qormi William Smith is a very capable actor, but it seems he never had an agent. He always got stuck in a lot of B movies like this one. This film was barely good enough for me to keep from falling asleep. The direction was bad, the script terrible, etc. It had a lot of potential and in the hands of a capable producer/director, it could have been a good film. The casting was good, except for the posse of bikers who were on Angel's trail. They seemed like a bunch of lightweights who were the only ones who showed up for the casting call. Everything was bargain basement here; all the scenes lacked intensity. the frequent use of the split screen was distracting and you could see why this technique has since been abandoned.The ending was inadequate and abrupt; a fitting tribute to a wasted effort.

Dave from Ottawa This was the first film directed by 70s action and blaxploitation movie legend Jack Starrett (Slaughter, Cleopatra Jones, Race With the Devil) and despite a minuscule budget and a 13 day shooting schedule, it manages to hold up fairly well today, thanks in large part to its sharp cinematography and innovative editing. Starrett made clever use of split screen compositions to energize the action, and the often rapid-fire editing keeps things moving along briskly. Run Angel Run was also the first starring role for Big Bill Smith, and the one that made him a 70s action movie icon. As Angel, fugitive biker, Smith's chiseled features, macho mustache and bulging biceps get a lot of screen time. In fact, at times I found myself wondering why Smith was running from his gang - he looks like he could punch out every biker in California single-handed, then bench press their hogs. Anyway, the essentials of the movie - lone biker on the run, menacing bike gang giving chase, fast action on the road and lots of fights - made Run Angel Run a surprise hit and one of the few true classics of the short-lived biker genre, alongside Easy Rider, Angels Die Hard, and The Born Losers. Finally out on DVD from Media Blasters, the folks responsible for the Tokyo Shock DVD label, Run Angel Run features introductory commentary by Joe Bob Briggs and a title song by Tammy Wynette.

pmullinsj 'Run Angel Run'is the first of Bill Smith's biker movies, and is probably the best of them--a simple, surprisingly moving tale. There's a great title song by Tammy Wynette--how can you beat that? And Smith looks smashing as he always did in that period.Joan Didion's essay on biker movies in 'The White Album' collection is worth reading. I agree with her about the excellent photography of the West-and the best may have even been in the subsequent 'Angels Die Hard', which has some good songs behind the scenes of the bikers riding on the highway.'Run Angel Run'is referred to in Smith's 1976 'The Hollywood Man', where he plays an actor similar to himself in many ways--and exactly insofar as both had made 'Run Angel Run'.The supporting players, including Valerie Starrett as his girlfriend, are also excellent.

wolfhell88 This is a real Biker-Movie Classic. I think it was the first leading part for William Smith and also his first biker-movie. He did a great job. Of course it is a B-Picture, but it has some good and unforgettable scenes. One year later Smith and director Jack Starrett did another classic together: Nam's Angels.