Taken from an unreleased screener copy.
Sorry, that subtitle is there to stay.
For the morbidly curious, see parts
4 & 5.
Released in May
1969 and alternately known as
Five the Hard Way, The SideHackers (according to opening credits, film poster, and other promotional materials) is the infamous film that made the cast and crew of
Mystery Science Theater 3000 screen all films previous to the writing process. The film's brutality, particularly concerning the death of
Diane McBain's character,
Rita, was a startling jolt from the usual drive-in fare The SideHackers was created to compete with. Whilst not on par with the highly enjoyable
Peter Fonda and
Bruce Dern biker films of the late
1960s 1970s, The SideHackers is not entirely a failure. The film features a cast that gives more than you'd usually expect from drive-in schlock. Among them are a manic, scene chewing
Michael Pataki in his first starring role as the unhinged
J.C. (consider those initials for a moment), leader of a motorcycle gang; and the positively luminous Diane McBain (
Surfside 6) as Rita, the doomed fiancée of
Rommel (
Ross Hagen).
Hagen seems to be channeling
Steve McQueen as Rommel, a mechanic whose main hobby is the sport of sidehacking, but his major ambition is to settle down with Rita. Of course, that all goes awry when J.C. and his crew enter their lives. Rommel is wholly likeable, albeit terribly naïve, which proves to be his downfall.
Trivia:
Claire Polan who plays
Paisley, J.C.s tragic girlfriend, was the actual wife of Ross Hagen. They were married from
1963 up until her death from cancer in
2003.
Diane McBain and Ross Hagen can also been seen together in
The Mini-Skirt Mob,
1968.
The soundtrack is a collector's item these days (vinyl only and goes for well over $
200) and features music from
Mike Curb and
Jerry Styner. The cover even features a sidehacker in
3-D!
This film was the directorial debut of
Gus Trikonis, formerly married to
Goldie Hawn. She was actually up for the part of Paisley, but instead appears as an extra. See that bouncy, long-haired blonde in the crowd during the film's opening? That's her!
- published: 19 Oct 2008
- views: 22941