History Film / TheSidehackers

** "Five the Hard Way" [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial definitely has nothing to do]] with the Creator/JackNicholson movie ''Film/FiveEasyPieces'', released earlier the same year.

* BittersweetEnding: Though the story is a DownerEnding, it could be seen as a bittersweet one [[FromACertainPointOfView from a certain point of view]]. Almost everyone, including the hero, gets killed (while the villain lives)... but the villain is implied to get arrested afterwards. Rommel's friend at the garage knew a bit about what was going on and even asked Rommel, "Why don't you just call the police?". In a nutshell; The whole flick boils down to J.C. having KarmaHoudiniWarranty[[note]]J.C. will eventually be punished with either Life or the Death Penalty[[/note]] and the stupidity of not calling law enforcement to do their job [[note]]Which was probably the {{Aesop}} of this whole story to begin with[[/note]].

* JobTitle

** Rita's murder.

* TokenMinority: Nero.

* MookFaceTurn: Nero defects to Rommel's side, having presumably become fed up with JC's instability, egocentrism, racism, and [[BreadEggsMilkAndSquick rape and murder of an innocent woman in order to get revenge on her fiance.]]

The trouble starts when one JC and his gang bring their motorcycles to be repaired by the film's hero, Rommel. The topic of conversation turns to "sidehacking", which is basically a motorcycle race with sidecars (ostensibly for balance while turning). Rommel invites them all to his ranch to see a demonstration of this sidehacking; and JC gets totally into it, desiring to form a partership of sorts. Rommel, for reasons unspecified, is not too keen on this idea, and JC gives us a first glimpse at his [[BerserkButton hair-trigger temper]] (further developed in a later scene in which JC [[DomesticAbuse beats up his girlfriend Paisley]]).

* ExploitationFilm
* FallingInLoveMontage
* FalseRapeAccusation

* PsychopathicManChild: JC

''The Sidehackers'' (aka ''Five The Hard Way'') is a 1969 ExploitationFilm which follows the attempts of a garage mechanic and amateur motorcycle racer to avenge the rape and murder of his girlfriend.

* HeelFaceTurn: Averted in that Nero was never a bad guy. He helps Rommel because he's sick of JC's abuse.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Paisley comes to regret lying about Rommel, saying she doesn't know who she hates more, JC or herself. She tells JC she wants to get away from him, which throws JC into a rage and he strangles her, pushing him off the slippery slope.

** Gooch, did you really think anyone would believe you were shitting in the bushes for ''over an hour?''

* HalfwayPlotSwitch: ...with perhaps echoes of FirstLawOfTragicomedies. The film starts off as a goofy, cheesy motor-sport flick about Sidehacking. Then, after his initial comically-disastrous introduction, J.C. has that blow-up during dinner....then it gets dark from there. This was the main reason those at ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' picked this movie to begin with. They were expecting a goofy, "hep-cat", teeny-bopper motor-sport flick, not a dark "Murder-Rape-Revenge" flick.

* BittersweetEnding: Though the story is a DownerEnding, it could be seen as a bittersweet one [[FromACertainPointOfView from a certain point of view]]. Almost everyone, including the hero, gets killed (while the villain lives)....but the villain is implied to get arrested afterwards. Rommel's friend at the garage knew a bit about what was going on and even asked Rommel, "Why don't you just call the police?". In a nutshell; The whole flick boils down to J.C. having KarmaHoudiniWarranty[[note]]J.C. will eventually be punished with either Life or the Death Penalty[[/note]] and the stupidity of not calling law enforcement to do their job [[note]]Which was probably the {{Aesop}} of this whole story to begin with[[/note]].

* TogetherInDeath: Rommel and Rita...ev-evidently? What ''was'' that?

