best movie i've ever seen.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Willem Dafoe earned his first starring role in this somewhat obscure biker film that also marked the filmmaking debut for future A list director Kathryn Bigelow ("Point Break", "The Hurt Locker"). Dafoe plays Vance, one of a bunch of bikers that stop over in a small town on their way to some races in Daytona. Unsurprisingly, they shake up the local populace, despite the fact that as some movie depictions of bikers go, they're kind of on the tame side.While there are some appreciable exploitable elements (namely, nudity), "The Loveless" is indeed much more mood piece than action film. It does capture a certain slice of Americana at a certain time (the 1950s), when outsiders and rebels such as Vance and company were treated with suspicion. It's not completely without humor, but is also not afraid to get pretty grim and tragic. Excellent location shooting and local flavor help to make this feel authentic. Bigelow and her co-writer / co-director Monty Montgomery, who went on to work with David Lynch on a couple of projects ('Twin Peaks', "Wild at Heart", etc.), get able performances out of their mostly no-name, regional cast. Dafoe shows definite screen presence and charisma in this early showcase, while Tina L'Hotsky has plenty of appeal as the young sportster driving girl who catches Vances' eye. One of the co-stars is Robert Gordon, who's pretty good himself; he's been an icon in the rockabilly genre and naturally also composed much of the score.Highlighted by a literate, philosophical script by Bigelow and Montgomery.Seven out of 10.

Now that this beautifully sculpted, wildly atmospheric, true-to-the-era in which it is set movie is on DVD, I've watched and re-watched it many times. This is more of a review of the DVD than of the whole film, and the spoilers are more DVD commentary-related than plot-related, so read on if you wish.This is, by far, one of the finest films paying homage to the motorcycle enthusiasts (or outlaws, as it may be), settings, and characters of the 1950's that I've ever seen, and I own many, so any rockabilly guys or gals out there reading this review - this movie is for you! It's moody, sexy, violent, and slick - great eye-candy with an outstanding cast of characters.The DVD has one of the better commentaries, featuring conversations with the film's co-writer/co-directors Kathryn Bigelow & Monty Montgomery, as well as the film's star, Willem Dafoe. Dafoe credits the movie's directors for starting his career with this movie, a fact which Monty Montgomery humbly shrugs off. They get into the movies they watched that directly influenced how "The Loveless" was shot, trivia notes, like how Robert Gordon, who was paid to score the flick blew all of the budget on on single calypso tune that is featured for a few minutes of the film. It would also seem that Gordon, who is most noted for being a rockabilly musician (and an excellent one at that!) was inadvertently cast while meeting with the film's directors. Gordon created some on-set tension that flickered mainly between himself and Dafoe, as Gordon felt that he was the only one on set who truly understood the whole biker/greaser world.It is interesting to note that the movie was Bigelow's thesis for film school, as well as her directorial debut, and it must've earned her some high marks, as she's gone on to work with people like David Lynch! Montgomery, too, has worked extensively with Lynch, producing "Wild At Heart", working on "Twin Peaks", and acting in "Mulholland Dr." For those who expect this to be a biker exploitation flick (like "The Wild One" and all of its followers thereafter), you're in for a surprise. The directors intended for the audience to feel as if that is what they were in for while the initial scenes unfold, but as the story moves forward, we realize that it isn't so much a biker film but more of a kind of a wild-west movie. Monty Montgomery credits Edgar G. Ulmer's short, noir film "Detour" as being the major influence as far as the style, the framing, and the shots of "The Loveless" go. He also credits Kenneth Anger's movie "Scorpio Rising" as the movie that inspired the whole homo-eroticism of the biker world as presented in this, Montgomery's earliest film.For those interested in some trivia, here ya be - Originally titled "U.S. 17", which used to be a U.S. superhighway up until the 1960's when the I 95 highway replaced it as the major thruway from Georgia to Florida and up to New York, the entire film is shot on location along this now abandoned stretch of blacktop. Monty Montgomery, the movie's co-director, grew up in and around the Georgia area where the film was shot, and at the time of filming, the stretch of road was like a time capsule, with abandoned motels, diners, and gas stations along the way which had not changed since the 40's and the 50's. This made the reality of the movie much easier to capture, and cut down massively on the cost of what would have meant sound stage creations of all of these types of locations. I wonder if any of these places exist now, as the movie was done at the beginning of the 80's? I can only hope...There is no disguising that this film focuses more on atmosphere than on plot, and there is no pretense to suggest that the directors intended anything else. Montgomery even refers to it as "eye-candy", and why not? Sometimes my eyes crave the cavities offered up by such sweet treats as "The Loveless"! There are many a long, lingering shot of beautiful vintage 'cycles being worked on, close ups on tattoos (one of the actors, Larry Matarese, who plays "La Ville", opted for an actual old-school pinup gal tattoo on his forearm before filming began), tension-creating pauses while characters look on sipping coffee in a diner or lean on a 50's Coke machine clad in leather and denim, and all of this works for the piece that this movie was meant to be.It is somewhat of homage to "The Wild One", but only in that it deals with motorcycle enthusiast-rebels in the 50's - all other plot comparisons and similarities fall by the wayside.Though they wished for a score that was more like Sergio Leone's large, sweeping, and melodramatic western film's scores, and they were held back by budgetary constraints, I felt what they did have to work with offered the film the nostalgic atmosphere perfectly. The score as it stands on the DVD (which, unfortunately is not on CD, record, or tape, darn it!) largely done by John Lurie (of "The Lounge Lizards" fame, and also a regular in many Jim Jarmusch films), along with a minimal amount of tracks supplied by Robert Gordon, can be credited for being the cherry on top of this 50's diner served, tasty milkshake of a flick!~T.Paul www.t-paul.com

