Spetters

The friendships and loyalties of three motorcross riders are tested by the eruption into their lives of Fientje (Soutendijk), a scarlet woman with an Olivia Newton-John fixation who peddles dogfood croquettes from her Hook of Holland chip van. Rien (Van Tongeren) forms the initial attachment to Fientje by protecting her from a biker gang, but when an accident dumps him in a wheelchair, Fientje's affections are swiftly transferred to his friends Eef (Agterberg) and Hans (Spanjer). Imagine a Mike Leigh film set in Holland with motorbike stunts, packed with authentic action sequences and sexual frankness, including an eye-popping cock-measuring contest. Great locations, from the docks and shipping lanes, to a municipal dump, via the gay cruising haunts of Rotterdam, and a soundtrack that catches such sounds of the times as Blondie, M and Abba. Hauer, as world motorcross champ, doesn't have much to do apart from swopping his white suit and tie for biker's leather, and then making way for his stunt double.