The Bikeriders
Review by Mark Woodring
Drawn from the 1968 book of photos and interviews with the members of a Chicago-area motorcycle club by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders was supposed to release in 2023, but luckily, we now get it in the summer of 2024, when a film like this might actually find some traction.
**NOTE: this post may be updated with audio once we actually have the chance to talk about it. Until then, you can read Mark’s review below. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
116 Minutes, Rated R
Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Synopsis:
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
This based-on-true-events film plays like a classic Hollywood film: drawing more attention to its characters than any sort of spectacle. Mostly focused on interviews between journalist/photographer Danny (Mike Faist) and Kathy (Jodie Comer), wife of one of the members of the Vandals, The Bikeriders unfolds not quite episodically, but more like a well-plotted novel, with one segment moving smoothly into the next.
Johnny (Tom Hardy) is the founder of the Vandals Inspired by the 1953 Marlon Brando film The Wild Ones, Johnny is seeking a place beyond his family, though at no point is his devotion to them ever in question. It’s a strange time in America.
Just over a decade after WWII and a generation is trying to find something…
This isn’t the post WWI “Lost Generation,” though. Rather than sink into societal decadence and parties, they wanted something real, something tangible… and motorcycles – and the clubs which played to them – easily fit the bill.
From simple fraternities of literal Bike Riders, the film progresses as we see the club (it’s always referred to as a “club” not a gang, because that is what Johnny envisioned it as) slowly grow into something beyond it’s humble beginning, as groups across the midwest – and eventually the country – hear about them and want to create chapters in their areas.
As the club grows, so too does the number of voices vying for influence and ultimately control of it, and not all of those voices are as easy-going as Johnny once was.
That isn’t to say Johnny is an innocent, but rather that he can always see what the club was meant to be, supposed to be, and so could temper his actions within that framework. The “new guys” weren’t that way. Coming from the shadow of Vietnam, exposed to violence and lack of acceptance upon their return, they drive the club to darker ranges, one where Johnny can’t always maintain control.
So, too, do the young kids being raised in cities without fathers, left to their own devices, boosting hubcaps (remember when that was a thing) and generally getting on the wrong side of the good-behavior line. The appeal of a group like the Vandals, with its generally non-conformist appearance and attitudes, is like raw meat to a tiger.
Through Kathy, we learn the story of the Vandals via her interactions with them, specifically Benny (Austin Butler). Seduced by the “bad boy” image, Kathy quickly finds herself one of the them, trying to keep Benny straight (legally, though she fails more often than not), as Johnny tries to groom him to eventually take over leadership.
But Benny isn’t that kind of guy. He’s not a leader, he’s just someone who feels he’s found his place amongst (generally) kindred souls, and he’s happy riding his bike and hanging out.
The Bikeriders is a wonderful movie, one not dependent its action, but on the interplay between these characters. It’s easy to see the ending coming when it arrives, which makes it all the more tragic, having seen the characters move and grow into these places.
Austin Butler must be considered a legitimate Movie Star at this point. As incredible as he was in Elvis, his turn here is perhaps more impressive; a man who simply wants to live his life, more so, perhaps, than any other Vandal, including Johnny.
Jodie Comer, no matter how much praise is sent her way, is continually underappreciated. She disappears into Kathy, donning an accent as unique as it is identifiable as the character.
Tom Hardy may turn in his best work as Johnny, presenting us with a solid and imposing presence which is only a disguise for a subtle, moving performance as a man who sees the end coming, but not in the way he might expect.
But like a classic hero, he faces it without hesitation. Today, some people might call Johnny’s flavor of masculinity “toxic,” but in reality, it’s simply what masculinity should be: making a decision, supporting that decision, taking care of those he cares about, and accepting responsibility for his decisions.
The Bikeriders is, simply, a beautiful piece of work.
I don’t often rank films throughout the year, instead waiting till year-end to star looking at awards or favorites lists, but The Bikeriders is easily in my Top-5 films thus far this year, both in substance and sheer personal enjoyment.
See it.
The Bikeriders is in theaters Friday and stars Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Norman Reedus, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, and Toby Wallace.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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