What do you do when something you’ve put your all into building becomes unrecognizable? That’s the question at the heart of Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders. Based on a photobook of the same name by Danny Lyon, The Bikeriders follows one Chicago motorcycle gang, the Vandals, as it evolves from one man’s (Tom Hardy’s Johnny) fulfillment of his American Dream to a violently unrecognizable organization. Told through firsthand accounts in the form of interviews from Jodie Comer’s Kathy, we also see the evolution of her relationship with Austin Butler’s Benny as he finds his place amongst the Vandals.
I really want to get Austin Butler. He’s seemingly taken Hollywood by storm after an outing as Elvis Presley in Elvis and I did really enjoy his performance as Feyd Rautha in Dune: Part Two. That performance is partly why I was so excited to check out The Bikeriders this week: I wanted to see more Austin Butler, and I wanted to like him as an actor. It was clear that The Bikeriders really wanted me to like him as an actor too, but there was just something missing. Butler’s stint as Benny in The Bikeriders is great casting for half of the role, the other half? Not so much. When the movie calls for him to be a young loose cannon without a thought for the consequences, he shines. He makes you want to root for him even when he’s making bad decisions. When trying to portray any sort of emotional nuance though, there’s nothing there but scowls and smolders. When stacked next to Tom Hardy’s Johnny, this lack of emotional depth is even more apparent, as Hardy’s portrayal of Johnny’s internal and external struggles to keep the reins on something that’s quickly growing out of his control feels effortless.
Aside from Tom Hardy, it was most of The Bikeriders’ supporting cast that really impressed me. Almost every one of the whole gang of original Vandals gets their chance to shine without seeming like cinematic caricatures of a biker gang, none more so than Michael Shannon’s Zipco. He doesn’t have a ton of screen time and, for the most part, he seems like a goofball just looking to fit in with the rest of the Vandals, but he gets a very moving scene about halfway through the film that shows the audience exactly why it’s so important for him to fit in, and Shannon really gets to let his acting chops shine. On the other end of the spectrum, Norman Reedus shows up about partway into the film as pseudo-hippie biker Funny Sonny and there’s simply no way not to be distracted by the fact that he’s just Norman Reedus for the rest of the movie. His introductory scene even lingered just a few seconds longer than was necessary just to give the audience ample time to realize that, yes, Norman Reedus is in this motorcycle movie.
The Bikeriders is beautifully shot and lit from beginning to end, with both the wide and close shots giving us a great look at the dusty, gritty life these bikers lead, and there’s something about the way Jeff Nichols lights cigarette smoke that gives the whole film a hazy glow that lends itself extremely well to that same purpose. Night scenes and dim indoor scenes are purposefully and skillfully lit to show stark contrasts between light and dark without anything feeling too hard to see or out of focus. The costuming is top notch too, making a classic biker outfit such as a denim vest over a leather jacket look exactly as cool as it should when you imagine a biker gang.
Besides Johnny’s struggle to keep a handle on a gang that’s growing out of his control, there isn’t much substance to The Bikeriders. It feels like we’re moved from scene to scene of “cool biker stuff” without much rhyme or reason. It’s great that it looks cool – again, this film looks incredible – but there’s not much else to it. Other than the Michael Shannon scene I mentioned above (probably my favorite in the film) the only other time I really felt anything about what was going on was a late scene where Johnny laments the fact that he can’t contain what the Vandals have become any more with the line “you can give everything you got to a thing, it’s still gonna do what it’s gonna do.” While that one line captures the heart of what The Bikeriders really is, that sentiment isn’t felt all the way through the whole movie.
The Bikeriders was a good movie. It didn’t blow me away but I’d go see it again if only to experience how great it all looked. Hardy and most of the supporting cast nail their roles, though Austin Butler felt miscast even if I could see what the film was trying to do with him. With a few other missteps relating to how cohesive the story felt and a distracting appearance from Norman Reedus, I don’t think The Bikeriders will be winning any awards, but sometimes a movie can just be fun or cool regardless of that, and that’s okay.
Score: 7/10
The Bikeriders
Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus, Toby Wallace
Release Date: June 21, 2024
Rating: R
Synopsis: After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
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