Directed By Jeff Nichols

Starring – Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy

The Plot – Captures a rebellious time in America when the culture and people were changing. After a chance encounter at a local bar, strong-willed Kathy (Comer) is inextricably drawn to Benny (Butler), the newest member of Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals led by the enigmatic Johnny (Hardy). Much like the country around it, the club begins to evolve, transforming from a gathering place for local outsiders into a dangerous underworld of violence, forcing Benny to choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club

Rated R for adult language throughout, violence, some drug use and brief sexuality.

THE BIKERIDERS – Official Trailer 2 [HD] – Only In Theaters June 21 (youtube.com)

POSITIVES

This is Nichols at his most aggressive, both in the panache in style from his transformative production values, as well as his flare for the intensity that accentuates an already compelling story. Nichols, who is most common for slow-burn films like ‘Mud’ or ‘Midnight Express’, is let off of the proverbial leash here, for an experience that is every bit gripping for building intensity and personality, as it is insightful towards the general reception and perception of biker gangs during the 60’s. In the same vein that ‘The Untouchables’ captured the live fast and die hard lifestyle of gangsters during the 30’s, this film masterfully articulates the dangerously rambunctious lifestyle of biker gangs, with fear from the general public, lawlessness from their destructive tendencies, and familial connection in bond all vital aspects to Nichols direction that hooks audiences from the word go. While these aren’t admirable characters with always honorable intentions, that mystique in fearlessness is the movie’s ultimate X-factor, crafting an effortlessly captivating outline in the evolution of this group that is told with a past-tense storytelling device from Comer’s Kathy, with loads of mystery value to the eventual reveals of this engagement. This device never felt confusing or convoluted with the ways the narrator continuously calls upon it, and considering this is based on a photo-book of the same name from Danny Lyon, the film serves as a successful adaptation that seamlessly replicates the journalistic integrity of its literary origins. What’s also quite refreshing is that not everybody associated with the group are these bona fide badasses, with some serving as virtual posers, while others youthful immaturity threatens to take the club in terrifying directions, as this airborne toxic of sorts that constantly hangs overhead. Likewise, Nichols brandishes visual accuracy in the depths of a period piece that effectively triggers familiarity into a certain place in geographic framing, without downright smothering us with the intention. Between light color grading in the gorgeous presentation from longtime Nichols cinematographer Adam Stone, a crooning soundtrack from a collection of doo-wop artists, and sets and backdrops that feel directly lifted from a place where time has stood still, the production maximizes immersive encompassing as a means of catering more irony in contrast to the abrasiveness of the hard edged lifestyle, which frequently sneaks up on the audience during the moments they can be felt the loudest. This is where the editing works overtime to jolt the nerves of the audience, with abrupt cuts into violent imagery that can be felt in the way the conflicts are tightly shot and swiftly cut, and while the movie isn’t overtly indulgent upon its gratuitous violence, it leaves the moments where it does surface all the more impactful because of its sparsity, with more than a few memorable instances where the stakes of such a lifestyle does eventually catch up to these characters. Speaking of those valued figures, the film quite impressively assembles one of the most dazzling ensembles of the summer, with what feels like a meaningful surprise behind every corner. In a film dominated by male characters, Comer is easily the lead for the story, and in Kathy we see a full-fledged transformation after getting together with Benny that has her feeling just as tough, if not more than most of the members that make up this group. Comer’s energetic rambling inscribes a comedic value that accurately measures the mayhem in the many events that she experiences, without downright sacrificing the dramatic integrity that the entirety of the film depends on, gifting her a combustible element that often interacts with anyone and everything that she comes into contact with. The same merit can be contributed to the work of Butler and Hardy, who both bring their transformative bests to the depths of characters who could easily fall one-dimensional, as a result of the occasionally questionable characterization. For Butler, it’s that charisma in magnetism that makes him impossible to look away from, with elements of gritty stoicism and intimidation that make him feel so unstoppable, and for Hardy, the assistance of another tweaked accent and sauntering deliveries compliments an honorable moral fiber that is quite refreshing in these surroundings, leveling out a role that Hardy feels born to play, especially considering his 30-plus years as an actor lends itself to the respect and admiration that his peers give him as the leader of this rowdy bunch. Beyond this triumphant trio, memorable turns from Garrett Hedlund, Michael Shannon, and a nearly unrecognizable Norman Reedus round out what can truly be cemented as an ensemble film, and while each of them constantly battle for screen time in a film that nearly clocks in at two hours, all of their castings feel justified with the kind of commitment and energy that they bring to their respective roles.

NEGATIVES

Without taking away too dramatically from the integrity of the finished product, the film does fall suspect to two problematic instances that did cut into the momentum of the engagement, resulting in an artistic irony of sorts for Nichols that sees him evading one problem while embracing another. With the aforementioned films discussed in his filmography, Nichols’ films often stretch the material towards feeling longer than they rightfully should be, but the problem is actually opposite here, in which a story involving this many characters, dynamics and developments deserves as much as 40 more minutes, and I wouldn’t of been angry about it. Because of the limitations, certain sequencing is rushed in ways that feel unnatural when conjured in real time, and while the litany of characters stretches far and wide, most of them receive a complete lack of characterization that condemns their intention and value to the story. Without spoiling anything, I can say that one youthful newcomer to the dynamic of the group arrives quite literally out of nowhere, then is only briefly followed through, which undermines his eventual impact in ways that will inevitably leave audiences divided during a bittersweet ending. In addition to time imbalance, the film’s other issue pertains to derivative actions and outlines that feel derived from previous films that did it first. The obvious is ‘Goodfellas’, with everything from Comer emulating Loraine Bracco’s fish out of water in new surroundings, to youth and ignorance consuming the group, to even violence and destruction serving as means to a resolution. This won’t obviously be a problem for everyone, but to those who have seen both movies, I find it difficult to believe that won’t see a visible line between the two, and regardless of how you feel about ‘The Bikeriders’, it brews a satisfying taste from other chef’s ingredients, keeping it from ever finding a unique voice of its own to adapt its material.

OVERALL
‘The Bikeriders’ is another cinematic slow-burn from Jeff Nichols, but one entertaining ride that is aided tremendously by a charismatic ensemble and top-notch filmmaking that fuels its consumption. Despite time limitations with characterization and various dynamics, the film is still a gripping engagement set for long distance, with the strongest elements of such pertaining to the honesty and moral ambiguity that Nichols appraises to gang life, which are responsibly neither condemned nor romanticized for cinematic captivity.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+