I always find the work of Jeff Nichols to be engaging in its cinematic form even if I’m not completely enamored with his offerings. the bike Riders is one of those films that seemed good on paper, and then I ended up with a film that matched the worthiness of a viewing, but not necessarily the praise that would elicit multiple viewings, or encourage others. the movie is also a bit of a tough sell, audio description wise, since the movie takes place in a certain time period, where the aesthetic takes over, and actors are likely finding subtle ways of aging.
The audio description track here by Deluxe continues to push William Michael Redman into genres he isn’t necessarily right for, however, if I had to guess a narrator that was most likely a biker themselves, I’d have to go with Redman. It’s just this feeling he gives, so even though his voice compliments horror, thrillers, and action best, he isn’t too far tonally removed from what the Bike Riders is trying to achieve.
Based on a book, the film chronicles the rise of a motorcycle club right at the beginning of biker culture, and really counter culture. when men started wearing longer hair, and embracing a less 9 to 5 style in favor of the open road. It is the life James Dean flirted with in Rebel Without A cause, but truly put into functionality through an actual club, with a leader. If there was a Sons Of Anarchy ultimate prequel, it would be a hell of a lot like this.
Tom Hardy stood out for me here the most, as the de facto leader of this gang. Hardy so easily slips in and out of roles, manipulating his voice as needed, that you can be forgiven for forgetting he’s not American. neither is Jodi comer, who is a lot like the viewpoint for the audience, much like how movies and TV shows centered on cops like a rookie on their first day, so they can show the audience the ropes. While I liked her acting, I eventually found her character unnecessary, and pulling screentime and dragging Austin Butler’s character with her.
Butler, for what it is worth,has lost his Elvis voice, but he is nowhere near as interesting as hardy. He’s dampened by this effect that Comer has on him, relegated to conceptual man candy, instead of just a complex character with a variety of likes. compare what Butler does here to what Aaron Eckhart did in Erin Brockovich, and you’ll see the latter actually had a multi-faceted character that had layers. He loved erin, he enjoyed the kids, he didn’t even mind being a bit domesticated, but the whole time you could see that he was drawn to this biker life he was choosing ton leave behind. Butler stalks around quietly most of the time, hoping the audience finds death in his stares.
I do wish Norman Reedus had a larger part. Granted,a lot of the supporting cast, including Michael Shannon and Mike Faist, really don’t have that much to do. Reedus is the actor known for his love of the motorcycle culture, and I feel like he can ride without a stunt double, so he could have added more to the film.
Some good thoughts, but I would have made a few different choices. Still, it is worth a watch.
Final Grade: B
