The Bikeriders
Written by Jeff Nichols and Danny Lyon
2023 | 1hr 56m | Crime, Drama
Writer and director Jeff Nichols is a man with a mission — take a heavily scripted film project, cast it with proven performers, be certain they are on the same page, and then let them do what they do best. His method worked with Mudd (2013), Loving (2016) and Midnight Special (2016). The Bikeriders (2023) is the latest example of his brilliance.
Working with a book of photos and interviews put together by Danny Lyon in 1967, Nichols brings back the early golden age of motorcycle riding: Indian cycles and Harleys in Chicago area, approximately 1965–1971.
This book haunted Nichols for a decade or more. His friend, actor Michael Shannon said to Nichols, you’re never going to make this film. But Nichols did make the film eventually and with Shannon in a key role. In this fictionalized account of the infamous Outlaws gang, the Vandals develop from an informal local group of guys drinking beer to a fearsome interstate threat.
Front and center is Tom Hardy as Johnny, described by one critic as a cross between a young Marlon Brando in The Wild One and the Vito Corleone character in The Godfather. Johnny is the founder and enforcer.
The 1985 film Mask directed by Peter Bogdanovich also comes to mind, where a biker club provides community for a troubled mom and her young son.
Johnny becomes close to a young biker named Benny, played by Austin Butler “channeling James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause.” As you would expect, Butler lights up the screen, coming from cinematic success in Elvis, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Dune.
What surprises the viewer is Jodie Comer as Kathy, a fiercely independent woman who falls in love with Benny and marries him three weeks after they meet. Their courtship is original and fascinating. She is forceful in speaking up when she believes her husband is in danger.
Comer is British and worked with a dialect coach to get the midwestern accent right. She also listened closely to audiotapes recorded by Danny Lyon in the 1960s. Her film history includes Killing Eve, Star Wars and a stellar performance in The Last Duel.
In a Rotten Tomatoes interview, director Nichols spoke of aiming for texture and authenticity. He expressed great appreciation to his cinematographer, costume designer and production designer for their integrity and artistry. In the film you see grease under the fingernails of these bikers who work with their hands, you see the way patches are sewn on their leather jackets, the colors of their bikes and the different types of fuel tanks, what beers they drank and what they smoked.
Why a sort of golden age? The bikers smoked cigarettes and drank beer more often than not. Their disagreements consisted of fist fights and occasionally bashing someone with whatever was nearby. If one challenged the other with a knife, then knives were used.
The 1985 film Mask directed by Peter Bogdanovich also comes to mind, where a biker club provides community for a troubled mom and her young son.
WATCH: The Bikeriders – Official Trailer
During the American war in Vietnam, combat veterans return with a strong sense of alienation. They join the bikers and they bring hard drugs with them, along with guns. The atmosphere changes. Johnny tries to hold the line against this type of change. And of course he fails.
Beautiful cinematography, a good soundtrack, powerful storytelling around campfires, and the poignancy of Kathy’s struggle to adapt to biker life and still keep her traditional values.
