“The Bikeriders” Review
Austin Butler stars in “The Bikeriders” as Benny, a young rider who joins the Chicago Vandals Motorcycle Club and discovers the dark side of riding with an unruly force on bikes.
There’s something uniquely American about the motorcycle. While it, of course, exists in other countries, riding a motorcycle seems ingrained in the American spirit while the idea of the rider has become a symbol of restless freedom and has been immortalized in classic films like “Easy Rider”. But while outlaw motorcycle gangs, like the Hell’s Angels and the Mongols, are common knowledge, it has been some time since they’ve been the subject of a widely released film. In fact, the ones that come to mind were made by Roger Corman in the 1960s. Now, “The Bikeriders” has arrived and, with outstanding performances and a tangible feel of the decade it’s set in, it’s an engaging film that captures the joyous restlessness and the harsh realities of the motorcycle gang.
Based on Danny Lyon’s book, the film delivers a fictionalized take on the Chicago motorcycle gangs that formed in the 1960s in response to the clean-cut, all-American image that many men felt they they couldn’t live up to combined with a desire to rebel, a love of motorcycles and the counterculture image that actors like Marlon Brando were projecting. Out of this came The Vandals, a group of motorcyclists led by Johnny (Tom Hardy) who live life on their terms. Along with his group of friends, including a young biker named Benny (Austin Butler) that Johnny takes under his wing, Johnny and The Vandals spread their philosophy of freedom and bikes across the Midwest which leads to consequences when more undesirable elements infiltrate the gang. With The Vandals coming apart at the seams, Johnny, Benny and Benny’s wife Kathy (Jodie Comer) must all figure out how to escape with their lives.
From the very beginning, “The Bikeriders” has an approach that feels distinctly like a Martin Scorsese crime picture, mainly “Goodfellas” or “Casino”. There’s freeze-frames, narration and an abundance of good music cues to horrific acts of violence. I don’t mean to imply that this was intentional or even a rip-off, I mean to state that the film has a similar kind of energy that I think will appeal to a lot of people. For a solid chunk of this film, writer/director Jeff Nichols sets you up to have a good time with these characters who are on the wrong side of the law. You don’t always condone what they do but they’re having such a good time doing it and you feel that joy as well. That is until the shades come down and it’s no longer fun. You begin to realize that this world has become a noose, tightening around every character.
Throughout the film, the characters and the engaging performances behind them kept me intrigued in the story. Austin Butler continues to astonish with his brash but sensitive portrayal of a broken kid who has nothing to lose. If he died on his bike, that’d be just okay with him which makes his friendship with Johnny and marriage to Kathy all the more meaningful. In another example of blending into the character, Tom Hardy wows with another weird sounding guy with an alluring nature that you just can’t shake.
But it’s Jodie Comer who really stole the show for me. Kathy has just as much agency as her male counterparts and creates a compelling person that is both allured to the dangerous nature of Benny but hopes to change him into something better, something she needs. But she doesn't come across as manipulative, it’s all from a place of sincerity that we can all understand. Which would you prefer your husband do? Get killed on a bike or learn to start staying home most nights instead of going off drinking with his buddies? Instead of being the stereotypical dissatisfied wife, she generates a different kind of character that is trying to inject reason into a world of madness while also being seduced by it.
Through the eyes of Danny Lyon (Mike Faist), the world of this gang is examined and it does for the biker gang what “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” did to the Manson Family: it demystifies the legend. These aren’t heroic symbols of freedom, they’re just a bunch of crazy guys who ride bikes. However, “The Bikeriders” also treats its characters like real people instead of characters. With an abundant supporting cast of massively talented actors like Norman Reedus, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman and Michael Shannon, these bikers feel so tangible and you understand why they are such misfits and why they do belong together.
Set in the 60s and 70s, “The Bikeriders” has such a strong rhythm to it and feels drenched in the style of classic biker films like “Wild Angels”, “Easy Rider” and “The Born Losers”. Plenty of camp exists surrounding the wild antics of The Vandals but there’s also the insight into how a biker gang can evolve from just a rough crew of good-ol’-boys to something much more nefarious. While The Vandals, even in their most initial form, are still pretty rough customers, there is a jovial sense to them, like they know when enough is enough. To see this become corrupted does make “The Bikeriders” an engaging tragedy that showcases the talents of the actors and of the uniquely American source material. To see a genre long associated with 1960s independent cinema be given the opportunity to come back is most certainly a worthwhile venture.
But while “The Bikeriders” does make for an engaging watch that can make you laugh and then squirm in the span of a minute, the third act left something to be desired. The last portion of the film trails off in regards to exploring the consequences of people’s actions. It doesn’t grind the film to a halt or crash it but it does slow the picture down. Because of this, certain character arc conclusions (supporting roles mainly) feel rushed and underdeveloped.
With a talented production and an attention to replicating the bygone era of biker films, “The Bikeriders” is quite an entertaining indie summer film that is sure to delight those that relish in seeing how the bad guys aren’t that bad. It may be flawed at times but, like a chopper you may be scared to ride, it could take you somewhere exciting and new.
