Must See Movie...

Just perfect...

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

"Stone" has everything you expect from a '70s drive-in style cult classic: low budget, anti-social characters, sex, violence, drug use, and of course, motorbikes. It's portrayal of a bikie gang still feels surprisingly realistic, and the obvious limitations of the shoot largely don't work against the movie. These are low life characters, so Oscar-worthy cinematography isn't really needed. The acting is, mostly, adequate - be on the look out for legendary Australian character actors Bill Hunter (RIP) and Garry McDonald. There is, however, one ridiculous scene where a nightclub owner tells the hero about his love of the bikie gang featured using so many dated slang terms it's as though he's getting paid per colloquialism. It sounds so awkward coming out of his mouth that these terms must have been embarrassingly old hat even in 1974.That scene, and one amusingly over-the-top motorcycle decapitation scene aside, and "Stone" is exactly what you expect it to be; in fact, it may even be a little bit better.

After a member (Keays-Byrne) of the well-hard bikie gang known as the Grave Diggers witnesses a political assassination whilst in an LSD induced haze (and consequently fails to recall the event until much later), his companions are systematically murdered. Motorcyle detective Stone (Shorter) is reluctantly accepted to embed with the gang until the culprit is caught. Fearless leader the Undertaker (director, creator, star Harbutt) takes a temporary shine to Stone, allowing him into the gang's inner sanctum where Stone learns their origins and the fabric that binds them in their cause. Meanwhile, sinister interests plot their demise.Technically creative (the title sequence is a highlight), the performances range from amateurish (e.g. Shorter as the title character) to inspired (Keays-Byrne as the macho Toad) and the supporting cast is peppered with future talent that should be familiar to Australian audiences (e.g. Bill Hunter, Rebecca Gilling, Helen Morse, Garry McDonald, Helen O'Connor). There's an awful lot of bare backsides (male & female) exposed here (which was a feature of Australian movies in the seventies), and in one memorable scene, the gang descends into the waves sans clothes for a mass skinny dip (so expect T&A and a few pickle shots).At times ultra-violent (a couple of severe beatings and a decapitation) yet strangely sincere, depicting the bikies as essentially loyal individuals attracted to one another through disadvantage and troubled life experiences. Great location work of Sydney will serve as nostalgia for locals, and not necessarily a picture just for motorcycle enthusiasts. I saw the 90-odd minute edit (as opposed to the full 132 minute version) in which a couple of scenes looked chipped and consequently lacked narrative context, but this didn't diminish the overall enjoyment of what is an important film in the maturity of Australia's motion picture industry and probably inspired "Mad Max" a few years later.

The seventies hold a special place in time for me. 1974 was all about (in no particular order) Motorcycles, beer, LSD, marijuana, underground comics (freak brothers), Hawkwind, my girlfriend Karen and of course Stone (the movie).Outlaw Motorcycle clubs were a lot different in Sydney back then, riding motorcycles (and drinking beer) was our only purpose in life. Back then only an idiot would ride a Harley and the dream bike was the Kawasaki Z1 900 that had only just been released. So imagine a film like Stone blasting it's way onto the screen resplendent with custom painted Kawa 900's! We were mesmerized, personally I remember seeing it 6 times at the local cinema.Watching it today opens the gates to memory lane, those that use the F3 freeway north of Sydney will appreciate the shots of the road in the funeral procession scene; the road was brand new then! And the shots of the lower North Shore and Pittwater are truly a piece of Sydney's history. Note the absence of traffic.Forget the acting, when you're 18, off your nut on drugs and that Z1 starts up with the baffles removed at the beginning of the movie, it's mind blowing!!! Non bikers can turn off here :O) Midnight's black Kawa 900 was my favorite, come to think of it, how many indigenous Aussies had a real part in a movie before this? Not many I'd say...I've now been riding bikes for 35 years now and Stone still holds a special place in my heart. 10 outa 10 for Sandy.Cosmic flash, and there ya go...Mick.

Although it now looks rather dated, you must remember that when this movie was made, Australia was a very conservative place. This film broke a lot of new ground in the early 70's. Firstly, it was all Australian. Written, Produced, Directed and Starring. Not an American in sight. Secondly, it contained shots of male and female nudity. Thirdly, it was extremely gory and violent for it's day. But, the biggest thing it had going for it was it's incredible bike stunts.(Have you ever seen a Kawasaki Z900 do a wheelstand?) There's some fantastic locations in and around Sydney, and the funeral procession is spectacular, but the opening 10 minutes, or so, will have you on the edge of your seat. For those of you who are interested, 4 of the actors starring in "Stone" (Vincent Gil, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward and Reg Evans) would later appear in George Miller's "Mad Max". It must be something about motorbikes!