As usual, Kerry was right on.
>Mythology usually differs from practicality at
critical points. In Quebec,
>biker muscle is supplied by younger aspirants,
frequently in satellite
>clubs affiliated with the Angels. Theoretically they
can work their way up
>by performing contract kills ordered by members of
the elite Nomad club,
>though the killers themselves are often the victims
of pre-ascension snubs.
>Organizers like Bouchard are older career criminals
who found a ready
>source of willing soldiers and greens-keepers among
the lower ranks from
>which they graduated. As with the majority of
"bikers", the motorcycle ages
>into more of a hobby than a daily form of
transportation. Eventually,
>public relations becomes an important part of the
skill-set for any
>organization.
The fact is, the bikers are just like any other organized
band of criminals. Think of them as the Sopranos, but with a
taste for Harleys instead of pasta. To dismiss them as merely
a bunch of greasy beer-bellied thugs terrorizing roadhouses
is to turn a blind eye to a very real and dangerous criminal
threat. Montreal's been rocked by this mob war for years, and
it's claimed the lives of close to possibly 200 people so
far, many of them innocents (nobody's quite sure, because
these guys aren't exactly brain surgeons, and sometimes they
hit the wrong targets...)
John Farrow's recent CITY OF ICE has many problems, but he
nails the pure evil and yahoo viciousness of these assholes
right to the wall. In fact, it's dedicated to the memory of a
kid who was killed on his way to play hockey, when he
happened to walk by a car that blew up.
--
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