Aside from "Werewolves on Wheels", "Nam's Angels" (aka "The Losers") is probably the dumbest biker film of its day. Now that's saying a lot, as there were MANY bad biker films and only a few good ones. It's a very strange genre that many folks today simply won't understand...and frankly, I lived during that era and STILL don't understand!

This film begins with a motorcycle gang (headed by William Smith) arriving in Vietnam during the war. They have been recruited to infiltrate territory where the Army isn't allowed--and they'll go using their motorcycles! Think about it--cycles through the jungle! But, before they go on their stupid mission, the guys do what you'd expect--get drunk and make it with local prostitutes. Overall, the film is cheap, makes zero sense and is pretty dull. If you love bad biker films, then this should be right up your alley--otherwise, you could only do better looking elsewhere.

By the way, 'Vietnam' in this film is actually the Philippines--a place where tons of horrible American-produced movies were made in the late 60s and early 70s.

Also known as 'Nam Angels, this Jack Starrett-directed film (he also made Run, Angel, Run!; Race with the Devil and Hollywood Man, among others) has a great high concept: a biker gang called The Devil's Advocates are sent to Cambodia to rescue an American diplomat because they're the only ones who can get the job done.

They're led by Vietnam vet - and the brother of the Army Major who has recruited them - Link Thomas, who is played by the always dependable William Smith. They're under the orders of Captain Johnson (Bernie Hamilton, who was Captain Harold Dobey on Starsky and Hutch) and include fellow vets Duke (Adam Roarke from Dirty Mary Crazy Larry and Frogs) and Dirty Denny, as well as Limpy (Paul Koslo, Vanishing Point) and Speed (Eugene Cornelius, who was Space in Run, Angel, Run!).

They head to Vietnam, but come on, we all know it's the Philippines, because the mechanic who works on their bikes, Diem-Nuc, is played by Vic Diaz. It doesn't matter, because by the time you start trying to figure out locations*, our heroes are doing wheelies and blowing things up with rocket launchers and machine guns while they do wheelies.

This movie does have some basis in reality. Sonny Barger, who was the Maximum Leader of the Hells Angels, sent LBJ a telegram offering the skills of his club in the Vietnam War. That inspired Alan Caillou, who originally wrote that The Losers would live. Starrett and Smith rewrote the script to the ending we know now.

If you watch Pulp Fiction, you can see a scene from this movie, being watched by Butch's girlfriend the day after his fight. When he asks what she was watching, she says, "A motorcycle movie, I'm not sure the name."

*They're reused from Too Late the Hero.

Rough and tumble hog-riding Hell's Angels hellions Link (the almighty William Smith),Duke (the equally awesome Adam Roarke),Dirty Denny (former real-life Green Beret Houston Savage),Speed (Gene Cournelius) and Limpy (a fine Paul Koslo) are recruited by the CIA to rescue an arrogant presidential adviser (expertly played to the hateful hilt by director Jack Starrett) from the vile clutches of the Red Chinese in Cambodia.

Directed with his customary rip-snorting brio by the extremely underrated and always dependable Starrett (whose other credits include the Jim Brown blaxploitation vehicle "Slaughter," the hugely enjoyable "Cleopatra Jones," and the Satan worship car chase knockout "Race With the Devil"),this bang-up gutsy and thrilling little pip works like gangbusters. The pace storms along at a steady, speedy clip. The performances from the top-rate cast are all uniformly excellent (it's a real treat to see biker pic perennials Smith and Rourke on screen together, plus longtime favorite Filipino fat guy thesp Vic Diaz has a funny supporting part as a friendly mechanic). The incredibly explosive action sequences are staged with considerable incendiary aplomb (the big climactic raid on an enemy prison camp is a definite highlight). Moreover, the bikers themselves aren't glamorized or sanitized in the least. These dingy dirtball dudes are pure bad news. They are a scruffy bunch of mangy nonconformist malcontents who are as likely to brawl with each other as well as anyone else who crosses their bitter antagonistic path.

Better still, this remarkably bold picture fiercely ridicules America's involvement in the Vietnam war, clearly stating that we hurt these people more than helped them (the subplot about the Vietnamese prostitute with a mulatto baby is especially poignant and provocative). The fact that this defiant movie was made while the Vietnam war was still going on makes it that much more pertinent and resonant. And the crushingly downbeat bummer ending is likewise very powerful with both its unflinchingly cynical anti-government stance and unsparingly grim statement about the wasteful futility of war. In addition, this film was also influential in that it established the basic let's-bring-the-boys-back-home premise which was later reused in such 80's action features as "Uncommon Valor," "Missing in Action," and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II." The Dark Sky DVD offers a beautiful widescreen presentation along with the following tasty extras: two radio spots, the theatrical trailer, a still and poster gallery, and, perhaps the single most savory bonus, a highly amiable, entertaining and informative commentary by stars Paul Koslo and William Smith.