The Bikeriders

By: Jamie Steinberg

The iconic image of James Dean on a bike still swells hearts to this day. Director and writer Jeff Nichols plays into his magical on-screen moment with his new film The Bikeriders. The movie dives into the subculture of the Midwest biker clubs of 1965-73 and offers viewers a tiny peek at what it means to have been a tough guy on a hog when so much of the world was turned upside down.

Our view into the bikerider subculture of yore is courtesy of Kathy (Jodie Comer) who is regaling writer/photographer Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) with tales of her glory days. We begin with a night out with a gal pal at a bar owned by the Vandals. The place isn’t really her scene and she’s eager to leave until she spots Benny (Austin Butler dripping with James Dean charm and good looks) by a pool table. Immediately she is attracted to him for more than his pretty face but for the freedom he clearly represents. She is quick to shake off the shackles of her mundane Midwest working-class [married] life for something more action-packed. She then introduces us to the rest of the club – Brucie (Damon Herriman), Cal (Boyd Holbrook), Zipco (Michael Shannon), Cockroach (Emory Cohen) and Johnny – played by Marlon Brando incarnate Tom Hardy. The only thing Johnny has in common with Kathy is that he too sees the freedom he wishes he had more of in Benny.

Nichols does a standout job of peering into this subculture through the eyes of Benny and Kathy. It is through the tales of this couple that viewers get to see the Vandals grow from a group of misfits into the true symbols of rebellion that biker clubs evoke. Sadly, like many of the men meet along the way, we only hear about their outside club life and solely get a peek into their post-war hopes for the future. Also, the shift in focus from Benny and Kathy to Johnny and Kathy hurts. The original coupling fades and we are barely given an opportunity to explore Johnny and Kathy as a married couple trying to make it work between two so different souls. Additionally, I wish there was a greater light shone of how the Vietnam War played into the lives of those who value loyalty above all. Nichols could have compared the brotherhood of service to the brotherhood of club life. However, kudos go to actors Hardy and Butler for bringing such depth and on-screen presence to the dark and haunted bikers they are portraying.

The Bikeriders is a beautiful mix of love, loyalty and badass behavior of biker clubs. Viewers will come to see Austin Butler and Tom Hardy do what they do best – putting on tough guy personas and looking damn good while doing it. However, you’ll stay and enjoy this peek into the lives of the true “easy riders.”