Rating of
3/4
“Fists or knives?”
Matthew Brady - wrote on 12/31/23
The Bikeriders is a welcome return from director/writer Jeff Nichols after a seven-year absence from cinema, where he presents a story from the 1960s Biker club that explores firsthand the stories and personalities.
What first started as a Motorcycle Club for bike riders to come together, ride, connect, and feel free. However, things escalate to chaotic violence and mafia-like, removing its original meaning. It gets so terrible that some want to leave, but not without a scratch or worse - a knife wound or a gunshot.
I like how they re-created certain shots from Danny Lyon's photography where, in the closing credits, they showed his actual photos with the real people in them with familiar shots you saw in the movie. They say photos can tell a story, and this movie gives us more than just context but a life and moment in history.
The film has a solid cast and performances. Austin Butler plays Benny, a James Deanish type, with a stoic but attractive silence like Steve McQueen. He's not interested in working at a job or following conventional norms in life. His character is fascinating to watch on screen. He lives life just by being there. He goes with the flow but is always up to be rebellious. There is a sense of emotional vulnerability to the character, and despite his adult age, he comes across as a lost and troubled kid. Austin is great.
Tom Hardy is fantastic as Johhny, the rough and gruff creator of the biker club. Johnny got the idea behind its creation when he watched the Marlon Brando film The Wild One on TV one night. The Brando film itself caused quite an uproar back in its day, especially in the UK, with its age rating banning 14-year-olds from seeing it out of fear that it might inspire juvenile delinquency from seeing the film. But for Johnny, it’s more about the style and motorbike culture that influenced him. Tom Hardy has an amusing-sounding accent that sounds like it's from the United States, but you can’t quite place where it is. However, the most fascinating part of his character is that, despite his no-nonsense and fight-dirty persona, you often see him making little eye contact with people; he’s sensitive. It's what makes him a compelling character.
Jodie Corner continues to excel in every role I have seen her in. In this film, her character, Kathy, gets woed into this Biker world by Austin Butlers Benny. She is very much like Lorraine Bracco from the 1990 Gangster film Goodfellas, with the similarities being that both women fall into a dangerous but thrilling life and how love can blind you for so long before you see the toxicity. They don't have the most excellent taste in a romantic partner. But coming from an already rough life into another can affect your decision-making. Some people don't come from a pretty background. Jodie Corner portrayed all those thoughts and feelings of the character wonderfully.
The rest of the supporting cast and their distant characters were terrific. It's an acting ensemble that thankfully got well-spent.
With me mentioning Goodfellas, the inspiration from the works of legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, you can feel his influence. The storytelling may be a little too familiar to Goodfellas, as it shows the rise and descent into madness, but it’s hard not to when making a gangster film. Besides that, it is its own thing.
One of the things that stuck with me the most after it ended, or what I got out of it that I can relate to - is the feeling/situation of being trapped and wanting to get out. It could be a job, a relationship, or anything you don’t want to be a part of. Some people can leave with ease, while others are not so lucky. It's an awful situation. In The Bikeriders, as the club escalates to madness and bloodshed, you see in the characters’ eyes, faces, and through the dialogue, that they no longer see the value in the club. It's not the same. It's changed for the worse. I think we all have experienced that at some point or right now. Well, maybe not as extreme as this film, but you get the idea.
Overall Rating: The Bikeriders is a solid film from Jeff Nichols. Hopefully, it will get an extensive release date for everyone. Hopefully soon.
