the spike gang be make back in the day when ron howard be your prototypical golly gee whiz teenager and just a number of month after american graffiti and and in the same year which howard tv sitcom happy day premier . so there he be and still right smack dab right there in the midst of be the golly gee whiz teen age lad . he be what he be and and that exactly what he be . howard stayed with his act career for awhile after this and through the 70 and but he never really break out of that mold . if he have stick with act a little long perhaps he might have be able to broaden his range . or and on the other hand and maybe it for the best that he do not and since he actually do go on to have a remarkable career behind the camera . the point be be that there be a bit of a surprise here and a difference between this and other ron howard act vehicle and because here ron howard actually play slightly against type and not entirely the innocent lad we usually see . this story have an edge and a serious steely edge and sometimes subtle and sometimes not and but definitely always there and and le ( ron howard character ) and his two buddy learn some thing about life the hard way and harder in fact than one might have expect in a ron howard movie in those day . another edge this film dance on be a precarious edge and at time the film dangle towards be a comedy of sort and an amuse coming of age story and but at other time towards a deadly serious drama . robert fleischer be an experienced and accomplished director . he know what he be do and and he do it well . lee marvin be very good in this movie and a he usually be in most all of his performance . that alone be enough to commend it . and that not all there be . i would compare this movie to the shootist . while certainly the story and the theme they paint be very different and and the the dynamic of the character be very different and the two film nevertheless operate on about the same plane and and some similarity do exist . ron howard learn hard truth about life from lee marvin . ron howard learn hard truth about life from john wayne . the shootist be note for be john wayne last movie . the spike gang have no such hook and and so it fell into obscurity . but my guess be that someone who like one film one would like the other and and i like them both . i recommend the spike gang .