The Bikeriders

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I suppose for this one, I should first talk about the experiences I've had with bikers in the past. Nothing to this extreme, but there were bits and pieces about the lifestyle I picked up on that are quite well-reflected in this movie - first and foremost probably being that bikers aren't just simply "bad people" so much as there's a lot of misunderstanding behind where their "bad" lies. I am by no means an expert or a scholar on the matter, and in fact, I'm terrified of motorcycles (judge as you must), but there was something about this film that felt "right" or "correct."

On one hand, they do a good job of showing what these bikers come across as to the general public, but it does a better job of showing how they act within their club, showing us more of a sort of rough and tumble gang who you wouldn't terribly mind getting a drink with, and they're not necessarily bad people, but at the same time, these guys aren't exactly a picture of innocence either. Almost no scene puts this all across better than the story's opener, and it does it well enough to peak your curiosity to see where things go.

However we start by meeting a photography student named Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) and discover that the film is executed in a faux documentary style, as Danny gets the film's story through the mouths of members of the fictional biker club, The Vandals, who are meant to be portraying the Outlaws, circa the 1960s. Foremost among the interviewees, is Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer), wife of Benny Cross (Austin Butler), a primary member of The Vandals, based in Chicago, and good friend of club founder, Johnny Davis (Tom Hardy).

Through several other club members, and mainly Kathy, Danny learns all about the backstory behind Benny, his marriage to Kathy, his place in the Vandals motorcycle club, the club itself, Johnny's leadership, and a biker wannabe who only goes by "The Kid" (Toby Wallace). We furthermore learn the difference between the biker gangs that we all fear and the biker clubs that are a little more misunderstood, and their most unfortunate merging over time. The whole thing is actually pretty damn intriguing, makes for a solid story, and feels a bit more realistic than what Hollywood would typically put forward with a movie like this.

I think what I probably appreciated the most about it were the interviews with the secondary and tertiary characters of the plot. As one has probably seen in trailers, some of the more recognizable faces include Norman Reedus as "Funny Sonny", Michael Shannon as "Zipco", but there's quite a few others who add to the charm (yes, I said charm) of the whole experience as well, by telling their stories the way they see it, and adding a bit of humour to the mix. They're really what make the movie more fun than dramatic.

This one comes to us from the perhaps lesser-known Jeff Nichols, whose most famous film to date is probably 2012's 'Mud' (if you remember that McConaughey vehicle). I have to admit that this did kind of make me want to check out his other, more obscure projects to see what else he can do. Critically speaking, 'The Bikeriders' does a lot of what I've seen before in things like mafia movies. Having said that, though, the idea of this being a biker club story adds just that little dash of difference necessary to keep it a little more fresh.

Personally speaking, I found this to be one of those movies you can enjoy more for its dramatic tone, but you know full well that it may not make it into that "Oscar-worthy" category all the same. I would probably claim it to be one of the all-around better movies I've seen this year, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a lot of problems with it, critically. I would say it probably won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I'd also probably say it's one of my favourites of this year, so I'd say check it out if you're at all curious!

5/5

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