dan offers Angel a job on his farm...sheep dipping. Nice! Angel accepts the offer and goes to work shoveling sheep shit. Angel gets to know Dan and his family, including his daughter Meg (Black Mama White Mama's Margaret Markov) a pretty little thing. Meg tells Angel about a local hangout spot and asks him to stop by, but Angel declines.
Meg goes with her friends and they run into none other than Angel's ex- biker gang. When the bikers inquire about Angel and find out that Meg knows his whereabouts, they bring her to a secluded spot and then rape her. The gang then head to Angel's house and beat up Laurie. When Angel arrives home from work, he finds Laurie in bad shape. Angel sobs quietly and suddenly the bikers call him outside. He blows up at the gang and this actually comes off pretty goofy with William Smith's reading of the dialogue. Angel goes batso and takes on all the dirty bikers in one last face off!
If you're a fan of William Smith, this is one of his best roles in a biker movie. It's also his very first biker film. You can tell he was heavily influenced by Marlon Brando in The Wild One the way he runs the gamut of emotions from the angry, macho outlaw to tender, dreamy lovestruck dope. He's really great in this. Run Angel Run is interesting because it's a love story and biker film mixed together, and although I generally like the standard wild and crazy, crime themed violent biker films, I enjoyed this one a lot and recommend it to both biker and William Smith fans.
Peter Roberts is the co-founder/editor-in-chief of the Grindhouse Cinema Database (GCDb) and contributor to the GCDb's sister site Furious Cinema. A Massachusetts native, he is an avid film fan that has been immersed in the world of entertainment and pop culture his entire life. He is a professional digital media designer and educator.
