The Film In All Its Glory

Set in along side the beach community in NSW, BMX Bandits follows the story of three youthful riders, who, in an attempt to buy new bikes, steal from a group of incompetent criminals gearing up for their next big hit. Naturally the criminals respond with a classic gung-ho attitude, which sees them falling over one another as they try to catch the pesky teens. All the while the towns police force and only form of authority, does their best to apprehend these nefarious figures, though even with their best efforts, consistently remain one step behind the action at all times. Therefore, it's left up to the gallant teenagers of the town, wielding flower bombs and sporting excellent BMX stunts to bring down and eventually apprehend the criminals and their employer, the Boss.

The film was released in 1983 and directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith, a very unlikely candidate, considering his pervious films such as 'Turkey Shoot' and 'The Man From Hong Kong' are extremely violent and pressed firmly into the horror and action genres. However, Trenchard brings a creative flare to the films overall style and ultimately direction. Through the use of wide angle lenses positioned at low levels to the round, Trenchard presents his heros and their BMX riding companions as strong, powerful forces galvanized by the speeding bikes they fly upon. Trenchard himself states one of the allures the film has is "Putting BMX bikes, where BMX bikes are not meant to be, football fields, shopping-malls, building sites ext was the main thrust of my sell. Show kids riding where ever they wish, getting the better of adults". This statement by Trenchard is not far off summarizing the entirety of the film, which is evident in the films linear narrative plot line contrasted by heavy BMX stunts that encapsulated the majority of the film's running time.

The film lingers upon the borderline of live action cartoon, with the characters general demeanor feeling like they're straight out of some early morning 90's breakfast show. But that's what the film was designed for, the entertainment of kids. Trenchard openly states the film was marketed at kids aged 14 and below, and was why it's release occurred during the Christmas holidays of '83. This marketing ploy saw the film raking in over a million dollars in local cinemas in only 6 weeks and lead to a business deal with the British distribution heavy hitter, Rank.

The film has also been granted recognition from such legendary film makers such as Quentin Tarantino, who's been quoted saying, "If we'd all grow up in Australia, BMX Bandits would have been our Goonies."

Although many die hard Goonies fans are outraged by such a remark, Tarantino appears to be sticking by his guns.