The Bikeriders (Jeff Nichols, 2023)
The Bikeriders is the one movie that got away from me this summer. But I finally caught up with it!
It’s odd I didn’t see it earlier, since I dearly wanted to ever it since it premiered at Venice last year.
Why? Well, first of all, it’s a movie by acclaimed filmmaker Jeff Nichols, who has made excellent features like Mud (2012) and Loving (2016).
Secondly, as the leading roles are played by Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer and Austin Butler, with the great Michael Shannon in a supporting role, it was bound to be an acting treat.
Thirdly, The Bikeriders is about an interesting time in modern American history, taking place between roughly 1965 and 1975.
Inspired by and/or based on a photo book (from 1968) by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders tells the story of a motor cycle club called The Vandals, which is based on the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
It chronicles the rise of the club and also its descent into a criminal organization, involving drugs, prostitution and murder for hire.
It also tells the story of a love triangle of sorts. It’s about Kathy (Comer) who falls in love with Benny (Butler) for who the two most important things in life are The Vandals and its charismatic leader Johnny (Hardy).
For his part, Johnny sees Benny as his natural successor, but Benny doesn’t see himself as a leader. So at one point he bails, from both Kathy and The Vandals, setting up an ending that’s both tragic and bittersweet.
The Bikeriders offers up an intriguing portrait of American counter culture, even if it won’t be as influential as the legendary Easy Rider (or as popular as a more recent series like Sons of Anarchy).
It’s about people with an alternative lifestyle, who dream of total freedom, but then get caught up in their own little sub culture, without ever completely breaking free.
The arc of the story is a little predictable as things go from good to bad to worse, but Nichols (who is from the Mid West himself) infuses the movie with a great sense of place.
While the actors in this lovingly shot picture make you care for the characters long after they fade from the screen.
Note: The Bikeriders is still in cinemas in countries like Argentina, Poland and Sweden. It is now also available on various streaming platforms.