Movie Review: THE BIKERIDERS

Kimberly Pierce

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Boyd Holbrook, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy sit on motorcycles in the middle of an open field in the movie The Bikeriders

One should never judge a book by its cover. With that, one should never assume anything about a movie. Friends, sometimes we all need that lesson. I thought I knew what The Bikeriders was going to be when I walked into the theater. I had this one figured out. Kids, nothing is ever that simple. I knew nothing. Would The Bikeriders cruise off into the sunset? Or would it blow a tire? Read on. 

The Bikeriders follows a young woman (Jodie Comer) who falls in love with a young biker (Austin Butler). As she grows familiar with his motorcycle gang, she witnesses the love, friendship, and loss as the culture of the 1960s changes around them. Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, and Norman Reedus co-star in the movie. Jeff Nichols directs The Bikeriders from his own script. 

Mike Faist holds out a microphone for Jodie Comer as they sit on a front porch.
(L to R) Mike Faist as Danny and Jodie Comer as Kathy in director Jeff Nichols’ THE BIKERIDERS. Credit: Kyle Kaplan/Focus Features © 2024 Focus Features, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This is an ambitious film that attempts to tackle a lot. Unfortunately, it struggles to do justice to its lofty goals. This is thanks largely to its wide-ranging, disparate tone. 

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The film’s second act puts forward a fascinating historical narrative. It’s a complex storyline looking at the cultural changes happening in the tail-end of the 1960s. While the film takes place firmly in the Midwest, the deep effects of the Vietnam War and the deteriorating hippy movement are felt with tremendous effect. The script is doubly interested in how these cultural changes play in a changing sense of masculinity.

However, these changes are really only felt (as mentioned) deep into the second act. The film’s first half is a convoluted mishmash of character drama and relationship drama with more than a splash of silliness thrown in…. both intentional and not.

Austin Butler and Tom Hardy ride motorcycles in The Bikeriders.
(L to R) Austin Butler as Benny and Tom Hardy as Johnny in director Jeff Nichols’ THE BIKERIDERS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Kyle Kaplan/Focus Features. © 2024 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

This wide-ranging cast each throws themselves deep into their parts. Comer is doing heavy accent work to varying success. This writer was constantly reminded of “Da Bears!” on Saturday Night Live. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy, the King of Quirky Vocal Choices sounds to be doing a Marlon Brando impression for much of the script. Austin Butler, meanwhile, chooses a sultry, mysterious presence for his portrayal. Unfortunately, most of his best work comes deep in the second act. 

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Aside from the three starring performances, The Bikeriders struggles to make effective use of a host of colorful characters. Perhaps most egregious is an underutilization of both Michael Shannon and Norman Reedus. It doesn’t seem possible to waste these two performers, but this film manages to do just that. At the same time, the film’s talented ensemble is reduced to feeling like little more than caricatures with little sense of the humanity a script like this requires. 

At the same time though, there’s a roughness and a messiness to The Bikeriders that leaves it feeling like a movie out of time. In fact, at many points throughout, the film feels like a bit of a relic… and this isn‘t necessarily a negative. 

Jodie Comer holds tightly to Austin Butler's back as they ride on his motorcycle.
(L-R): Jodie Comer as Kathy and Austin Butler as Benny in director Jeff Nichols’ THE BIKERIDERS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2024 Focus Features. All Rights Reserved.

This movie feels like something right at home in the early 1970s. With some grainier filmstock, The Bikeriders feels like something a local filmmaker would make in 1971 for no money with local talent. This would be the late show at the local drive-in. It’s messy and a bit all over the place, but Nichols clearly understands and is influenced by 1960s motorcycle culture. There’s some definite love here.  

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When all is said and done, this critic was left unsure how to process The Bikeriders. This is a highly specialized film with some specific goals. However, it’s trying to do too much. It’s unfortunate that in tackling so much, this small and intimate film loses the humanity that should allow it to stand out.

The Bikeriders opens in theaters around the country on June 21, 2024. 

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Kimberly Pierce
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