Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

The Wild One
1953
**½
Director: László Benedek
Cast: Marlon Brando, Mary Murphy, Robert Keith, Lee Marvin, Jay C. Flippen, Peggy Maley, Hugh Sanders

The arrival of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club in a small Californian town upsets the townsfolk and the local authorities. Marlon Brando's iconic role as the gang leader Johnny Strabler has stood the the test of time, the film itself hasn't. This was once a provocative counterculture drama, now it seems mostly unintentionally funny. Adapted from Frank Rooney's short story The Cyclists' Raid.