‘The Bikeriders’ – Review
Virtuoso filmmaker Jeff Nichols brings the rebel attitude and swagger of the American highway landscape and the outlaws who roam it to life with the roar of a Harley Davidson motorcycle in the impressive true-life crime drama The Bikeriders.
Set in the 1960s, it follows the rise of the Vandals MC, a Chicago outlaw motorcycle club. Seen through the lives of its members and their families, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a surrogate family for local outcasts into violent organized crime, threatening the original founder’s unique vision and way of life.
Writer/director Jeff Nichols has built an impressive list of credits with his stories that have captured a classic Americana feel, and now, with his sixth feature film, The Bikeriders, he adapts the true story of an Outlaw Motorcycle club to the big screen and how time and circumstance change its members as they search for desperate freedom. Based on the true story that acclaimed photojournalist Danny Lyon captured in his seminal work of the same name, The Bikeriders is a film that roars with attitude and aggression and places his audiences right in the centre of a ragtag club of outlaws who are determined to find their own sense of freedom. It’s a film that pulsates with a quintessential cool, and it is without a doubt one of the most stylish and raw pictures you’ll watch all year.
For Nichols, The Bikeriders has been his dream project that he has held onto for twenty years, and now, finally, he gets to bring this incredible world and its one-of-a-kind characters to the big screen. A passion in the truest sense of the word, Nichols brings an incredible sense of intimacy and understanding of this narrative and its players, and the result is a picture that is shaped by a director’s true vision and a desire to capture this outsider world properly. Adapting a non-linear narrative that moves back and forth between 1965 and 1973, Nichols draws on the distinctive viewpoint of Jodie Comer’s Kathy through the lens and eye of photojournalist Danny Lyons (Mike Faist). It’s through this unique perspective that audiences come to meet the Vandals MC, and their quest to ride the open road on their terms. Nichols crafts a film that is an intimate character study and an observation of a uniquely American subculture.
While The Bikeriders may be a picture of pure American masculinity and the rebels who make up the ranks of the 1%ers, its framing through a woman’s viewpoint leads to an incredibly nuanced and introspective story. Stepping into the role of Illinois native Kathy is English actress Jodie Comer, and she proves again why she is one of the most in-demand talents around. With her beehive hairdo, Chicago drawl and take-no-shit attitude, Kathy is our narrator to the events of this picture and sees a gathering of outcasts turn into something more sinister. Comer holds nothing back in her performance as Kathy, wife to the wayward and mysterious Benny (Austin Butler), who comes into conflict with the world of the Vandals and its commanding leader, Johnny (Tom Hardy). Comer uniquely captures the love/hate aspect of Kathy’s life in accordance with the Vandals, and her perspective on this story makes for an intriguing look at a captivating outsider world.
Playing opposite Comer is Austin Butler as Benny, a member of the Vandals MC and Kathy’s rogue husband, who is an outlaw biker through and through. Butler has proven that he’s a true acting chameleon with his performances, and here he is incredibly reserved and quiet. There’s an air of mystery and danger to Benny, and he’s hypnotic as this almost unknowable, beautiful rogue. Clad in denim and with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Benny is the bad boy of every woman’s fantasy, and he’s a damn flawless specimen as his glowing muscles flex while he nurses a bourbon in his hand. It’s easy to see why Benny is the object of desire for both Kathy and Johnny, but there’s also something sad about his hellion ways, for he might be a rebel without a cause, but there’s no knowing what he’s rebelling against.
The Bikeriders is brought full circle by Tom Hardy’s Johnny, the founder and leader of the Vandals, and he’s a commanding presence as this stoic and world-weary outlaw. Hardy’s performance as Johnny is powerful as he embodies both the stoic blue-collar truck driver by day and the dangerous leader of the Vandals by night. His character, Johnny, is like a commanding general but also weary of the challenges around him, realizing that he cannot forever live the life of an outlaw. His dynamic with Kathy and their conflicts over the future of the Vandals, especially Benny’s role, adds depth to the storyline. This role truly demonstrates Hardy’s talent, solidifying his position as one of the great actors of our generation.
The movie features outstanding performances, including Michael Shannon as Zipco, Boyd Holbrook as Cal, Damon Herriman as Brucie, Mike Faist as Danny Lyon, and Norman Reedus as Funny Sonny. Faist portrays real-life journalist Danny Lyon, a young reporter observing the outsiders and who documents the story of a group of men striving to find their place. Characters like Michael Shannon’s Zipco and Norman Reedus’ Funny Sonny are depicted as outcasts who don’t fit in with society and resort to mayhem, drinking, and violence. Their performances vividly bring to life these classic outlaw American characters.
However, the irony lies in the fact that their failure to belong in society has led them to the world of the Vandals, a place with stricter rules than the constitution. This paradox forms the core of the theme of belonging in the movie and Nichols’ exploration of it. Nichols delves deeply into the theme of belonging and acceptance, which forms the heart of the narrative’s impact.
The Bikeriders is a film that was meant for the big screen, and it’s truly a mesmerizing sight. The cinematography by Adam Stone and the gripping soundtrack of classic blues and rock tunes from the mid-1960s capture the grit, grime, and texture of these bar-hopping outcasts. Everything is captured on camera, making the experience of The Bikeriders feel all the more authentic. It portrays a classic kind of American masculinity, filled with aggression and violence, but also a hard-fought sense of honour, even if it’s a flawed kind. This film evokes an immediate kind of feeling, and I believe that those who were fortunate enough to see it on the big screen will be able to look back in twenty years and say they witnessed something truly special.
The Bikeriders is a powerful portrayal of a American subculture, capturing a unique time and place with swagger and attitude. This cinematic experience speaks to primal instincts and celebrates fearless freedom, and its story solidifies the idea that genuine freedom belongs to the fearless.
Image: Universal Pictures
