Stone
(1974)
Stone
is a 1974 bikie cult
classic about a cop
named Stone (Ken
Shorter) who has been
asked to find the person
who is assassinating
bikies. He attempts to
join the Gravediggers,
run by Undertaker (Sandy
Harbutt, also
writer/producer/director
etc.) and is helped when
he saves Undertaker from
being assassinated. The
gang reluctantly allows
the cop to join but they
welcome him as he is
willing to join in their
activities. As Stone
goes about looking who
is behind the killing,
he finds that most
people actually welcome
the Gravediggers because
while they're rowdy,
they actually drive
business. It turns out
that those wanting them
dead are not actually
the usual enemies of
bikies. It's tough to
describe the plot of
this film because not a
lot actually happens,
it's more about the
lifestyle and this is
usually portrayed in the
film with striking
images more than plot.
Stone is a filthy film,
with the biker gang and
their girls looking
incredibly dirty which
definitely adds a layer
of authenticity to the
film. Other images such
as a massive (and quite
insane) clifftop dive
from a motorcycle, the
bikie funeral ride, a
bikie race and the
brutal final scene are
memorable even almost 40
years on. While the film
meanders along in no
hurry to get to it's
destination, it's never
boring and is far more
intriguing than most
biker films even when it
delves into gross
misogyny and other ugly
behaviour. Stone is
fascinating film that
will be forever
memorable.
Below you will find that
I have released the
videos in both
widescreen and
fullscreen. Not a lot of
difference between the
two except the
fullscreen videos are
darker and occasionally
cut off relevant
material. From what I
understand, this version
of Stone is the
director's cut as the
film was originally up
to 40 minutes longer in
cinema release, but was
cut continually along
the way. This is the
only version that has
gotten wide release and
I'll doubt we will ever
see Stone as it was
originally released,
although some deleted
scenes on a possible
future Bluray release
would be nice. Also,
word of a remake has
cooled, which is
probably a good thing.
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