I think this movie comes closest to what bikers experience while on the road. Boredom, waiting, mechanical problems, prejudice of the locals. I have done many transcontinental motorcycle rides alone, and this one captures it best. You're not going to come across Timothy Leary in the middle of nowhere (Roadside Prophets), or pick up Nicholson and get blown away (Easy Rider). There are long stretches where absolutely nothing happens. There is a scene where Dafoe sits in the bar and it is filmed in real time, security-camera style. Unbearable minutes go by and nothing happens at all, while a gorgeous Brenda Lee song "I Want To Be Wanted" plays in the background.The loneliness of riding alone and coming into town alone is what makes this movie poignant and beautiful in a quiet way.This movie is also a rockabilly heaven. Eddy Dixon's superb opening song Relentless is possibly one of the most difficult songs to find in print. NYC rockabilly singer Robert Gordon also serves up some over-the-top method acting here. DaFoe's narrative voice is already wonderful here, as is Bigelow's filmmaking style. Sometimes I explain this movie to people as one where the tables are turned and men get objectified. It's an interesting dynamic to see what mainstream films have done for so long to women done to men.The plot is about a group of bikers who are en route to Florida to see some auto/bike racing. They are coming from different states and planning to converge at a meeting point. One of the biker's Harleys break down and there is a delay that holds them up in a small Georgia town. Dafoe runs into a daughter of a redneck at a gas station and hooks up there. Everything finally hits the fan at the local bar.Lots of nice shots of vintage bikes. Harley shovelheads and knuckleheads are in effect throughout the movie.

I saw 'The Loveless' years and years ago but I'm still searching the internet for it; it must have been on TV because I didn't see it at the cinema and it isn't available on video. I watched the film because it had bikes in it and was amazed - it has a great sound-track, stunning visuals with glistening chrome and shots of motor oil that you can almost touch (the repair scenes in the garage).The first time you see the film the ending is a surprise - after you've thought about it for a while it becomes obvious that it's the only ending the film could have.I'm stunned that this film seems to have vanished. It is impossible to obtain on tape or DVD and even some of my film going friends that reckon they like Kathryn Bigelow have never heard of it.Bring it out on DVD - NOW!