[[PoliceAreUseless The police seem unable to locate JC]]; so Rommel, with nothing left to live for, sells all his worldly possessions in order to hire a gang to go exact his own revenge. He gets help from an unexpected source; a couple of JC's henchmen, Gooch and Nero, defect to Rommel's side. Except Gooch is TheMole and is secretly reporting Rommel's moves to JC. Ah, but Rommel is aware of Gooch's secret, and so this plot point... ultimately goes nowhere. In the meantime, JC gets bad vibes about Paisley's rape story and strangles her in a jealous fit.

* PoliceAreUseless: They can't seem to find JC after the murder, even though he's hiding in a local rock quarry.
** Even worse, he was hiding in his hotel for ''ten days'' before moving to the rock quarry.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: JC. That bit where he starts yelling at Nero, the sound goes out and the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' crew yells at him to shut up? Yeah, it's just what you're thinking.
** Plus, he's a misogynist who beats, rapes & kills women.

* RuleOfSymbolism: So screwed up only the makers of this film could possibly explain the symbolism of a racist, misogynistic Jesus Christ.
** And the hero's named after a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII General.]]

%%* LostLoveMontage
%%* MeadowRun
%%* MightyGlacier: Big Jake.
%%* TheMole: Gooch

* DownerEnding, bordering on ShootTheShaggyDog.
** Well; Just short of ShootTheShaggyDog. If it's of any consolation to anyone, it is implied that the cops catch and arrest J.C. They were arriving on the scene just as [[spoiler: JC shoots Rommel to death]]. [[note]]Also; If you believe in an afterlife, you could perhaps imagine that Rommel and Rita are [[TogetherInDeath reunited there]], living HappilyEverAfter.[[/note]]

The film is best known for its appearance on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', which wound up changing the show's history. The creators of ''MST3K'' were unaware of and unprepared for the graphic rape/murder scene, which horrified them so much that they altered the process for screening films; from this point forward, all potential movies would be screened in their entirety '''before''' being chosen for inclusion on the show. For more info on the episode, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S02E02TheSidehackers episode recap page]]. The original uncut film can be seen starting [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMuF2XvPEO0 here.]]

* HalfwayPlotSwitch: ...with perhaps echoes of FirstLawOfTragicomedies. The film starts off as a goofy, cheesy motor-sport flick about Sidehacking. Then, after his initial comically-disastrous introduction, J.C. has that blow-up during dinner....then it gets dark from there. This was the main reason those at [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] picked this movie to begin with. They were expecting a goofy, "hep-cat", teeny-bopper motor-sport flick, not a dark "Murder-Rape-Revenge" flick.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: JC. That bit where he starts yelling at Nero, the sound goes out and the [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 MST3K]] crew yells at him to shut up? Yeah, it's just what you're thinking.

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
--> '''Race Announcer''':"Who, I might add, is no newcomer to this thrilling new sport!"

** Well; Just short of ShootTheShaggyDog. If it's of any consolation to anyone, it is implied that the cops catch and arrest J.C. They were arriving on the seen just as [[spoiler: JC shoots Rommel to death]]. [[note]]Also; If you believe in an afterlife, you could perhaps imagine that Rommel and Rita are [[TogetherInDeath reunited there]], living HappilyEverAfter.[[/note]]

For the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, please go to the [[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S02E02TheSidehackers episode recap page]]. The original uncut film can be seen starting [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMuF2XvPEO0 here.]]

** Well; Just short of ShootTheShaggyDog. If it's of any consolation to anyone, it is implied that the cops catch and arrest J.C. They were arriving on the seen just as [[spoiler: JC shoots Rommel to death]]. [[note]]Also; If you believe in an afterlife, you could perhaps imagine that Rommel and Rita are reunited there, living HappilyEverAfter.[[/note]]

** And the hero's named after a [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] [[WorldWarTwo General.]]

** "Five the Hard Way" [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial definitely has nothing to do]] with the Jack Nicholson movie ''Film/FiveEasyPieces'', released earlier the same year.

'''''The Sidehackers''''' (aka ''Five The Hard Way'') is a 1969 ExploitationFilm which follows the attempts of a garage mechanic and amateur motorcycle racer to avenge the rape and murder of his girlfriend.