Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Except for the fact that Marlon Brando (as Johnny Strabler) wore a black leather jacket and led a motorcycle gang, known as the Black Rebels that took over a small modern-day California town, there's not much to this piece. On the other hand, it does show clearly that there was and is too much hate and defiance toward the law-enforcers, and thus the establishment. Yet in this 1953 Stanley Kramer production from Columbia Pictures, there was little action to speak of: Lee Marvin, who played Chino, the leader of the motorcycle gang the Beetles in this movie, had an altercation with Brando, toward the end one night there was a shop window crashed and Brando was blamed and beaten mercilessly for it, but other than that there was, again, little action to speak of. The motorcycle gang rode into the town and rode around in circles in the small street. Mary Murphy was a good actress in this as a young lady who was concerned about the man who cared about nothing or no one. The calm and expressionless Robert Keith played the town sheriff who, in the movie, was also Mary's father; she referred to him as the town joke and she herself admitted that she was stuck with him. J.C. Flippen played the part of Sheriff Stew Singer, a firm and hard sheriff, a part which he performed well. It was really not among any par excellence movies for Brando, anymore than it was for,again, Kramer, though the story did have a good, sound message to it.

Marlon Brando's "The Wild One" from 1953 (black & white) could arguably be called the first biker flick, even though parts of the story/dialogue come off artificial, amusing and tame, especially compared to the first REAL biker flick, Peter Fonda's "The Wild Angels" from 1966.THE STORY: Two bike gangs clash in Hollister, California, Marlon Brando's Black Rebels and Lee Marvin's The Beatles. (I'm not sure if Hollister is the name of the town in the film, but that's where it was actually shot; Hollister is about 70 miles SE of San Francisco).WHAT WORKS: Needless to say, Marlon Brando is superb as the taciturn Black Rebels' leader. At the opposite end of the dispositional spectrum Lee Marvin is just as exquisite as the merry, fun-brawling leader of The Beetles. Mary Murphy is also very good as the cafe worker that shares a few romantic sparks with Brando.Brando was 30 years old at the time of this picture's release, so it's not very appropriate that he's constantly referred to as "boy" in the film. Regardless, Marlon as the titular 'wild one' is definitely the prototype of Fonzy-like "cool," a full 2 years before James Dean's "Rebel Without a Cause" would materialize. His "Whaddaya got?" response to the question "What are you rebelling against?" is priceless, to say the least.WHAT DOESN'T WORK: Although the plot is good (loosely based on a real event), the story's dramatic stagings and shifts, not to mention the trying-to-be-hip non-genuine lingo, provoke an amused "Yeah, right" response. Such phoniness will naturally hinder modern viewers from becoming enraptured by the story ("modern viewer" includes anyone who grew up on post-50s cinema -- i.e. mid-60s to the present).Still, a couple of story elements work well, like the ending ***minor SPOILER alert*** when a police officer encourages Brando to thank Mary and her father; Marlon appears to try but ultimately maintains his silent 'cool' demeanor. Mary then responds, "It's okay, he doesn't know how." Although she's right, Brando comes back a day or so later to indeed express his thanks, albeit in a non-verbal manner.BOTTOM LINE: If you're looking for a classic biker flick, don't expect "The Wild One" to remotely resemble the infamous late 60's/early 70's biker films, such as "The Wild Angels" or "Hell's Angels on Wheels." Keep in mind that cinematic "gritty realism" didn't come into vogue until the 60s. Hence, it should come as no surprise that "The Wild One" largely comes off as lame, tame, artificial and amusing, you know what I'm saying, Daddy-O? Still, Marlon Brando towers over the material and there are a few worthwhile qualities, as noted above. Needless to say, a must for Brando fans and those interested in classic cinema or amusing old-fashioned dialogue.GRADE: C

Otherwise a forgettable movie, totally transformed by Marlon Brando.Johnny (Marlon Brando) rides with his gang into a quiet little town inhabited by all right, but rather quaint, and parochial minded folks. On top of his gang, another group of bikers headed by Lee Marvin arrives in town just as a coincidence. All of them are not about behave as good citizens, and the two mixes up into an explosive chemistry. Johnny is kind of keeping good manners, but since he's the boss, he gets singled out to face the blunt end of the supposedly good fellas of town.This seemingly simple story gets high voltage boost by the presence of Marlon Brando. I was born after he was famous already, so I didn't rediscover Marlon Brando until recently. He was good in the God Father, but his performance from the '50s is simply off the chart. Brando was labeled a rebel, but when I see him, he's one of the most grounded person in Hollywood. His sensibility comes through in this movie's character, and you can't help but agreeing with the character Brando plays. Maybe that's the magic he had. A movie worth watching only because Marlon Brando is playing the lead. If he wasn't in it I doubt if the movie even worth 4/10. But this movie is superb, and deserves 8/10 because of Brando's performance.

A peaceable town is taken over by motorcycle rowdies.Despite the sometimes frat boy antics of gang members, the movie came across to audiences of the time as something of a 50's nightmare. For example, there's a small town taken over by motorcycle outlaws, a virginal girl (Murphy) surrounded by rowdies, a cop too meek to intervene, and a general breakdown of peace, quiet and conformity. In short, it's a challenge to the every day norms the famously inarticulate Johnny (Brando) is rebelling against. It's that sort of restlessness that takes the gang to the highway, and the excitement they seek. But it's also a nation recovering from the rigors of a big Depression and the disruptions of WWII. So the two are bound to clash. The movie may seem tame by today's graphic standards, but for the 1950's it was a barbarian assault against the decade's defining conventions. No wonder, the film was condemned in so many places.Truth be told, Brando doesn't act so much as he poses. Nonetheless, it's an iconic pose in cap and sunglasses that shot him to the forefront of the decade's celebrated rebels. For example, catch how delicately he positions the sunglasses or how he slouches silently by while others cavort. Still, the movie really comes alive when Lee Marvin (Chino) and his gang hit town. He's the loudmouth opposite of Johnny, looking to knock him off his regal pose, which he tries in a well-staged fistfight. Then there's Mary Murphy's good girl, a perfect casting choice. When she flees down a darkened street just ahead of the motorcycle rowdies, I could feel frozen shudders all over the theater of that day. It was like small town America about to be ravaged. Of course, the tables are turned when some of the town's bolder elements form into vigilantes and chase Johnny down the same street. I guess violence, as they say, really is a two-way street.Anyway, the movie's still a milestone worth catching up with. My only gripe is with the cheapness of the production. The town and the sets are bare bones, especially in the movie's latter half. Maybe that was intentional in order to highlight the story. But if so, it came at the expense of a realistic undercurrent, especially the atrocious exterior set for Johnny and Kathie's little get-away, appearing more like a stage play than a film. All in all, it's a signature movie for the young Brando, cementing his rebel image for a generation.