The Loveless (Breakdown) poster & wallpaper
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Willem Dafoe, Robert Gordon, Marin Kanter, J. Don Ferguson, Kenny Call ... see more see more... , Liz Gans , Bob Hannah , Danny Rosen , Tina Lhotsky , John King

The period biker flick The Loveless marks the feature debut of both actor Willem Dafoe and writer/director Kathryn Bigelow (Strange Days). Bigelow co-wrote and co-directed the film with Monty Montgome... read more read more...ry, who would go on to produce Wild at Heart and The Portrait of a Lady. Dafoe plays Vance, a stoic, leather-clad biker who rides into a small Southern town and to wait for some other bikers. Their plan is to travel on to Daytona for some racing, but they have to stick around the little truck stop town for a while to get one of their bikes repaired. Vance flirts a bit with Augusta (Liz Gans), a widowed waitress. She's the only local who's friendly to him and his gang. Contemplating living in such a depressed, isolated place, Vance tells her, "I think your husband had the right idea." While the bikes are worked on, Vance and the gang, including the abrasive Davis (rockabilly musician Robert Gordon, who also composed the film's soundtrack) and his girlfriend, Debbie (Tina Lhotsky), spend the day in town, to the chagrin of the conservative residents. Vance hooks up with Telena (Marin Kanter), the rebellious teenage daughter of a rich redneck. Their little tryst creates even more tension, and the day ends with violence. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Flixster Users

60% liked it

423 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

9 critics

R, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow, Monty Montgomery

Release Date: January 1, 1983

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DVD Release Date: November 16, 2004

Stats: 44 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (44)

  • ajv2688
    January 11, 2011
    ajv2688
    Did this movie have a story? You can't even tell, since nothing happens at all. I did not care for this movie, and I don't recommend it.
  • ythelastman89
    January 5, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It was worth it to see Willem Dafoe as a fifties biker in the same light as The Wild One, but the script was just not strong enough. It had a lot of bizarre stereotypes for the time that just didn't fit and almost nothing happened until the very end. I liked a lot of the cinemato... read moregraphy and it really could have been a great movie if it would've had a more interesting plot and supporting characters.
  • danieljparsons
    January 2, 2011
    danieljparsons
    Kathryn Bigelow's feature debut is an assured, vibrant and detailed biker flick set in evocative 50's small town America. There's not much in the way of plot and the script is basic (but natural) and much of the pleasure of the film is in the way it looks more than what is being ... read moresaid. Interesting that the bikers themselves are rather a peaceful bunch, more interested in shooting the breeze, drinking cola and listening to rock n roll on the jukebox than causing any real trouble - it's the locals, their prejudices, and the sins of a father that lead to the brief but memorable violence. A fascinating flim.
  • The80sExpert
    November 10, 2010
    The80sExpert
    What were they thinking when they picked this script? Or maybe it was the directors? I don't know, but this movie doesn't have enough excitement to be a good biker movie, and it doesn't have enough drama to be a good drama either. Actually nothing happens at all until the end ... read moreof the movie when you realize there was a story going on, it's just that it isn't presented to the audience. I really did not like this movie.

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Critic Reviews

Janet Maslin
May 14, 2005
Janet Maslin, New York Times

Its evocation of tough-guy glamour is ridiculously stilted. And it regards the past with absolutely no perspective or wit. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
September 25, 2009
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

An excoriation of Reagan-era nostalgia for the Fifties Full Review

Josh Ralske
October 26, 2007
Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

A strange, but compelling amalgam of art film and homage to the American International Pictures biker flicks of the 1960s. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
January 24, 2007
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Bigelow's first feature, co-written and co-directed with Monty Montgomery, is a nihilistic meditation on 1950s biker flicks, featuring Willem Dafoe in his first screen role. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
November 21, 2006
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Mostly concerned about how it looks and not too concerned about its story or in making great observations. Full Review

Geoff Andrew
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew, Time Out

At times the perversely slow beat of each scene can irritate, but that's a reasonable price for the film's super-saturated atmosphere. Full Review

Jon Popick
May 14, 2005
Jon Popick, Planet Sick-Boy

A slightly hallucinatory homage to The Wild Ones.

May 14, 2005
Film4

Intelligent, provocative, camp, indulgent, erotic, occasionally frustrating, and often brilliant. Full Review

Walter Chaw
March 2, 2005
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central

A minor classic of a certain attitude. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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