From the opening suicide' montage and shot of a desert landscape cut in half by a narrow strip of road, you can tell that Electra Glide in Blue will be a simple film relying on striking visuals to tell the story just as much as the dialogue. It may even be a tad too simple, since it sort of teeters out before the end and reaches its resolution rather abruptly, but its themes of dreams, loneliness, and obvious parallels to the death of 60's idealism, make it a very moving, worthwhile film.
Blake is note perfect as `Big' John Wintergreen, an idealistic, pure-hearted, easygoing motorcycle cop, who just want to be a detective and `get paid for thinking, instead of sitting on my a** getting calluses.' He gets his chance when an old desert denizen appears to have been murdered and he is taken under the wing of Det Harve Poole, a right wing, bigoted, commanding man, who establishes his character by saying `My religion is myself. When I talk to myself, I'm talking to the whole world.' In his zeal to become a detective, Blake follows him around like a puppy, until eventually he sees that his desire to be decent and honest just wont work. He refuses to sacrifice his nature, his kindness, if that's what it will take to get his dream. The final shot of the film (One of the best final shots EVER, by the great cinematographer Conrad Hall) sums up this tragic, fatalistic point and beautifully.
Blake is note perfect as `Big' John Wintergreen, an idealistic, pure-hearted, easygoing motorcycle cop, who just want to be a detective and `get paid for thinking, instead of sitting on my a** getting calluses.' He gets his chance when an old desert denizen appears to have been murdered and he is taken under the wing of Det Harve Poole, a right wing, bigoted, commanding man, who establishes his character by saying `My religion is myself. When I talk to myself, I'm talking to the whole world.' In his zeal to become a detective, Blake follows him around like a puppy, until eventually he sees that his desire to be decent and honest just wont work. He refuses to sacrifice his nature, his kindness, if that's what it will take to get his dream. The final shot of the film (One of the best final shots EVER, by the great cinematographer Conrad Hall) sums up this tragic, fatalistic point and beautifully.