Wild Rebels is a 1967 film directed by William Grefe and released by Crown International Pictures.
Steve Alaimo stars as Rod Tillman, a stock car driver who goes undercover as the wheel man for a motorcycle gang. The tag line for the movie was "They live for kicks... love for kicks... kill for kicks".
For the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode see here.
Plot
Rod Tillman (Alaimo) is a stock car driver that is running out of money. He sells his trailer and hangs out at a swinging '60s bar where he meets a group of bikers (Pastrano, Vella and Gillen) that call themselves the "Satan's Angels". They realize Rod can drive the getaway car for their robberies and offer him a place in their gang. Despite making out with the lady in the group, Linda (Byers), Rod opts out. On his way back to the town of Citrusville, he gets recruited by Lieutenant Dorn (Walter Philbin) to go undercover amongst the bikers, who have thus far been able to outsmart the police due to their mobility on motorcycles. After the police fix a race to make it appear that Rod is in desperate need of money, the bikers agree to let him join the gang. He proves himself as a driver during a hold up at a gun shop where the owner is shot. Back at the hideout, Linda reveals that she doesn't commit these crimes for financial gain, but for the thrill of the action. During their next crime, a bank robbery, Rod signals to a passing officer while the gang is inside. A shooting spree ensues and the gang realizes Rod is a mole, forcing him to drive away at gunpoint. Several policemen are killed as they chase the gang to an old lighthouse. Banjo and Fats are killed and Rod tries to make a break by running up the spiral staircase of the lighthouse. Jeeter follows after him and corners him with a shotgun. A shot is heard, and it's revealed that Linda, having a change of heart about her life of crime, has saved the life of the wounded hero. Linda goes off to a life in prison and Rod walks into the sunset with Lieutenant Dorn.
Tropes used in this film:
- Aerith and Bob: The "Satan's Angels" consist of Jeeter, Banjo, Fats and... Linda. Why she doesn't get a stupid nickname is anyone's guess.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: Or Satan's Angels
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: The bikers rob banks, beat people up, kill people and throw popcorn in someone's car.
- Ballistic Discount: Linda does this, putting the shop owner off guard by pretending to be unfamiliar with guns.
- Bond, James Bond: Rod Tillman answers this way (not in a 'cool' way, just a conversational way) when Lt. Dorn first asks the former his name. (As it happens, part of the persuasive tactics to get him into the gang include a promise of doing James Bond stuff, minus the spying.)
- Department of Redundancy Department: The title. As opposed to what, tame rebels?
- Disney Villain Death: Jeeter gets the "shot and then falls" variation.
- Femme Fatale: Linda
- For the Evulz: "Kicks."
- High-Heel–Face Turn: Linda, at the end.
- Invisible Backup Band: When Rod serenades Linda in the forest.
- Jerkass: The entire gang could probably count as this, but Banjo in particular.
- Kick the Dog: When Jeeter & company horribly beat a group of college students who made the mistake of flirting with Linda. It should be noted that Linda was not above reciprocating said flirting, adding an extra layer of Kick in that she likely flirted with the college boys in full knowledge of what her gang would do in retaliation.
- Police Are Useless: Despite the fact that numerous witnesses were present at the bar during the above-mentioned Kick the Dog moment, Lt. Dorn claims that they never have any evidence to warrant arresting the gang.
- Not to mention that more cops end up dead than survive in this film.
- Putting on the Reich: Jeeter and Fats are decked out in swastikas and golden eagles, Banjo wears a Nazi soldier helmet and the gang has a giant Nazi banner in their shack.
- Psycho for Hire: Banjo.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Fats, due to brain damage.
- Really Gets Around: Linda is pretty much the whole group's girlfriend. "So, whose girl is she today? Ah, looks like Banjo's."
- Somebody on this movie may have actually known something about bikers. Linda's a mama, which means she's by defintion the whole gang's girlfriend. In biker terms, there are mamas and ladies. A lady is the girlfriend or wife of just one guy in a gang.
- Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Jeeter
- The Speechless: Fats. Jeeter explains that Fats used to be a surfer until he got hit in the back of the head by his board when he wiped out.
- Stairwell Chase: Rod runs up the stairs of the lighthouse at the climax, mainly because Jeeter is standing in the doorway shooting cops. It does allow him to snag a gun from the by-that-time-dead Fats, not that this does him much good.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: It's heavily implied that the gang was planning to kill Rod after the bank robbery anyway.
