Retrospective: Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982)

[Jerry Saravia]

TIMERIDER: THE ADVENTURE OF LYLE SWANN (1982)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: One star

The name Timerider refers to a time-travel device in the middle of the
desert. It is put to use but unfortunately, a motorcycle rider from
the Baja 100 race has inadvertently crossed its path and been sent
back to the Old West, circa 1870's. Great idea, horrible execution of
the material.

Fred Ward is Lyle Swann (not the catchiest of names), the motorcycle
rider who has no idea he is in the Old West. Outside of a pack of
cowboys led by the scenery-chewing Peter Coyote (in what may be his
sole villain role), the lack of phones, a buxom Belinda Bauer who
doesn't take too long before she removes her clothes, it all looks the
same as the present. Add to the cast a listless, taciturn L.Q. Jones,
himself a veteran of westerns, and Ed Lauter as a priest and we got
the makings of a cinematic disaster. Fred Ward looks too out of place
as the clueless hero, Bauer is there to show some flesh and look
helpless as she is tied to a bed and little else, and Coyote and most
of the cast overact to the hilt. After Lyle finds himself in the Old
West, we get a love scene and numerous shootouts that are badly staged
and edited - they take over the last three-quarters of the movie and
add nothing to the story outside of reminding us that the Old West was
a stomping ground for wild and crazy trigger-happy cowboys.

There is one good scene where Peter Coyote wants that motorcycle,
referred to as the "machine," and he finally gets a hold of it. Coyote
tries to start it up and rides it, only to fall on his bum. Other than
that, "Timerider" is a snore-inducing and highly indifferent picture
that bears some of the nifty ideas of time travel without realizing
them. There is no fun to be had here and with a less than engaging
hero and cumbersome acting by all involved, no one to root for either.
A twist of fate at the end of the film lends some gravitas but you'll
forget about it the next day.

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