Hell Ride

Review

Common Sense Media says

Bikers, babes, blood, booze ... and blah.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this movie -- which was executive-produced by grindhouse aficionado Quentin Tarantino -- has all of the violence, language, and extreme behavior of one of his films, but none of the wit, well-drawn characters, or cinematic brilliance. Tarantino's involvement may pique teens' interest, but the constant and extreme level of sexual content (including full-frontal nudity), language, drinking, drug use, and other adult situations isn't age-appropriate for them (or for just about anyone, really).

  • Positive messages0
    The main characters -- a motorcycle gang -- go on a bloody revenge spree to avenge a decades-old wrong. Their lifestyle is portrayed as an endless series of violent acts, sexual encounters, and criminal activity. Two characters discuss how high-end motorcycling is moving toward respectability and becoming a legitimate, lucrative business and recreational activity. Female characters are stereotypical and objectified.
  • Violence5
    Shootings, beatings, throat-slitting, garroting, and more; guns, crossbows, knives, and fire are used to kill. Many characters are subjected to having their throats cut and then being set on fire. Graphic special-effects close-ups of cut throats, severed heads, bullet wounds, blood spatter, etc. are shown. A character is chloroformed. Torture to obtain information. Scalping. Discussion of whether to cuts the heads or pinkies off dead victims as trophies.
  • Sex5
    Gratuitous and frequent topless and full-frontal nudity; multiple sex scenes; extensive discussion of sex, oral sex, necrophilia, and more; some groping and ogling; kissing; scenes set in strip clubs. Pornography is glimpsed. Same-sex kissing; implied sex with multiple participants. Topless wrestling.
  • Language5
    Constant strong language, including "f--k," "motherf---er," "p---y," "s--t," "a--holes," and more.
  • Consumerism0
    Indian motorcycles are mentioned; no other brands mentioned or visible on screen.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking5
    Constant smoking, drinking, and drug use. Beer and hard liquor are drunk to excess; cigarettes and cigars are smoked; marijuana is frequently smoked; one character goes on a peyote-fueled vision quest in the desert; mention is made of the '60s biker trade in LSD and cocaine; a methamphetamine lab is glimpsed. "Pill-popping" is mentioned.
CloseExpand to see more details

What's the story?

Pistolero (writer-director Larry Bishop) leads the Victors, a hard-riding, hard-living biker gang; The Gent (Michael Madsen) and Comanche (Eric Balfour) as his right-hand men. Pistolero is obsessed with a crime that took place 32 years ago, in the summer of '76 -- the Fourth of July murder of Cherokee Kisum (Julia Jones) -- and he's finally in a place where he can avenge her death against the men responsible: Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones) and The Deuce (David Carradine). But first Pistolero has to convince his two most trusted lieutenants that his plan is worth disrupting The Victors' status quo.

Is it any good?

 

Backed by Quentin Tarantino, HELL RIDE is inspired by the motorcycle gang exploitation films of the '60s and '70s, and writer-director-star Bishop has a track record in the genre. He gets all the trappings right: There are plenty of shots of our heroes on the open road, as well as plenty of butts, breasts, and babes in between the murders and other felonies. But Hell Ride lacks an actual storyline; the thin plot can't support Bishop's fondness for over-the-top violence and sex. Other scenes -- like Pistolero's peyote-aided vision quest -- have more to do with referencing similar sequences in cheapie biker flicks of the past than they do with telling a coherent, connected story that moves forward and keeps viewers' interest.

Hell Ride is also amazingly sexist; female characters are either potty-mouthed sex kittens or speechless, topless set dressing. The film's big revelation of Pistolero's motivation to avenge Cherokee's death is as cliched as it is obvious, and it's not enough of a revelation to make us want to root for the cold-blooded murderers that Bishop has set up as his anti-heroes. Hell Ride is greasy and grimy, grim and gritty, and full of Bishop's evident love for biker-gang movies from the past. Unfortunately, it's just not very good.

Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about the movie's intentionally over-the-top material. At what point do viewers become desensitized to this type of content? Is the excess meant to be funny? Do you think films like this one only appeal to a certain audience? Who is that audience, and why are they drawn to material like this? Families can also discuss the cultural context of motorcycle-gang movies. What need or fantasy do these stories of the open road and bad behavior satisfy? Is the film's extensive stylistic debt to '60s biker films a fond tribute to a bygone genre or just empty, stylish grave-robbing?

This review was written by James Rocchi
Adult
November 14, 2008
AGE
17
 
A God-Awful Movie That Is DOA
THIS MOVIE SUCKS!!!!
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (7) | Had useful details (5) | Read my mind (7)
Flag as inappropriate 
See all user reviews
This review was written by James Rocchi
Studio:Dimension
Director:Larry Bishop
Cast:Eric Balfour, Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen
Genre:Action/Adventure
Run time:90 minutes
Theatrical release date:August 6, 2008
DVD release date:October 27, 2008
MPAA rating:R
MPAA explanation:strong violence, sexual content including graphic nudity and dialogue, language and drug use.
This review was written by James Rocchi
 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

For kids who love
Browse more movies
 

vote now

Will you see Hell Ride?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already seen it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 
More from Common Sense Media
Age-appropriate reviews
Top advice and articles

Been There? Tell us about it