Alex Moss EditorThe Bikeriders is based on Danny Lyon’s book of photography of biker gangs in the midwest and the iconic imagery of that book is felt throughout the film. Here is a film that charts the early rise of biker gangs in the United States in a similar way that say Casino chronicled the rise of the mafia in Las Vegas casinos. It is a film that is immediately cool, achingly familiar and slightly frustratingly lacking in one key component.
When she goes to visit a friend in a biker bar Kathy (Jodi Comer) is at first terrified of this macho display around her until she meets Benny (Austin Butler). Taken with his stoic approach to life the two start a relationship. At the same time Benny is becoming a key member in the recently created biker gang The Vandals. Led by Johnny (Tom Hardy), The Vandals start as a club of like minded bikers before becoming something more violent and imposing on the community around them.
Director Jeff Nichols is a filmmaker who always manages to capture Americana through a slightly off-kilter viewpoint. From Take Shelter’s claustrophobic vistas to Mud’s Southern innocence, his films often smartly capture the juxtaposition and conflict of the nature of the US. The Bikeriders continues this trend while also feeling, intentionally, more died in the wool American. All beer swigging, bike revving, hit first ask questions later mentality.
There is unquestionably a toxic masculinity at play in The Bikeriders but one that is smartly offset in the way it injects a sense of bravado not for the sake of it but rather to ensure others don’t abuse it. Hardy’s character in particular is a paternal figure desperately clinging onto something he created that is mutating before his eyes and in spite of what he’s trying to do. The third act in particular sees a new generation of bikers coming to the fore and leaving Johnny as the ageing lion cut off from the pack unless he proves he’s still the alpha-male.
What’s more, by telling the story through the eyes of Kathy we’re given an essential female perspective on The Vandals. One that acts as an avatar for us to quietly roll our eyes at some of the behaviour on display while simultaneously feeling a level of affection for them. Because at their heart this is a group of men cut off from society, men looking to belong and the gang offers them that.
There is something immediately reminiscent of Scorsese’s Goodfellas at work. The voice over, the montages, the use of music of the era painting a portrait of a gang’s rise to power and beyond. At times it even manages to conjure some of that dark humour that Goodfellas nailed so perfectly but it never gets close to the heights of that film.
Where it really works is in how it captures a sense of belonging, of these lost souls being part of something rather than just drifting through life. It’s in this brotherhood that The Bikeriders hits top gear. Benny and Johnny’s relationship often teeters into bromance and what becomes clear is that the film is delicately examining the fight for Benny’s soul, will it be one of violence with The Vandals or one of domestic bliss that could easily cage this animal. Alas, it is in this most interesting of aspects The Bikeriders does slightly stutter. Because while Benny and Jonny’s friendship is clear, it is often lacking when it comes to his relationship with Kathy. The first act gives us a good courtship of Benny refusing to give up on Kathy despite her already being in a relationship. But thereafter it’s only ever hinted at, in fact given the film requires too much of their romance to be stated it’s hard to remember a single scene where they are affectionate towards each other beyond a friendship level.
The performances are all solid with Hardy doing his now trademark gruff, but lovable, bear routine. His grunting and imposing frame is often at odds with Johnny’s kinder, more moralistic side. Butler, who is unquestionably a very very good actor is asked to do little more than brood here. His Benny is meant to be the strong silent type often referred to as emotionless but there’s only so much of him looking achingly cool you can take before wondering if we’re going to get any depth to him. The end goes a long way to resolve that but for much of the running time you wonder if he’s a little too stoic. Where the film excels is when Comer is driving the narrative, her performance is the emotional core of the film, through her eyes we see all that is good and bad about gang life.
The Bikeriders is a film that looks stunning, feels cool but ultimately never quite hits the emotional highs you need it to. A film that purrs along without ever hitting full throttle.
