Hells Angels Forever (1983) - The Film The Angels Don't Want Seen
TOY VIDEO
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109,477 views Jun 21, 2025
A candid look at the lifestyles of the rowdy and infamous outlaw biker gang. Filmed in the late 70's and early 80's, the Hells Angels went from promoting the movie to allegedly hunting one of the directors and beating him for including material they did not approve of. Oscar-winning Leon Gast's look at the late 1970's and early 80's collision of motorcycles and bored men with a penchant for The Grateful Dead and ice cream.
It didn't get him any awards, but it was a ticket to an ass-beating by the Angels! With tons of Billy Badass Biker talk of freedom, enjoying life, and being real - but also playing with guns, pushing violence, and expressing troubling views on women... I still don't know what my real opinion of this gang is. Some things sound nice in a jaded way, but a lot of - most of it - deserves to be drowned out by a motorcycle's unbaffled straight pipe exhaust. The Angels' philosophy constantly invites contradictions: a reactionary revolution against labels, despite embracing a label so hard
it's a household name, now. The biker gang claims to celebrate freedom and an escape from rules, despite mercilessly attacking those who don't follow their rules - like the film's director, Gast, who claims this movie resulted in him being hunted down and roughed up by Angels. The Angels had initially publicly endorsed the movie, but ultimately did not approve of Gast's inclusion of certain material in the final movie. Who knows the truth, but it doesn't sound beyond their wheelhouse. So, freedom for me, not for thee.
Ultimately, this movie and the Hells Angels antics were very reminiscent of family reunions I attended decades ago. I've rolled my eyes at it, before. To me, the Hells Angels are just Republicans who are too lazy to hold a job, an ironic mix of adventure and asshole whose best feature is that its perched on a motorcycle that is quickly roaring somewhere far away from you. Until you have ice cream or make a movie about them they don't like.
That all said, the documentary is rare, unfiltered, and definitely America - deserving to be seen!