The Bikeriders

Elio doesn't come out until this time next year, so how about we look at another film the recent Hollywood Strikes messed up? The Bikeriders, Jeff Nichols's ode to outlaw motorcycle culture, actually swapped studios during the Hollywood Strikes, going from 20th Century Studios to Focus Features. Let's finally see how it is.

The film is named after a photobook by Danny Lyon, which chronicled a few years in the lives of the Outlaws MC motorcycle club, who are represented as The Vandals. Lyon, played here by Mike Faist, spends the movie interviewing Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer), the wife of Vandal Benny (Austin Butler). She narrates how she met Benny at a bar and married him five weeks later. She's introduced to his Vandal buddies, particularly their leader Johnny (Tom Hardy), who seem like a cool bunch. But Kathy soon realizes the Vandal lifestyle isn't for her and she wants to take Benny out of it. It gets worse when a few new members turn the Vandals truly Outlaw.

Much like Lyon, whose photos populate the end credits, Nichols spends much of the film chronicling The Vandals' lives. The Vandals' ranks also include Johnny's right-hand Brucie (Damon Herriman), the goofy duo Corky & Wahoo (Karl Glusman & Beau Knapp), the quiet Zipco (Michael Shannon), the aptly named Funny Sunny (Norman Reedus), and the bug-eating Cockroach (Emory Cohen). They pal around at bars, picnics & parties. They mourn the surprisingly sudden death of one of their own. They even give the law some trouble. We see how Johnny founded The Vandals, initially a racing club, after he caught The Wild One on TV. It all makes for an interesting chronicle of these outlaws' daily lives. 

Johnny is a cool guy devoted to his fellow bikers and outsiders alike. He's quite welcoming to Kathy, whom he even saves from some brutish Vandals, while he's affable to rivals for his leadership. He also has a truly scary temper. When Benny gets into a near-fatal bar fight, which opens the film, he gets the bartender to give him the assailants' names AND burns down the bar. He also doesn't take Cockroach's plans to leave The Vandals rather well. He's still sympathetic enough that you'll cry foul when the ending kicks in. A major supporting character is an unnamed "kid" (Toby Wallace), a scrappy wannabe biker who's introduced defending his mother from his abusive father. That's really the only nice thing he does. And yes, he factors in the ending.

Now for the other leads. Jody Comer's Midwestern accent as Kathy is a little much, but you start minding it less as the film goes on. Her emotional range is very believable; you'll feel her sadness when she tells Lyon "I thought I could change (Benny), ya know?" She has great chemistry with Butler, though they have little screentime together in the framing device. Butler as Benny is very much a typical brooding bad boy. He perfectly shows off his stubborn tenacity during the bar fight and a high-speed police chase. He rarely gets emotional, but you'll feel it when he finally breaks down. Faist, meanwhile, barely does much as Lyon other than interview Kathy. His time with The Vandals is dramatized in about one scene.

There's a good technical crew riding with Nichols and The Vandals. Let's begin with the fatal accident involving a Vandal. We see him riding around until a Cadillac suddenly pulls back. It cuts to the Vandals discussing the accident, and then, we see the fatal impact, a great touch by editor Julie Monroe. The sound team add a few more devastating aural punches the few times guns get involved. Cinematographer Adam Stone presents us an impressive travelogue of small-town America, especially when we see legions of bikers ride down its highways. The soundtrack, whether David Wingo's score or the oldies, is a good one.

If your only frame of reference on outlaw motorcycle culture is Easy Rider, which gets mentioned here, then The Bikeriders might help broaden your horizons. I think it's worth watching just for the great ensemble and technical work. It's a bit slow, and there are a few plot points I wished were elaborated on-screen. But overall, it's a good weekend ride. Prepare to be blown away if you catch the trailer for Nosferatu, though. You'll bet I'll cover it for Christmas.