Review of Motorpsycho! (1965) by Brandon S — 30 Apr 2010

I can't believe how underrated this is amongst Meyer's work.

First of all, it features my favorite RM Actress of all of them, Haji, in a starring role. And she is brilliant as the tough, street-smart, recently widowed, shot in the head but still breathing, sexy yet elegant, Cajun queen, Ruby Bonner.

Second, it's Alex Rocco's first film and he makes for a great protagonist, maintaining a certain edge and personality to him, while perfectly fitting in amongst the typical square jawed male population of the Meyer world.

Third, the soundtrack is killer. Easily one of Meyer's best in more ways than one. Not only are the tunes kickass, but when one of them does sort of start to wear out a bit, Meyer freely acknowledges and makes fun of this by literally blowing the song away.

Fourth, Meyer's cameo in this is definitely the best and longest of any of his films. He plays a character who one must assume is the polar opposite of Meyer himself; an asshole, womanizing, shit-brain sherif.

Fifth, all the classic Meyer everything. Snake bites. Double entendres. Speed. Sex. Violence. Dynamite. Brilliantly out of place war references. Car chases. Absurdly large breasted women. Groovy dancing. Old, horny men. The great outdoors. Oddball gas station attendants, etc...

Sixth, the photography in this one is gorgeous. Again, easily some of Meyer's best work in that area as well. Very cool shoots. Beautiful black and white. Desert landscapes. It's amazing.

Perhaps this film is overshadowed by Faster Pussycat, but it hardly deserves to be. If anything it's a contender for the top of any Meyer fan's list. Yeah, maybe it doesn't have all of the explicit sexuality of his later work, but sometimes I think he's at his best when he doesn't have constant nudity to fall back on. There's some fantastic dialogue in here that is perfectly delicious.