ELECTRA GLIDE IN BLUE *

The only film ever directed by James William Guerico "Electra Glide in Blue" has naturally become something of a cult movie. It's a rambling, virtually plotless picture about a motorcycle cop, Robert Blake, roaming the vast expanses of Arizona imagining himself as some kind of white knight on a motorised steed. As we say back here in Ireland, he doesn't always come over as the full shilling. He's permanently spaced out on nothing but the vibes he radiates from himself, continually self-conscious about his height, (he claims he is exactly the same height as Alan Ladd was down to the nearest quarter inch).

Guerico, who also produced the film, was something of a jack-of-all-trades and his film alludes to the likes of"Easy Rider", "Five Easy Pieces" and other counter-culture movies of the period. You could call it something of a character study but Blake doesn't give us a character we can relate to. It's an underwritten role that Blake fleshes out as best he can. On the plus side, it's a great looking picture. DoP Conrad Hall fills the widescreen with some beautiful landscapes and gives us something of a legendary closing shot. Nevertheless, it isn't an easy film to like. There is nothing here to get to grips with; finally it is as empty as the Arizona desert.