Bruce Dern, born in 1936, is a distinguished American actor known for his compelling performances in cult cinema. He appears in The Wild Angels (1966), where he embodies the rebellious spirit of the 1960s motorcycle culture, and Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973), where he plays the conflicted character of Billy the Kid. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dern carved a niche in films that challenged mainstream narratives, contributing to the gritty aesthetic of exploitation and counterculture cinema. His roles in these films highlight his ability to portray complex characters in a transformative era for American film.
World Gone Wild
In the nuclear-ravaged wasteland of Earth in the year 2087, water is as precious as life itself. The isolated town of Lost Wells, an outpost that survived the holocaust, is led by Ethan (Bruce Dern), a Moses-like guru and the last schoolteacher on the planet, Angie (Catherine Stewart). The inhabitants of the town guard the secret of their existence and source of their water from the outside world. The "town" consist of a Mobil station surrounded by a wall of old cars. The school takes place in an old school bus. One of the few books still in existence and held by the town is an unabridged book on etiquette by Emily Post. An evil cult of pseudoreligious renegades led by Derek (Adam Ant), a group following the teachings in a book on Charles Manson discovers the existence of the water source and wants control of the town's valuable water supply. As the villagers are no match for Derek's brute military force, they hire mercenaries living in a distant city. That group includes Nitro, Ten Watt and they are led by George Landon. The townspeople and the mercenaries team up to stage a last ditch defense of the town.
