Review: The Bikeriders

Legacies Don't Come Easy

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INTRODUCTION

This is a quick review of the newly released film The Bikeriders. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.

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THE PLOT

Via Letterboxd: After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy is inextricably drawn to Benny, the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals - led by the enigmatic Johnny. Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

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QUICK REVIEW

Director Jeff Nichols has emerged as one of the more interesting voices in filmmaking these days. He examines the human condition, but he does so while being willing to tell a variety of types of stories. Whether it be apocalyptic visions in Take Shelter, a fugitive befriending kids in Mud, a child with powers in Midnight Special, or the examination of a pivotal court decision in Loving, he isn’t afraid to not just stick to one particular kind of story or film genre. And now years since his last feature-length narrative, he gives us The Bikeriders, a film inspired by a book of photographs that Nichols found regarding motorcycle clubs.

With his latest, we get a stellar cast that is highlighted by a solid veteran in Tom Hardy (With a typical for him, wild voice transformation), an up and comer in Jodie Comer, and one of the hottest rising stars (Fresh off his Oscar-nominated role in Elvis and his, at times show-stealing, performance in Dune Part Two) in Austin Butler. The ensemble is also rounded out by smaller roles for names like Michael Shannon (A Nichols-staple at this point), Mike Faist, and Norman Reedus among others. Its like Nichols wanted to make sure he was working with some of the stars the younger generation of movie-goers tend to lend gravitas to.

The film premiered at last year’s Telluride Film Festival, originally a would-be 20th Century Studios release; but Disney got jittery about how the strikes could have affected a potential awards run or box office and sold it off to Focus Features to release for the 2024 Summer. Reception has been positive for the most part, but mixed-ish as well. I went to my screening wondering where I would land; and whether it had any chance to make noise for awards season. After all I did have it in my projections for last year, and this year’s Oscars.

In terms of awards, I can’t say the movie stood out to me as a major player. In terms of how I personally liked the movie overall, I would say I generally liked it - but man oh man is there a better movie trying to fight its way out of this movie’s flaws. I felt like this was one of those cases of a film that keeps getting in the way of itself from being a significantly better movie; and The Bikeriders has a potential A-tier movie stuck in a B-level product.

The film’s marketing would make you think this is an Austin Butler vehicle but as good as he is in the movie, this is honestly a Tom Hardy lead film. Hardy’s character is who this movie seems to be about, though its Comer’s character that seems to be trying to make it about her and Butler. It helps the movie though, because Hardy gives a really great performance that could be squeezing its way into my personal awards ballot for the year when all is said and done. Unfortunately I was less impressed with Comer. I don’t fault her entirely, but the character almost comes off like she’s from another movie at times, almost as if I’m watching a parody of Fargo’s Marge. To her credit though, her quieter and more serious moments are when she shines; I just wish the movie gave her more of those.

As for Butler and Comer’s relationship in this, I never bought into the romance. I found myself actually being willing to accept whatever fate their marriage would end with, and if you know hopeless romantic me that shouldn’t have been the case as I always root for couples to make it at the end of a movie. We just didn’t get enough meat in the bone for their subplot for me to understand why these two loved each other.

But as negative as I might sound on the movie it does have enough there that it gets a thumbs up from me. Hardy single-handedly elevates the film with his performance, there’s some great dramatic scenes of dialogue (Particularly one where Michael Shannon gets a bit of a monologue on his inability to make the Army), the soundtrack is easily in contention to get a mention from me at the end of the year, and even with my inability to buy into the main romance of the movie I still wanted to see how it would turn out for everyone at the end. By the time the credits rolled I felt like I had seen a well-made movie, but I also felt like I should have seen an even better one with better cohesion between all the film’s elements.

I give The Bikeriders a straight up B. Not B+, but not B- either. Just a B. It’s an okay enough film, but unfortunately I think it could have aspired to be even better. I hope Nichols gets his awards season run one of these days, but this won’t be the movie to do it for him.

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INITIAL GRADING

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