Paul Schrader cuts a somewhat pathetic figure in Easy Riders, Raging Bulls – a Calvinist who fell off the wagon in a big way, who was too busy snorting coke and banging Natassa Kinski on Cat People to notice he was making a crap movie, who took credit for work done by his brother, who tried to be gay, etc. But you watch the films and there’s no doubt he had tremendous talent, at least until the coke got away with him.
This was his directorial debut, and its tough, gritty, uncompromising and exciting – real 70s adult filmmaking. It helps there are three leads, its not obvious who the hero is, though even then Richard Pryor was the bigger name.
Pryor was always at his best angry and he is here; Yaphet Kotto never gets much of a wrap but he’s always done what’s required (I loved his FBI man in Midnight Run) and he’s very good here. Harvey Keitel is a bit more restrained but mixes in well with the rest; watching this I was struck by how many “first films” Harve has been in – Scorsese, Tobak, Schrader, Tarantino.
This really delves into the milieu – it seems very accurate, with its dingy offices and fluro lights (neo noir?) and dead end bars. Scharder is, like a lot of 70s filmmakers, not very strong with women (the girls here are either nagging wives or whores) but he is great on men. As pointed out by Danny Peary the action scenes are very exciting. Wonderful theme music (was this the first to use it? If so its been much copied eg George Thoroughgood)
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