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Fred Ward, Belinda Bauer, Peter Coyote, Ed Lauter, Richard Masur ... see more see more... , Tracey Walter , L.Q. Jones , Chris Mulkey , Macon McCalman , Jonathan Banks , Susan Dear , Bruce Gordon , Steven Hartley , Laurie O'Brien , Miguel Sandoval , Ben Zeller , William Dear , Rusty Dillen , Philip L. Mead , Raleigh Gardenhire , Robert Dunbar

Given the off-the-wall premise in this sci-fi western -- that a motorcyclist rides his bike through a time warp right into the Wild West, into the middle of a gang of outlaws, and cannot figure out wh... read more read more...at happened -- the glitches and gaps in the plot fit right in with the spirit of the adventure. When the outlaw Reese (Peter Coyote) catches sight of the macho bike, he decides that several hundred horsepower are better than his one and is out to rustle the vehicle any way he can. Unfortunately, the bike does not run on high-octane hay -- an issue that bites the dust when pistol-packing Clair (Belinda Bauer) appears on the scene. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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29% liked it

1,512 ratings

PG, 1 hr. 33 min.

Directed by: William Dear

Release Date: January 1, 1983

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DVD Release Date: April 27, 2004

 

Stats: 76 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (76)

  • ajv2688
    January 16, 2011
    ajv2688
    A stupid sci-fi TV movie, it's got bad acting, special effects, story, and dialogue. I didn't care for it.
  • hypathio7
    June 25, 2010
    hypathio7
    Spoiler: You know that old novelty song "I'm my own Grandpa"? That's the weird, kind of gross, circular twist to come out of this time travel movie. There are so many holes in the plot and it's not a very good representation of the old west. There is some beautiful desert and ... read moremesa scenery, which are seen from the many dirt bike rides Fred Ward takes. Filming a dirt bike roaring around the desert seems to be the filmmakers main motivation for making this movie. Nothing else.
  • burgerstar
    November 2, 2011
    burgerstar
    Complete 80's cheese...I love it. For some reason the DVD is going for $50.

    Plotpoint question:
    Did he sleep with his own Great-great grandmother?
  • Fascade518
    July 22, 2008
    Fascade518
    Not too bad a classic sic fi epic. a little beit cheesy but worth watching if you have time and patience. back to The Future with Michael J Fox will always be my all time favorite time trip flick!
  • moviefan1725
    July 31, 2009
    moviefan1725
    Cowboys and motorcycles. This little gem from 1982 is one of the most fun time travel movies ever made. The always dependable Fred Ward plays Lyle Swann, a motorcycle hotshot racing through the desert, competing in the Baja 1000. He unwittingly gets caught up in a secret time tr... read moreavel experiment, and is transported 100 years into the past. Not knowing that he's no longer in his own time, he stumbles upon a group of outlaws led by Peter Coyote, who sees his "machine" as his ticket to unlimited riches. What follows is a cat and mouse chase as Swann attempts to stay alive, the outlaws try to kill him and steal his bike, and scientists from Swann's time try to find him before the timeline is destroyed. It's lightweight as they come, but it moves like a high powered motorcycle, and has one of the great last minute rescues scenes in movie history. Ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith not only serves as producer, but also provides a blistering, guitar laced musical score.
    Note: While thankfully available on DVD, for some reason the ending of the movie has been changed, removing a hysterical, and somewhat gruesome death scene. That's a pretty big ripoff, and demands a collector's edition be made.
  • cooper417
    December 5, 2011
    cooper417
    Is it just me, or was the ending super creepy after finding out he slept with his great great grandmother?
  • phantopp
    May 10, 2010
    phantopp
    Star motorcycle racer, "Lyle Swan" (Fred Ward) goes missing as he is in the middle to a race. At least that's what his friends think. In reality, he stumbles upon a secret government time travel experiment, and is sent to the late 1800's.

    While in the past, he comes across a b... read moreand of outlaws, who become obsessed with his "machine." He also meets the residents of a small town, who believe him to be the devil, as well as a woman (Belinda Bauer) and the local padre (Ed Lauter).

    The entire time, "Swan" is unaware that he is in the past. He eventually falls for the woman, and desperately tries to get away from the villains.

    There are some problems with the movie. First of all, this movie gave no time to the romantic subplot. It was like they met, and jumped into bed as soon as possible. There was no development into the storyline at all.

    Another problem is that the movie didn't spend enough time in the present to show the search for the racer. You got a couple of scenes where the friend tries to contact "Swan" over a CB radio, and that's it.

    I could not connect with any of the charcters. "Swan" seemed to settle into his situation a little too easily if you ask me. I also didn't like that he never really realized that he was in the past. Not once did you see anything that would hint at it until he found something with the date on it.

    There are some fairly good performances in this movie. There are also some lackluster ones as well. Ward and Baur were easily the best, although their romantic subplot seriously lacked. On a romantic level, the chemistry between the two was just not there. I also think that the outlaws were not evil enough. You just could not hate them

    There was some fairly good action in this movie. It wasn't perfect though. You got a lot of chases, especially when "Swan" came across the outlaws for the first time. You also get some gunfights, but nothing spectacular.

    Music for this movie was written by Michael Nesbith, best known as a member of the 1960's band, The Monkees. The music he composed certainly had an 1980's feel to it. The music was not memorable though, and did not sound like anything the Monkees would have done.

    The only thing when it comes to wardrobe is the protective suit worn by "Swan." Because it's an all-red, leather outfit surrounded by 1870's costumes. Other than that, nothing stands out.

    Overall, it's not a bad movie. It is good enough for a time-waster. Just don't expect a blockbuster motion picture.
  • The80sExpert
    January 20, 2010
    The80sExpert
    Ok, so they wanted to mix sci-fi and western, that was a good idea, but the movie doesn't keep your interest; it looses steam as some people say. I was just totally bored with it after watching about 30 minutes of it on TV.
  • Sunshineyness
    July 17, 2009
    Sunshineyness
    AWESOME B-movie starring Fred Ward with both a neat and kinda weird twist at the end. Seriously worth watching if time travel tickles your fancy.
  • ShockSystem
    September 14, 2008
    ShockSystem
    I saw this in the theater. It's pretty bad but you cant help but to watch it if your a classic sci-fi junkie

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Critic Reviews

David Nusair
November 8, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

A time-travel movie that rarely feels like a time-travel movie... Full Review

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