“Electra Glide in Blue” is another superb New Hollywood film, starring Robert Blake (“Baretta”) as a straight-arrow Arizona State Trooper and above-average intelligent redneck dreaming of becoming a homicide detective. John Wintergreen is honest to a fault. His ambitions are shaped by Hollywood’s glamorous and archetypal depictions of the gentleman detective, complete with Stetson hat, bolo, and cowboy boots. He eventually gets to don this uniform, assisting a real detective, but the reality of the job shatters his preconceptions.

There are several intense set pieces in this film: a wild motorcycle chase, several harrowing “let’s mess with the hippies” scenes, and an unforgettable monologue from the detective’s girlfriend that deconstructs our whole obsession with film and how it affects the way we see ourselves. Blake is supported by a fantastic cast, everyone jostling to steal and chew up scenes.

The whole Monument Valley vistas are cliche, but the point is easily recognized. There is no more Wild West, and there never will be. The resolution of the murder case Wintergreen gets involved in is way too pat and contrived, though the case’s final solution is a classic film noir revelation that reminded me of “Chinatown.” A darker, nihilistic mirror of the goofy series “CHiPs”, “Electra Glide in Blue” is a movie about the pitfalls of letting movies shape your dreams. But I guess it’s a little late for that warning, eh?

Tags: electra glide in blue, robert blake

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