Whether you are a fan of Harley-Davidson or Triumph bikes, all bike lovers will want to catch this film. The Bikeriders was one of the major films held back from release and re-scheduled its release, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. Sitting down at the filled Trustees Theater in Savannah, Georgia, at the Savannah Film Festival 2023, spurred on great memories for many. Director of The Bikeriders Jeff Nichols offered some great insight into the film afterwards, as well.
The film is based on a photobook of the same name (written by Danny Lyons), containing many original black-and-white photographs of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club members. It also contains transcribed interviews made from 1963 to 1967, when Lyon was a member of the Outlaws gang. There were also personal anecdotes, but it was not really structured like most novels. The movie blended this non-fictional work with a fictional-adjacent story.
Set in the 1960s, The Bikeriders follows the rise of the Vandals MC, a fictional Chicago outlaw motorcycle club. Seen through the lives of its members and their families, the club evolves over the course of a decade from a surrogate family for local outcasts into violent organized crime, threatening the original founder’s unique vision and way of life. Mike Faist’s (Challengers, West Side Story) Danny (a portrayal of Lyons) documented three different interview periods of the events throughout the film.
I think it has been a while since there has been a good or entertaining motorcycle or biker-based film or TV show. The most recently popular IP would have to be Sons of Anarchy and its spinoff series. But really, I remember the only movie that was around would be Wild Hogs, which was a tame Tim Allen and John Travolta-led PG-13 film that tried to accomplish what The Bikeriders masterfully depicted on bike riding culture.
“If you have been craving a film that honours motorcycles and the glory days of bike riding and its communities, The Bikeriders paid an honest homage to what it was and what it evolved into.”
The Bikeriders was almost like a biblical recollection of a historical moment for bike riding culture—snapshotting the greatest hits of classic American motorcycles and its participants. It explained what chapters were, and how members of a club are willing to get its fellow mates out of trouble with the law.
As much as I will not understand the community and their wrangling in the mud, I can feel their sense of brotherhood. I think a lot of boys and men will remember their prime time roughhousing with the boys. The fight did not even have to be for a legitimate reason; it just happened because it was agreed upon or one person egged the other.
Jodie Comer was hands-down the standout character in this film, with her role as Kathy. Her accent and quick-lipped quips were a delight. She nailed her depiction of her real-life counterpart, and this was just from using audio recordings as reference—as Nichols played off of his phone into the mic for the audience at the Trustees Theatre.
As for Austin Butler’s Benny, he was still coming off of his Elvis mode voice a little and still rocking the leather. But it was good that Benny did not say too much. I thought his cold and silent demeanor was perfect for his character who was an outcast or stray picked up by Vandals’ leader Johnny (Tom Hardy). Hardy’s performance was just as much a standout as Comer because of his onscreen chemistry with his male counterpart. It was almost like a love triangle or a love square.
“The Bikeriders was almost like a biblical recollection of a historical moment for bike riding culture—snapshotting the greatest hits of classic American motorcycles and its participants.”
Benny loved bike riding; Benny loved Kathy; Kathy loved Benny; Benny respected Johnny; and Johnny took care of Benny. Seeing Benny grapple with who he loved or respected more was both a struggle and an interesting sight to witness. As the motorbike club became more unrecognizable to Benny, it was tough to see where his mind was at.
Seeing Norman Reedus not on The Walking Dead was also a treat. I felt like Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day and Blade were his last big theatrical roles—not to discount his amazing character Daryl Dixon on TV. He has also been making great strides in video games with Death Stranding. But his character Funny Sunny strode into the film like he was a nomad. I watched a couple of episodes of his docu-series Ride With Norman Reedus, so this also seemed very natural to me—him just pulling up out of nowhere.
If you have been craving a film that honours motorcycles and the glory days of bike riding and its communities, The Bikeriders paid an honest homage to what it was and what it evolved into. For a movie that was just shy of two hours, it told a heartwarming and tragic story for a hobby that has saved many from a life of crime—but is more complex than that. The ups and downs of this culture remains to be practiced and praised to this day. While there were some moments of downtime throughout the film, it always continued to keep the heart of bike riding at its center.