The Bikeriders – Movie Review
Director: Jeff Nichols
Writer: Jeff Nichols (Screenplay)
Writer: Danny Lyon (Book)
Cast
- Jodie Comer (Free Guy)
- Austin Butler (Elvis)
- Tom Hardy (The Drop)
- Michael Shannon (Take Shelter)
- Mike Faist (Challengers)
- Boyd Holbrook (Logan)
Plot: After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
Runtime: 1 Hour 56 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: The Bikeriders starts as Kathy (Comer) talks about her encounter with the motorcycle club The Vandals. She meets Benny (Butler) in the gang and under the leadership of Johnny (Hardy). Kathy tells her story with the crew and how they started as a friendly gang before spiralling out of control in violence.
The story tells her story of wanting Benny to walk away but her life becoming more difficult. It shows how the violence rose and the original members struggled to enjoy the group the same way.
Verdict on The Bikeriders
The Bikeriders is a crime thriller following the rise of the Vandals motorcycle club. It is told by the wife of one who saw the changes coming and wanted her husband to leave. However, it came at a price for the people they called friends.
This movie shows how a simple motorcycle gang turned into a violent threat on society. The leader tries to maintain control and things get out of hand. That side of the story is interesting to watch unfold, because it was created with the best of intentions. However, the giant holes in the story hold more back. For example, what happened to the charges Benny got for the chase, why was nothing done about burning down a bar? It would have been nice to see more of them dealing with their criminal actions instead of laughing it off like it was nothing. Performance-wise, this is strong from everyone involved, even with the strange accents adopted throughout the film from the British stars.
Final Thoughts – The Bikeriders is an interesting diving into a criminal bike gang.