Bad, Bad, Gang!/Review

Now for a grimy biker flick ripped straight off the cutting room floor! Hardcore porn, by early 1970s standards, was done fast and cheap. Small crews, limited equipment, and the constant threat of getting busted drove even the most creative directors to cut corners whenever possible. Now, indoor scenes or sex by the pool has its merit. Although, you only needed a wealthy swinger with a sincere desire to get involved in the porn business to secure these types of settings. Backyard sex is more risky and perhaps a bit more titillating as a result. But when you get outdoors, it becomes a whole different ball game!

Bad, Bad, Gang! (1972) is a biker flick indeed. Normal themes of innocent campers being harassed by a rowdy group of bikers help move the story along. Two couples, Jane, Able, Kane, and Eve, are headed to the woods for a weekend of fishing and relaxing. After they're spotted by the Vipers, the couples are followed into the woods. En route to terrorize their victims the riders pick up two hitchhikers, Satin and Blackie. After a short sexual interlude between Jane and Eve (Name one instance where you've seen cunnilingus performed accompanied by an instrumental Amazing Grace in the background? You can't! You literally can not!!), the women decide to go swimming. It doesn't take long before the leader of the gang storms the creek side and literally steals Eve to take her back to their cave (no shit--a cave equipped with a water bed, or at least the mattress).

Once inside, the raping begins! Able, Kane, and Jane soon go hunting for Eve and are also taken over by the gang. While both women are ravaged by an assortment of rough, outlaw bikers, the two hitchhikers (Blackie and Satin) decide to take their male hostages back to their camp for some raping of their own! The story proceeds as you might think with a montage of various partners in carnal delight. The leader of the Vipers returns to the camp to call the hitchhikers back to the cave, but their alliance has changed. After a short tangle the leader in killed? Knocked unconscious? And the film ends in a jumbled, disjointed wrap up. (This is most likely due to loss of original footage. Both Alpha Blue Archives and Something Weird Video have distributed this film in compilation with similar films. The quality is low, but even on its last leg the film is viewable.)

Back to the setting...

The average viewer would consider this film as simply a bad, bad movie! But when taken into context on GCDb, it becomes a crown jewel. The scummier the better; combining bikers and hardcore sex--excellent! The important thing to keep in mind is that early seventies porn was highly incestuous (no pun intended). Prior to the video revolution, hardcore porn was shot within the confines of all film--the same rules applied. In addition, a relatively small troupe of actors and actresses delivered hundreds (if not thousands) of films during a very short period. The bright spot for Bad, Bad, Gang! is in its actresses. The mega-porn star, Rene Bond had only started her long career two years prior to this film in The Girl in the Basket (1970). By the time Bad, Bad, Gang! was filmed, Bond had performed in nearly 40 films! This era was garnered by lightning speed production; constant legal risk; and a healthy payday at the box office for the right combination.

What makes Bad, Bad, Gang! enjoyable is the back story. Understanding the risk involved in filming this movie (most of the scenes take place outdoors), makes it that much more solid. Seeing a young Rene Bond is exciting. In addition, Suzanne Fields who plays "Satin-Biker Chick #1" would also go on to star in several more films including a lead role in Flesh Gordon (1974). On the surface this film is low budget; badly executed; and marginally entertaining. However, for the individual who truly claims to be a fan of grindhouse--this film is highly representative of the term.

Reviewed by Texploited