The Truth About Hells Angels (five): A MEAN and moody leather-clad Marlon Brando typified the Hollywood image of Hells Angels. Meet "a hot blood and his jazzed-up hoodlums" was the invitation in the trailer for the biker movie The Wild One in the early 1950s.

The reality is far removed from this romantic image as The Truth About Hells Angels attempted to reveal, although the programme never quite made up its mind if they were a good thing or a bad thing.

It contained remarkable footage of a biker rumble three years ago in Laughlin, a sleepy little town on the banks of the Colorado, 100 miles south of Las Vegas.

The place was rudely awakened after 20 years of trouble-free visits by thousands of bikers for the annual River Run rally. Trouble led to a gun battle that left three dead and 12 injured. Later this year, 14 bikers will answer murder charges in court.

This did much to reinforce the popular perception of Hells Angels as figures of fear known for terror, lawlessness and murder. Some people make a living out of trying to prove this - namely, the special agents and law enforcers who've spent decades investigating their activities.

With 4,000 biker clubs in existence, the problem isn't going to go away. The majority are peaceful, only a handful reject society's rules and you'd be hard pushed to find anyone who bites the heads off chickens.

More interesting than all this information about the anti-social behaviour of a handful of bikers were the origins of Hells Angels. They've been in existence for more than 100 years, really catching on after the Second World War when the long open road was the perfect antidote to the horrors of warfare.

During the 1960s and 1970s the Angels spread their wings over the rest of the world, while back in the US they became America's most unwanted. A stabbing involving Hells Angels at a Rolling Stones concert did nothing to help their image.

Inevitably, some people have come along determined to save biker souls. They include former Hells Angel Frank Minucci. While he was clinically dead, he was shown the path to take. "I know where I went, I know what I saw, I know what I have to do," he said.

Former FBI special agent Tim McKinley knows what he has to do as well. His mission is to stamp out Hells Angels who deal in controlled substances.

One group known as The Mongols - named after Attila the Hun's hordes - comprise mainly blue collar workers with families. Telling us that one member is an ER nurse was meant to ease worries about the gang.

Or perhaps that was to assure us that if their "willingness to engage in violence" resulted in fights, there was someone qualified on hand to help the wounded.

Published: 27/04/2005