Punk Vacation (1987)

"You want to play chicken with me, hey punk?" - Lisa

A gang of punks terrorize a small peaceful town.
Starring: Roxanne Rogers, Sandra Bogan, Stephen Fiachi, Rob Garrison, Don Martin

Link to IMDB

Lisa lives in a small Californian town in the middle of nowhere, working with her dad and sister at their diner. She occasionally has dates with Deputy Steve, but nothing exciting ever happens.
Until one night when a motorcycle gang of punks roll into town and within minutes they start an argument with Lisa's dad and they kill him!!

Lisa wants revenge, so she gets a gun and heads into the desert to confront the gang, but she only gets herself into more trouble when the punks kidnap her.

Meanwhile, the hot-headed Sheriff is filled with rage, and he's ready to do anything to get the punks out of his town. Deputy Steve wants a more peaceful solution, but once he realizes Lisa is in danger he's eager to rescue her.

"One of the finest citizens this town has ever known had his ass murdered out there by those filthy, yellow-bellied, FASCIST COMMUNIST PINKOS!!" - Sheriff

The leader of the punks is a young lady named Ramrod, and although she's an intense anarchist that did commit murder, she's more than just a one dimensional psycho.
Most of the gang consists of impressionable teenagers that just wanted to "play rebel," and as they grow disturbed by Ramrod's violence they start to question their commitment to punk life. Their only reason for sticking around is to rescue one of their own from the police guarded hospital.

Deputy Steve                              Sheriff    

We get to sympathize with the punks, including Ramrod, and see that they're mostly normal kids that are in over their heads with a crazy situation. Actually, all of the characters are easy to root for, except the Sheriff. He's a trigger happy redneck that is ready to wage war with the teenagers, and comes across as a total goof.

Ramrod

There's a really good balance of gritty, violent realism alongside more lighthearted vibes. The mix works surprisingly well, even if some of the tonal shifting is simply a byproduct of sloppy filmmaking, but it keeps everything moving along at a fast pace despite the lack of narrative.

I was really surprised by this movie, and its peculiarities with dialog, editing and tone entertained me much more than I was expecting. It strikes that perfect equilibrium of being engaging while still having the strange charm of a trashy amateur movie.
It's another case where it's easy to see why it has such a cult following.


Be sure not to miss:
- Don't hire Nephew Carl for any job.
- A cucumber used as a silencer.
- "That girl hasn't been the same ever since she joined the Chamber of Commerce."
- Rats enough!

Internet review:
"The dialogue alone is making me considering getting this on Blu-ray." - Mr.DuLac

Should I watch it?
It's worthwhile if you want something slightly odd.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Punk Vacation gets...