From what I understand this movie was one of the first films about biker gangs and due to its well-deserved reception resulted in a number of similar movies since then. Essentially, "Johnny Strabler" (played by Marlon Brando) is the leader of a motorcycle club known as the Black Rebels which just happens to ride into the small California town of Wrightsville. Upon entering the local café he spies a young waitress by the name of "Kathie Bleeker" (Mary Murphy) and decides to get to know her a little better. Not long afterward another motorcycle gang called the Beetles also arrives and their leader, named "Chino" (Lee Marvin),decides to provoke Johnny into a fight in the middle of the street. One thing leads to another and Chino is eventually arrested which causes both motorcycle clubs to spend the night in Wrightsville. That's when all hell breaks loose. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that although this film is rather dated it still manages to entertain fairly well. I especially liked the performances of both Marlon Brando and Mary Murphy who both played their parts quite well. In any case, I recommend this movie to all of those who might enjoy a film of this nature and rate it as above average.

THE WILD ONE was a shocking exposé in the 1950s about unbridled youth and crime. For its time, it was rather timely and a wakeup to all the "squares". As a result, this film which certainly would have merited a score of 8 had the internet and IMDb been around in 1953. Then it was a ground-breaking film and would have thrilled the audiences--seeing excessive violence and nihilism. However, just a decade or two later, the motorcycle "heavies" of this film would seem quite wimpy and ridiculous--especially when you compare them to those in films such as THE BORN LOSERS or SATAN'S SADISTS!! My teenage daughter watched part of the movie with me and she laughed, saying "are they SUPPOSED to be tough--they seem so silly". And, unfortunately, that's probably the reaction MOST would have to the film today, though it does have some quality acting and writing. The problem is that the tough gang just seems silly--committing no crimes more serious than petty theft and "hooliganism". Plus, having Marlon Brando play a gang leader who is BOTH anti-establishment but basically a nice guy at heart just seems like a big cliché. I really wish he'd been rotten to the core--this would have seemed much more realistic and believable.

Some fun things to watch are the actors playing supporting roles as gang members. Lee Marvin is a tough guy who in reality probably would have killed or severely mangled Brando, but since it was Brando's movie, the "hero" quickly beats Marvin to a pulp. Also, I noticed Jerry Paris and Alvy Moore were members of Brando's gang. Paris was "Jerry Helper"--Rob Petry's neighbor on the DICK VAN DYKE SHOW and Alvy Moore was "Hank Kimbell" from GREEN ACRES. Just imagine how much I laughed when I saw Hank Kimbell acting like a 50s thug!!

Although The Wild One has its place in cinema history as a film of rebellion in the conformist Fifties, I think it's one of the most frightening movies in history. Imagine two gangs of thugs invading a small town who basically can do whatever they want. I'm willing to bet it can and does happen today.

Marlon Brando is the sexy and charismatic leader of one group and only the fact that he's attracted to Mary Murphy, daughter of the town's ineffectual sheriff Robert Keith is the reason these cyclists don't run totally amuck.

Until The Godfather, I think most people when thinking of Marlon Brando thought of The Wild One. It's the ultimate rebel role for him. The role and the film spawned hundreds of imitators and satirists, from Gene Kelly in Les Girls to a hilarious Married With Children episode with Al Bundy doing his Brando thing.

However in every scene he's in, Lee Marvin totally steals the film as the rival gang leader. It's an outrageous over the top performance that I love every time I see it.

Although Brando did better films and won two Oscars for more acclaimed roles, for rebel youth of age The Wild One is THE Brando film.