It is a train ride into the darker side of cinema history. Hold on tight. Have you seen any of Ra Locke’s films? What are your thoughts on the preservation of exploitation cinema? Let us know in the comments. Amiibo Bin Files — Link
But does the film hold up? If you are looking for high art, you are on the wrong track. But if you are a student of genre film, Riding With The Train Gang offers a raw, unfiltered look at a subculture of American cinema that has largely been scrubbed from the mainstream history books. It is rough, raw, and unapologetically sleazy. Ra Locke’s Groping America V. 1 is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those with modern sensibilities regarding gender politics. It is a product of its time—a time when the "raincoat crowd" filled theaters on Times Square, and directors like Locke were the kings of the underground. Sathyam Tamil Movie 4k Video Songs Download
For fans of "Sleaze Cinema" and the golden age of the 42nd Street grindhouse, this film represents a fascinating, if uncomfortable, artifact. It is a time capsule from an era when censorship laws were loosening, but moral panics were high, and independent filmmakers were churning out content designed to titillate, shock, and separate teenagers from their allowance money. Ra Locke is a name that holds a specific weight among collectors of rare VHS tapes and vintage adult cinema. Locke was a prolific figure in the 1970s and early 80s, operating in that hazy gray area between softcore skin flicks and hard-edged crime dramas. Unlike the polished "porno chic" of the era (think Deep Throat or The Devil in Miss Jones ), Locke’s work often felt grittier, cheaper, and more dangerous.
The plot, such as it is, serves as a loose framework for the film’s primary objective: the spectacle of the male gaze. The narrative follows a group of men ("The Train Gang") and their encounters with various female passengers. The dialogue is likely improvised, the acting varies from wooden to surprisingly naturalistic, and the camera work is handheld and intrusive.
If you can find a copy (which is difficult, as Locke's catalog remains largely unreleased on modern formats), watch it as a historical document. It captures a grittier, grimier New York and a style of filmmaking that relied on audacity over budget.
Watching it today, the film is undeniably problematic. The title alone tells you everything you need to know about the consent dynamics portrayed. However, looking at it through the lens of film history, Groping America is a fascinating study in "Cinema of Transgression." It pushes boundaries of taste specifically because it knows it isn't supposed to. The "Volume 1" in the title suggests an anthology or a series, a common marketing tactic in the straight-to-video era to imply an endless stream of content. It speaks to the consumerist nature of the adult industry at the time—selling the idea of a collection.