Produced by Roger Corman's Filmgroup, 'The Wild Ride' is a surprisingly talky drama that provides the historical interest of seeing a rangy young Jack Nicholson in a very early lead and lots of vintage cars being driven with far less respect than any of them would be receiving today if they were still in one piece.
Nicholson plays Johnny, a bullying alpha male who presumably doesn't remember or didn't learn from what happened to Buzz in 'Rebel Without a Cause' - or to James Dean himself - since (like Stoffer in Lars von Trier's 'The Idiots') he bullies his gang into treating it as a badge of manhood to drive like a jerk. The chicks all dig him, but he seems more interested in Dave, whose relationship with Joyce he does his best to beak up, with results that please no one.
Nicholson plays Johnny, a bullying alpha male who presumably doesn't remember or didn't learn from what happened to Buzz in 'Rebel Without a Cause' - or to James Dean himself - since (like Stoffer in Lars von Trier's 'The Idiots') he bullies his gang into treating it as a badge of manhood to drive like a jerk. The chicks all dig him, but he seems more interested in Dave, whose relationship with Joyce he does his best to beak up, with results that please no one.