The action starts at a political rally, when Toad (Hugh Keays-Byrne), a member of the Grave Diggers motorcycle club witnesses the assassination of a local politician. Of course the fact that Toad was so stoned out of his mind when he saw the killing that he probably wouldn't be able to tell the killer from a large plate of scrambled eggs makes no difference at all; and the killer still starts systematically knocking off the Grave Diggers to cover his trail. Enter Stone (Ken Shorter), a motorcycle-riding, long-hair loner cop who decides to join the Grave Diggers with the hope he can protect them from more murders, and find the killer. Some of the gang is apprehensive, but their leader, The Undertaker (Harbutt), agrees to let Stone ride with the Grave Diggers. It isn't long before Stone begins to fit in with the others, so much so that his girlfriend begins to worry about him. But as the killer begins to close in on the Grave Diggers, Stone must come to grips with the fact that even though he sees himself as part of the gang, he's still a cop sworn to uphold the law, which is something that goes against everything the Grave Diggers stand for. Eventually, Stone must make a decision as to what he will do, and which path he will chose.

Stone is an ambitious film that is not without its flaws, but still manages to overcome those shortcomings. Clearly, this is a movie that was produced on a very small budget, which shows most often in the performances. None of the actors are outright terrible, but at the same time, none of them are taking the craft of acting to new creative heights. By and large, this is better-than-most acting found in biker movies.

As a director, Harbutt has a raw, gritty style that lends itself to the subject matter. Biker flicks are at their best when they have a down and dirty quality to them, lending to the notion that somehow the movie about those living outside the norms of conventional society was produced under similar circumstances. And Stone definitely has that feeling, which is probably why it is so popular among motorcycle enthusiasts.

The film also succeeds in the way Harbutt and co-writer Michael Robinson develop the Grave Diggers as more than the standard, one-dimensional bikers often found in films of this nature. Stone plays as if the writers studied the genre films that came in the previous decade, and decided to take things to a slightly different level. As portrayed in the film, the Grave Diggers are Satan-worshipping outlaw bikers, who all happen to be Vietnam veterans. Harbutt and Robinson present the gang as its own society that lives by a set of moral conduct that makes sense to them at a time when the moral conduct of the world they came from made far less sense. This creates a dynamic tension between the character of Stone and the rest of the Grave Diggers, who represent the moral conflict that is tearing our hero apart.

Stone was a huge hit in Australia, and has become a bonafide cult classic in its native country. Here in the United States the film remains relatively unknown, but this two-disc release provides a great opportunity for audiences to discover this exploitation gem.

Video:
Stone is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen. The picture quality is good, but not great. The disc appears to have been mastered from a source that has some minor signs of wear, but overall is in good shape. The colors are consistent and the image is sharp.

Audio:
Stone is presented in mono. The sound mix is good as are the audio levels, especially considering that the presentation is mono.

Bonus Material:
There is an entire second disc with bonus material. First is "Stone Forever" (61 min.) is a documentary shot in 1998 at the 25th anniversary celebration of Stone, which was attended by 35,000 bikers. The documentary features interviews with cast and crew members in 1998, as well as footage from "The Making of Stone" (23 min.), an original documentary produced at the time the film was released, and included in its entirety on the second disc. The Directors Slide Show (21 min.) is a reel of behind-the-scenes photos that includes commentary by Sandy Harbutt, where he gives the lowdown on pretty much everyone involved in the production of the movie. The bonus material ir rounded out by an 8-minute reel of makeup tests, and the original trailer (which can be found on the first disc).

Final Thoughts:
If you're a fan of biker flicks, or 1970s exploitation films, you should check out Stone. It is easily as good, if not better than most of its American contemporaries, and is a solidly entertaining film.