There will never be another bikie film quite like Stone. That highway funeral scene will live on forever in my mind-that all so sad music theme attached. That theme haunts me so, I almost feel reluctant from viewing that scene, every time I watch this great film. The plot is great. A stoned biker, (Hugh Keays Byrne) a true Aussie acting talent, witnesses a political assassination, in the lush green park lands of Sydney. He's spotted by the assassinating party-a mob type figure, who misses his chance at taking him out. That means he's gonna tells his biker friends, The Gravediggers, and they can't have that. We get to view these mob figures, up close, chicken s***ts as they are, in a few sufficient scenes, which for us, as the viewer are greatly appreciated. Heartless scum like these mob guys are, they know the Gravies must all be sacrificed. So one by one they're bumped off. Enter unconventional cop, Stone, (Ken Shorter-a Ted Mulray sort of looking guy) a long haired hippie type guy who looks nothing like a cop. His girlfiend hangs out with her rich socialite friends at this lavish house where the guys play tennis and the women take long sunbathing sessions. Even on his way to meet the Gravies, he's wearing a white coat and pants as if he's off to work at the bakery. He joins forces with The Gravies, who at first show instant animosity to him, but when he prevents the attempted murder of another one of their own, he gets on their good side, and believe me, it's the best side to be on with these terrifying bikers. You wouldn't even want to look the wrong way, mistakingly at this mob, cause that's what it would be, a mistake. They make bikers I've seen in a lot of other bikie films, look like pussies. Even the bikies in Mad Max look tame compared to these. This movie outclasses Mad Max too, one, obviously in terms of realism. I prefer this over Mad Max, two fine actors here who went on to star in that cult classic. I loved the scene where two businessmen, are at a watering hole, the Gravies frequent, as seen a few times in the film are just minding their own business, when they start to become objects of intimidation by Byrne, and are scared off, all because one of them won't answer a weird request, which his bikie is more happy to do. Byrne ends up finishing their drinks, with the bartender (a very young Bill Hunter) saying to The Gravies "You blokes are not really good at public relations, are ya". I'd love to know this bar's locale, as I would the one of their dive, a fortress type place of tunnels by the sea. I have a good idea, but I feel divided in my guesses here. Another funny scene that always cracks me up, is the manager of an Italian restaurant, a victim of the protection rackets praising the Gravies for scaring away the mob, disregarding the little bit of grief these bikies cause him. The film's five letter title, that springs out from the exhaust of a motorcycle, and dominates the screen is great, as is the way the title has been formatted. The creepy awry music at the start is a winner. There's another slightly haunting score when they all go swimming nude. The actors are so believable here as bikers, bringing calm and natural performances, worthy of an ensemble award, and this includes Harbutt, balancing as writer, director, actor, his official signature on it's video cover. The 98 minute running time of this movie so quickly passes, you don't want it to end. It's that good a movie. Some heavy bits of gore, but only when needed, the one at it's finale, the most shocking, where The Gravies exact their own version of swift bloody justice. And believe me it's bloody. This film is a treat for the bikie fan. A goof I noticed in the film is when Stone's in the fish and chip shop, a burger patties unwrapped, thrown onto the grill, but we never see the cook flip the burger over before he hands it to Stone. But who cares, it's just a movie, but a bloody good one at that.

1974 - Out of the cultural desert that was the Australian Film industry, came STONE. Full of hard gritty realism, using real people in roles to fill out the tableau. Real Bikers paid with beer, actors riding the bikes and doing some of their own stunts.Made for a pittance, and a box office success, it was dealt harshly with by the critics, who missed the point of the movie. An honest film that delivers what it promises, little more, and no less.A majority of key actors went on to play similar roles in the first Mad Max, (oft cited as a derivative of sorts of STONE). Speed scenes accurate (no cinematic effects), a good cross section of emerging Oz actors appearing in this. Do yourself a favour and view this film.

Stone is one of the worst movies ever made: inept direction; bad (funny) dialog, low production expertise and values, bad editing and endless boring sequences of motorcycles as if a bike on a road is interesting cinema. Yes, there is a big stunt, but that does not make a film.The movie is a boring and unintentionally funny, ridiculous counter culture trip that owes much to Easy Rider without a Hopper or Nicholson.Stone's special sentimental place in Australia must be due to the audience's thrill at seeing their own on film. Some movies should be banned to save a country total humiliation - and Stone is one of them.

Stone is for me one of those moments in time that is etched into my mind in 1973 at the age of 22 I moved to Sydney after a weekend pop festival at the nations capital Canberra the first to be held there in those days. Biker life was much like it was portrayed in Stone yet brutally real, With to much to drink and the wind in our hair we left the music of that festival to ride to our next adventure as we passed the prime minsters lodge the equivalent to the white house my mate riding with me flipped off the federal guard at the gate next thing we had a ford falcon 351 Cleveland bearing down on us, With us on two bikes and one cruiser the math was simple! go different directions mine was Sydney town non stop I never saw my mate again, In need of work I stopped at small chopper shop in the suburbs of Sydney it turn out to be owned by the Sydney Hells Angels(who rebuilt all the Z1's and consulted on and participated in the movie). I was my good fortune to work on and be part of the movie Stone yes a low budget movie and for the most part the acting is mediocre yet it is truly a classic Aussie film, Raw and naive and some of the blood was real as was my experience!! Enjoy this diamond in the rough.