The Bikeriders

There’s a review quote on the poster for Bikeriders that describes the film as “Goodfellas with Harleys” and that couldn’t be more accurate a description, as within the opening moments of the film it immediately echoed the style and approach of that film, with a voiceover telling the story, a freezeframe, and a needle-drop of music of the era in which it is set.  

Bikeriders is inspired by the photo-book by Danny Lyon, a photo-journalist who followed the Outlaws motorcycle club, snapping iconic pictures with them whilst recording their stories, to capture the real people and their reasons for banding together.  Nichols’ film semi-fictionalises the tale, swapping the biker gang name to Vandals, as it gives insight into the small group of motorcycle enthusiasts whose ranks grew over the years, and expanded out of control of the original idea.  Focussing primarily on a handful of central character, with Jodie Comer’s Kathy narrating how she was drawn into the gang through Austin Butler’s Benny – an enigmatic member of the Vandals who she finds herself drawn to.  The gang is led by Tom Hardy’s Johnny, who founded the collective of bike enthusiasts, and instilled a set of rules for membership.  However, as the popularity (and indeed the notoriety) of the gang grows, with more factions being set up across the states, what the gang represents starts to become corrupted, seeing conflict within the gang increase as it grows out of control of Johnny.

Cutting back and forth through time, the tale being told by Kathy to Danny (played by Mike Faust) years after her first encounter with the gang, plays out as a nostalgic remembrance of the rise of the Vandals, and her life with Benny, cutting back and forth as we are easily drawn into the tale.  Much like Goodfellas, most of the characters are not what you would consider nice people, but their moral code makes you kind of root for them, despite the lawlessness they demonstrate.  All of this is obviously aided by the strong casting choices, and the approach taken with the characters.  They are depicted as just flawed humans, and we glimpse moments of their lives away from the gang, to see how they are, in their domestic lives, just like everyone else.  Devoted family men, or even grown adults still living with overbearing parents, their place in the Vandals was just a chance at escape from mundanity of life, alongside fellow enthusiasts.

Butler and Comer dominate the film, and share an awkward, and very real chemistry that sells their relationship throughout.  Michael Shannon lends his always excellent ability as one of the gang, Zipco, and as the film progresses we also get a wonderful introduction of Norman Reedus as Funny Sunny, a biker from another gang who partners up with the Vandals.  Hardy gives a rather understated performance as Johnny, once again adopting a bizarre choice of voice and accent, but it kind of works.  Faist, as Lyon, doesn’t do a lot, but his presence as documentarian of the gang is important throughout – it is through his lens that we see the bikers.  Toby Wallace as The Kid, who comes from a dysfunctional environment and wants to join up with the gang, offers some threat that plays out over the film, played with an intensity that I’ve come to expect from the young actor.

With one of the best needle drop soundtracks of the year, each capturing the essence of the era perfectly,  and the visual flair that Nichols does so well, Bikeriders is a film I was drawn into within the first 5 minutes, and enjoyed the entire ride of.