Motorpsycho (3½ Stars)

"Motorpsycho", made in 1965, is the sixth film in the Russ Meyer Collection, and the third film in his Gothic Quartet. It's filmed somewhere in the deserts of California. We see hardly any houses, just a gas station and a few wooden shacks. The film is about a motorcycle gang riding to Las Vegas, raping and killing as they go. Why? Because it's fun.

Cory Maddox is a veterinarian. When he comes home from work he finds his wife battered and raped. A neighbour describes the bikers, and he recognises them from the previous day. The sheriff has no interest in pursuing them. He looks at Cory's wife and says, "She'll be all right in a week or so. After all, nothing happened to her that a woman ain't built for". Cory drives into the desert to take justice into his own hands. On the way he finds a couple lying in the road. Both have been shot. The man is dead, but the woman, Ruby Bonner, is only lightly injured. Ruby describes the bikers as her assailants, and then she joins Cory on his quest for revenge.

The bikers have the interesting names Brahmin, Dante and Slick. I wonder what Russ was trying to tell us. Brahmin is a Vietnam veteran, with military training that makes him a tough opponent. After spending hours in the hot desert sun he begins to think he's still in Vietnam, which makes him even more dangerous.

I've heard some people say that this is one of the best films ever made. I wouldn't rate it so highly, but it's still a remarkable film.

I'll bring up something here that I should have mentioned in my previous posts. Russ Meyer is often criticised for the derogatory remarks made against women in his films. That's a very shallow criticism made by people who haven't taken the time to study his films in depth. Russ has the opinion that women are superior to men, as we see repeatedly in his later films. If he puts sexist words into the mouths of the men in his films it's intended to show how stupid men are. Here are two other typical quotes from the men in his films.

"The trouble with women is they like to see things the way they like to see them, not the way they really is". (sic)

"Damn fool females! All they do is yammer their damn fool heads off instead of doing for men what they should be doing".