The Bikeriders, 2023.
Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols.
Starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, Michael Abbott Jr., Damon Herriman, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace, Beau Knapp, Happy Anderson, Phuong Kubacki, Valerie Jane Parker, Paul Sparks, Tony Donno, Rachel Lee Kolis, Forba Shepherd, David Myers Gregory, Maggie Cramer, and Erin Scerbak.
SYNOPSIS:
It follows the rise of a Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members.
Adapted from the photography of Danny Lyon and his interviews with members of a Midwestern biker gang circa the 1960s, writer/director Jeff Nichols takes a similar approach with The Bikeriders, allowing the story to sprout non-chronological order as one of those interviewees details the rise and fall of not just this club, but the so-called golden age for these gangs. However, the fascination comes from using Kathy (Jodie Comer trading her British accent for a Midwestern drawl) as the only interviewee here (Mike Faist portrays Danny Lyon), which grants Jeff Nichols the ability to use her outsider perspective as a cipher for the audience, but also to explore life married to one of the bikers, and subsequently, the gang itself and its associated brand of masculinity from the outlook of a woman.
While many speeches and images (re-created in striking cinematic form by cinematographer Adam Stone) are lifted from Danny Lyon’s work, it’s also important to note that Jeff Nichols has crafted a fictionalized Chicago biker gang story around them. As such, The Bikeriders is more about gleaning a greater understanding of a subculture rather than a character study, adding to the idea that we, as an audience, learn more from listening to Kathy. She recounts her whirlwind love and almost instantaneous marriage to Austin Butler’s Benny, a guy who loves to ride and has trouble expressing his emotions (she mentions that the closest he has ever come to crying around her is during the aftermath of a nasty injury as the result of a gang-related encounter.)
Starting in 1959, The Bikeriders jumps into the 60s and 70s (each decade looks authentic and contains appropriate tunes over the soundtrack), with Kathy prefacing the gang vibe. From there, the film gives a deeper look into that, depicting these bikers as misunderstood outcasts who were stigmatized as horrific criminals with no morals. Considering some exceptional supporting players here rounding out the gang, from regular Jeff Nichols collaborator Michael Shannon to Boyd Holbrook to Karl Glusman and more to portray these misfits, that aspect is wholly felt. These are people who don’t know how to function in society but know how to bond with one another over bicycles (with engines roaring due to excellent sound design) and follow the rules kept in check by club leader Johnny (Tom Hardy, who has decided that his goofy voice for this film would be a cross between his Al Capone performance and Bugs Bunny.)
As the years go by and the club expands across the Midwest, young men look to join, with the difference being that they seem to have no moral code, whether it comes to murder, sexual misconduct, or drugs. Essentially, it’s the end of the romanticized good old days. Referred to in the credits as The Kid (Toby Wallace), the main threat to this happy club’s existence comes from a severely broken home filled with domestic abuse, but that one scene is the most we get from him as a character.
That is also a more extensive reflection of the issue with The Bikeriders; the film effectively conveys that these bikers are outcasts but also struggles to pinpoint who they are as people and what personal fulfillment they get from the club. The relationship between Benny and Kathy boils down to her repeatedly voicing that the situation is getting worse and that it might be time for him to leave the club, with the through line being that he can only give to one of these families.
The fact that there isn’t much to say about Benny other than Austin Butler is elevating what’s on the page, searching for something deeper in the character without getting much to do, speaks volumes that Jeff Nichols lost the plot somewhere along the way. It could also be argued that such a thing is the point of a chaotic environment, but the storytelling here hardly feels like controlled chaos. Even Johnny just seems to be a guy who got bored of his family life and decided to start a bicycle gang, gradually getting frustrated over the changing times and losing control over the club. There is no sense of what that home life is like and what makes him tick.
The Bikeriders offers an intriguing surface-level look at this subculture with top-notch production design and a terrific ensemble immersing themselves in this world, but the characters and story are stuck in the mud.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
