The Bikeriders

This review may contain spoilers!

 

The Bikeriders is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, written by Danny Lyon. It tracks the early history of the Vandals, a motorcycle club that started as a racing meet up and transitioned into a full-fledged gang. The story is told through a dramatisation of Danny's interviews and the love story of Vandal member, Benny, and outsider, Kathy.

 

This film feels like a really well-told history, shedding a light on a small sub-culture of America pre- and post-Vietnam War. This is a film that really documents what the Vandals are, which is a brotherhood that goes deeper than blood. The bonds of loyalty evidenced by this club are fascinating, and the way this group ignites into violence or tremendous demonstrations to underline their loyalty to one another is impressive. I loved seeing the Vandals evolve out of a small racing friendship, taking a more stalwart turn before finally evolving into a brutal beast. Blending the identity of the gang with the state of America is quite interesting as well; at first, the characters feel like the last cowboys. Making their own rules as they ride around a frontier they have carved out for themselves. Yet by the end of the film, the Vandals have lost what they set out to be entirely. The group has become too big to control, ex-soldiers are joining and hashing out their own brand of justice on other members. The whole thing is becoming chaotic and violent, all while losing the shreds of honour it once held. I also loved the personal storyline of Kathy and Benny throughout all of this, two individuals who found something romantic about the club and were tied to it as a result. The film wrestles with the journey of this pair in fantastic contrast to the state of the Vandals throughout history.

 

The film is beautifully shot, the long riding shots have a sense of majesty to them that makes the Vandals feel almost noble in the first act. I loved the leached colours of the surrounding town, paired nicely with the yellows and greens of the highway plains surrounding. I loved the grunge rock and old country soundtrack, it places the audience well and fleshes out the identity of the Vandals.

 

Jodie Comer, who played Kathy, has an intense Minnesotan accent that really startles you at first, but she wields it well; Comer really feels like someone surviving in a place her character is quite an outsider in. Austin Butler, who played Benny, has found one of his better roles to date here; Butler is all rough edges and unbreakable loyalty here. Michael Shannon, who played Zipco, was a wonderfully eccentric figure throughout this; Shannon often makes you feel there is a tragic side to his role that is presented impeccably. Mike Faist, who played Danny, is an interesting periphery role that really makes his mark known; Faist is quietly witty and throws genuine interest back at his scene partners. Norman Reedus, who played Funny Sonny, feels like a true bona fide biker; Reedus is grungy and filthy but he feels like he has lived upon the road and found his people in this too. Damon Herriman, who played Brucie, is surprisingly the heart of the film; Herriman feels like the moral compass of the club and the way he balances out Hardy early on is wonderful.

 

However, the best performance came from Tom Hardy, who played Johnny. This character is quite to himself, doesn't make a big show and yet you sense the power he wields within the club. Hardy plays Johnny as quite enigmatic, you're never too sure which way he is going to swing on an issue. At times, Johnny can be quite a passive figure and attempts to de-escalate violence; but then he also can turn into someone very vicious in the blink of an eye. Johnny fights scrappy and mean when first we see him, inflicting violence but also demonstrating a willingness to help his people. But as the club gets out of control, Johnny has to follow in order to maintain power and respect. His bond with Butler throughout is fascinating too, you can see just how much he sort of yearns to be a figure like Benny. Watching Hardy's last few scenes where he seems so tired but puts up this stoic front is a phenomenal departure for his role.

The Bikeriders is a really interesting film that feels like an intimate telling of a piece of American history, but it can feel really varied in terms of pace at times. There are long stretches of time where not a lot happens, nor is the film ever especially surprising beyond sudden bursts of brutality. I thought the interview/voiceover angle was an interesting way to deliver the narrative, but it just wasn't consistent enough, and more than that it made the timeline a little difficult to follow. There are a lot of supporting characters in the film, but they are poorly fleshed out and are used to craft a few punchy dramatic scenes here and there.

The editing of the feature favoured a slow pace, it also could have done more to highlight some of those issues in conveying the timeline.

Boyd Holbrook, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen and Karl Glusman, who played Cal, Wahoo, Cockroach and Corky respectively, feel like motorbike gang side characters who just add a few more to a scene; there is an attempt to craft an emotional sub-plot out of Cohen's role but this doesn't stem from Cohen. Toby Wallace, who played The Kid, is quite disappointing as the ultimate antagonist of the feature; Wallace is just a violent young upstart role that feels fated to get the ending he does from the moment his character is introduced.

This feels like one of those American epics, charting a long gone frontier. I would give The Bikeriders an 8/10.