REVENGE RIDE **** USA 2020 Dir: Melanie Aitkenhead. 73 mins
An all girl motorcycle gang are out for revenge!
The film starts with shots of female bikers heading down the highway at night inter-cut with flashbacks. We see Maggie (Serinda Swan) with what we assume is being victim to a planned date rape at a drive in theatre. We cut to Maggie as a tough and ruthless member of an all-female biker gang the Dark Moon who is led by the merciless Trigga (Pollyanna McIntosh. When Maggie finds out that her cousin (Vanessa Dubasso) is drugged and raped at a frat party, the gang ride out for revenge, dishing out their own form of justice. But when Maggie falls in love with one of the frat boys Brian (Diego Boneta) all hell breaks loose.
Serinda Swan was really great in the role here and she showed off her acting chops with a great in-depth performance and portraying many different sides to her character that was battling her own personal demons. Pollyanna McIntosh was nothing short of amazing as the female biker gang leader Trigga, it was nice to see her return to a very similar role as the character she portrays in AMC’s The Walking Dead, a fierce leader of a rogue gang with hidden demons that never come to light.
The film was directed by Melanie Aitkenhead director of Mother, May I Sleep with Danger(2016) and Actors Anonymous (2017). Melanie injects female power in this film right from the get go, although the film does cover a lot of disturbing scenes of rape and brutality it is covered in a way to shine a light on these horrific incidents and the price that is payed with revenge dished out by the all female biker gang.
I did walk away from the film with a bitter aftertaste mainly because I was rooting for the lead Maggie to have a happy ever after, but this film is far from a fairytale and maybe she did find her happy ending after all?
I enjoyed this bikersploitation thriller, it wasn’t perfect, but it certainly had its charm and the film keeps you enthralled all the way as you go on a ride into the darkness with the femme fatales. I can’t wait to check out more of director Melanie Aitkenhead’s work, definitely one to watch out for on the big screen.
Fans of Sons of Anarchy and the 90’s biker thriller Stone Cold will love this modern biker thriller, and fly’s the flag for female power all packaged in a very 90’s feel throughout.
Review by Tony Newton
REVENGE RIDE IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON