Can you guess what this movie is about? It’s okay, I’ll give you a bit of time to think. And in the meantime, you can decide if this was a shitty opening. The Bikeriders is a movie that’s going to take you back to the sixties and the beginnings of the biker culture. We’ll get to know colorful members of the Vandals Motorcycle Club and see what drew them to this lifestyle. Among them are a true rebel without a cause, Benny, club president Johnny, and many others. This is not a classic commercial movie about bikers and it doesn’t have a standard story. It’s more of a character study and a period drama loosely based on actual events.
You might even say that, at its heart, The Bikeriders is a romantic love story between an outlaw and an ordinary girl who falls in love with him. However, do not think for one second that all of this makes the movie somehow boring or disjointed. It will be those things if you’re expecting something along the lines of classic nineties biker movies. If you stick ’till the end, I’ll recommend a couple of them. The inspiration for the movie The Bikeriders was a single photobook of the same name by the famous photographer Danny Lyon. This gives it a sense of authenticity stretched to its absolute limits by Jeff Nichols.
I don’t mean this in a bad way as what I want to say is that Jeff was looking for that biker vibe. And he fucking found it. Are we still using the word vibe or has it been updated to something else? I remember Nichols as the man behind another vibey movie, Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey. Do check it out, if you’re looking for a good crime thriller. It goes without saying that The Bikeriders is a visually impressive and appealing movie. All the bikes look freaking awesome along with excellent costumes and all the rest of the period stuff. As I previously mentioned, the story takes place back in the sixties.
There are so many iconic scenes here that you can use these screenshots as posters. The movie swings back and forth between romanticizing the bikers and hitting us with the cold hard reality of the situation. You might be swept off your feet by a cute and dangerous biker but once you’re with him things can get tricky. In that sense, it reminded me of Challengers and Past Lives. Both of those movies are at the same time both engaging and flat. Maybe this is a new sort of North American Magical Movie Realism.
Moreover, all three movies are exploring love, romance, and life. Could it be that old Subversive Rabbit has gone soft on ya and started watching “chick flicks”? Well, I am the same as I ever was and if you check out these movies, you’ll find them worth watching. Moving on, while the Vandals MC we see in the movie The Bikeriders is totally made up, it’s based on a very real Outlaws Motorcycle Club.
Outlaws are actually mortal enemies of the most popular MC in the world, Hell’s Angels. At least that’s what I read on the Internets. The cast was fucking phenomenal, led by our charming trio consisting of Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, and Jodie Comer. However, I think that the supporting cast was just as strong. Michael Shannon was born to play these roles and Toby Wallace (The Royal Hotel) is quickly becoming a rising star in Hollywood.
And you simply know that the rest of the cast was up to the task. During the end credits you’ll be able to see the real bikers upon whom this movie is based. Finally, if you’re looking for more traditional biker movies, you can start with one of my favorites Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man. Then you can move on to Stone Cold and Beyond the Law. And if you’re looking for something more modern, Hell Ride isn’t too bad.
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writers: Jeff Nichols, Danny Lyon
Cast: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Toby Wallace
Fun Facts: Although the movie was complete back in 2022, due to scheduling and distribution issues its premiere date was in 2024.
Rating:
IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21454134/
