GoMovieReviews Rating: ★★★
Rated: M
Written and Directed by: Jeff Nichols
Inspired by the Book, ‘The Bikeriders’ by, Danny Lyon
Produced by: Sarah Green, p.g.a, Brian Kavanaugh Jones, p.g.a, Arnon Milchan
Starring: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace.
‘You are an undesirable.’
Based on the book written by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders follows the motorcycle club, The Vandals, from their formation as a racing club in 1965 to 1975 when journalist Lyon revisits Kathy (Jodie Comer), wife to club member Benny (Austin Butler), to find out what happened to the club members.
Kathy narrates the story as Danny (Mike Faist) records and takes photos of the members, president Johnny (Tom Hardy), Kathy’s husband, Benny (Austin Butler) and not-sure-where-he-come-from-but-he’s-always-been-there Zipco (Michael Shannon), sounds nasty but is actually a softy, Cockroach (Emory Cohen) and others like, Cal (Boyd Holbrook), Brucie (Damon Herriman) and Wahoo (Beau Knapp).
The Bikeriders is a story about how the club was created, the president Johnny inspired by the movie The Wild One.
Johnny has a normal life, a wife and two kids, a job driving trucks. But the club is about being an outsider to finding somewhere to belong when you don’t belong anywhere else like Zipco being told he’s an undesirable when trying to join the army to fight in Vietnam. But with The Vandals, Zipco’s a club member.
Kathy talks about the guys joining the club because they can’t follow rules, but then the new members taking the rules of the club too seriously.
Later Kathy talks about outsiders not able to wear their colours alone because of the threat of someone with a grievance finding them without the backup of their members.
But not Benny.
The film opens showing a whisky with a chaser beer, cigarette set on an ashtray billowing smoke as Benny leans forward on a bar.
‘You can’t wear those colours in here. Take that jacket off.’
To which Benny replies, ‘You’d have to kill me to get this jacket off.’
Benny’s the free spirit of the club, slightly unhinged he tells Johnny, ‘What do I need to think for?’
He doesn’t care about anything. Doesn’t want anything from anyone.
Kathy wonders after the constant arrests, bail and court cases, ‘It can’t be love, it must just be stupidity.’
Benny dives into a fight where the two fighting clubs end up being palls, talking motorbikes after some fisty cuffs. But this isn’t an overly violent film. There’s a 60s vibe with matching soundtrack that plays more to boys being boys.
But as the club expands, the new members start to twist the ideals of being an outlaw to the extreme.
Nichols states, ‘Mainstream culture doesn’t suit everyone,’ he says. ‘Some outsiders are drawn to subcultures and that’s where interesting things happen. Subcultures are where new art comes from. Subcultures are where people can find interesting ways to express themselves. And inevitably those subcultures become interesting to the main culture. They are absorbed by the mainstream and become shadows of themselves.’
The film touches on the outsiders joining a club because everyone wants to be part of something. And there is a brotherhood of the members backing each other, Johnny wanting more from Benny, to step up in running the club but because of Benny’s independence, the relationship falls flat.
There’s no deep dive into the loyalty of the club, friendships, just a superficial like of drinking together and hanging out until it gets too real.
Really, the film is about Kathy and Benny, with Kathy telling the story, her narration flippant, the brevity amusing.
Instead of the expected film about hardened bikers, the tone felt light-hearted.