Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy star in the crime drama The Bikeriders, a well made if unremarkable depiction of the rise of a biker gang in the late 60’s. Though it gives breath to subject matter that doesn’t get a ton of mainstream attention (unless you count “Sons of Anarchy”), the movie can’t shake that “been there, done that” feeling.
Writer/director Jeff Nichols delivers a proficient film that adequately captures the evolution from relative innocence to something much seedier. The characters’ fall from grace, the slow and iterative turn toward violence, corruption, and worse, makes for a semi-entertaining watch.
But neither the characters nor story are particularly captivating. Nichols spreads the butter thin with three notably different leads, none of whom have great chemistry with one another. Hardy is always fun to watch as he dons yet another weird accent, but his character is skin deep. More absent is Butler, who barely has a presence in the story. Comer gets top billing, which is odd because she’s largely a fly on the wall (and narrator) for the events that happen. Working an annoying Midwest accent, she’s good–just not good for the movie. Neither Nichols nor the actors convincingly explain why Butler’s and Comer’s characters are drawn to one another, and that lack of chemistry leads to an emotionless experience.
There isn’t much of a story, either. The Bikeriders documents the rise of this ho-hum motorcycle gang, but it feels like just that: moments in time put to film, but without notable structure that builds momentum as time progresses. The narration-through-interview mechanics don’t help.
All those criticisms aside, The Bikeriders is a relatively easy watch and will appeal to a certain faction of the viewing public. But beyond that, best to leave this one in the garage.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.
