The fictional gang The Vandals starts in 60s Chicago, after the leader Johnny (Tom Hardy) was inspired by Marlon Brando in the movie “Wild one”. Johnny’s favorite in the gang is Benny (Austin Butler), who himself is torn between the gang’s hedonistic freedom and his wife Kathy (Jodie Comer), who wants him to stop living so dangerously.
The plot in which a motorcycle gang goes from rioting to serious violence and crime is familiar from the series “Sons of Anarchy” – “Bikeriders” could almost have been a prequel.
When the trailer showed how nicely director Jeff Nichols got the picture, it held the promise of a film with a more authentic feel for its time.
The film is loosely based on Danny Lyon’s photo reportage from the same period, and the rawness sometimes shines through. Like when the most hated member of the gang, played by Michael Shannon, spews bile at privileged college kids, and then learns that the photojournalist interviewing him went to college.
Unfortunately, “The Bikeriders” has the same problem as many with similar ambitions to recreate the past: it often looks like actors from 2024 are wearing 60s masks. The soundtrack is almost overly accurate for its time, without really fitting its scenes.
The escalating violence in the wake of the end of the Vietnam War makes for interesting associations, but most of what is exciting is overshadowed by the so-called “triangle drama” where Johnny and Kathy argue over Benny’s love.
Tom Hardy is mostly believable as the grunting gang leader but sometimes borders on caricature, Austin Butler has a hard time doing more than running his mouth, and Jodie Comer has turned her creepy character up to 11. All this posturing makes their relationship dynamic hard to engage with.
I really wanted to like “The Bikeriders”, but I couldn’t.
