The newest release from director and writer, Jeff Nichols, hit theatres this weekend. ‘The Bikeriders’ is a new historical film with a star-studded cast that hit theatres this week. ‘The Bikeriders’ premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on August 31, 2023, and was released in the United States on June 21, 2024. Originally scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on December 1, 2023, by 20th Century Studios, the release was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. While fans have been waiting for months for the new Jeff Nichols film, ‘The Bikeriders’ takes a new spin on the biker gang film.
Things to do:
- Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here.
- Limited Time Offer – FREE Subscription to The Hollywood Insider
- Click here to read more on The Hollywood Insider’s vision, values and mission statement here – Media has the responsibility to better our world – The Hollywood Insider fully focuses on substance and meaningful entertainment, against gossip and scandal, by combining entertainment, education, and philanthropy.
INNOCENT CLUB TO SINISTER GANG
‘The Bikeriders’ is a a historical drama about a 1950s and 60s biker gang. The story told through interviews and flashback scenes, mainly focuses on the romance between biker, Benny, and Kathy, the goodie-two-shoes who falls in love with him, and the conflict between the bikers. Eventually, Benny must choose between his motorcycle or his wife. Due to the nature of the edgy, biker gang story, this film does contain a multitude of violent scenes, as well as an attempted rape scene, so ‘The Bikeriders’ is not for the squeamish, or those who could be triggered by this sensitive topic.
The story is based on the real Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. One of the aspects of this film is how the biking club changed from a group of outsiders who loved riding motorcycles, to this sinister gang, which threatens the original member’s ideas for the group. This motif of change throughout the film feels real to many groups. This aspect of the film felt relatable for audiences, as all groups go through changes through their times. Especially the dialogue surrounding these changes felt realistic, like real interviews or conversations that happen in real life.
WATCH THE TRAILER of the Film and the Revolution: ‘Can I Go Home Now?’
The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
HISTORIC STYLE
As the film begins, it takes an artistic approach, utilizing an interview or documentary style to begin the story. The film takes a similar approach to the storyline as ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’, starting with different interview segments and then flashbacks of the event, while Kathy or the other bikers interviewed narrates. However, this stylization takes a backseat as the film goes on and then restarts at the end. It almost felt like the interview style was forgotten about halfway through the film, and then the creative team remembered that they needed to tie in the interviews towards the end. The stylization felt like it got lost in the story.
The story felt incredibly tangible and real, and each actor did their part to help move the story. While I felt as though the characters weren’t as whole as they could have been, the story itself was whole. The characters all had a specific history with one another, and some moments of the interview portion and flashbacks helped demonstrate this. I felt as though I was able to follow the history of all of these relationships and understand the internal conflict between each of these characters. Sometimes when a film features a story that has a lot of background and history between characters, it can seem like certain elements can get lost. However, ‘The Bikeriders’ left little to nothing behind that the audience needed to know to fully digest the story.
Related article: – Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY
Related article: Rendezvous at the Premiere of ‘The Bikeriders’ Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer
STRONG PERFORMANCES, BUT LACKING CHARACTERS
As mentioned before, I felt as though the characters weren’t super fleshed out. I didn’t particularly connect to any of the characters, despite the strong performances in the film. The characters didn’t have any distinguishable personality traits, only things they loved and roles within the biker gang. For instance, Austin Butler’s character, Benny, loved nothing more than his bike and didn’t cry, which were some of the only traits displayed in this character. I wished that the characters in this film had more to them. Quite possibly, this could be due to the number of characters in this film, ranging from those in the biker gang, as well as those in the interview scenes. There were a lot of people to keep track of, and it was difficult to name these characters or any distinguishable traits. However, the costume, hair, and makeup team did a fantastic job of differentiating these characters from each other, visually, so these characters weren’t too difficult to keep track of.
As mentioned before, the actors in this film did a good job of portraying their characters. You could tell that these actors worked to keep substance within characters that felt half-baked. Jodie Comer took the lead as Kathy and was a strong female voice in a film that did not pass the Bechdel Test. Austin Butler as Benny was also a contender in this film, as he really took this job seriously and put on a performance that gave his character substance. It is hard to see the role of Benny played by anyone else. Mike Faist played Danny, the photographer and interviewer putting together a book about the biker gang. Tom Hardy, who plays one of the original members of the club, was spectacular and added a lot of substance to the film as well. These actors took care of each of these characters and added what they could into these characters.
Related article: EVOLUTION: Every Ryan Gosling Role From 1995 to 2020, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant
Related article: EVOLUTION: Every Henry Cavill Role From 2001 to 2021, All Performances Exceptionally Poignant
Related article: Jeff Nichols Spills Secrets on ‘The Bikerider’ In Depth Scoop Interview
Overall, ‘The Bikeriders’ is an interesting look into biker gangs and the changes around them. The story featured a lot of substance and style, despite a lack of character. Despite an initial delay, ‘The Bikeriders’ is currently in theatres nationwide and will be available for streaming soon.
Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus | Director: Jeff Nichols | Writer: Jeff Nichols | Producers: Sarah Green, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Arnon Milchan | Cinematography: Adam Stone | Editing: Julie Monroe
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
More Interesting Stories From The Hollywood Insider
– Want GUARANTEED SUCCESS? Remove these ten words from your vocabulary| Transform your life INSTANTLY
– A Tribute to Martin Scorsese: A Complete Analysis of the Life and Career of the Man Who Lives and Breathes Cinema
– Do you know the hidden messages in ‘Call Me By Your Name’? Find out behind the scenes facts in the full commentary and In-depth analysis of the cinematic masterpiece
– A Tribute To The Academy Awards: All Best Actor/Actress Speeches From The Beginning Of Oscars 1929-2019 | From Rami Malek, Leonardo DiCaprio To Denzel Washington, Halle Berry & Beyond | From Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep To Bette Davis & Beyond
– In the 32nd Year Of His Career, Keanu Reeves’ Face Continues To Reign After Launching Movies Earning Over $4.3 Billion In Total – “John Wick”, “Toy Story 4”, “Matrix”, And Many More
Author
You might also like…
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
Abigail Johnson is a New York City-based writing intern, screenwriter, actor, and director. Her main focus is women in the entertainment industry and authenticity, especially advocating for diverse storytelling and new perspectives. Abigail loves discovering indie films that may not be seen in a traditional movie theatre, as well as listening to pop music and trying to find the next big artist. Abigail connects to Hollywood Insider’s values of substance over scandal and focusing on compassion and philosophy in her writing at Hollywood Insider. Utilizing writing for good is the main Hollywood Insider value that Abigail connects with, as her main goal is to use her talents for good.
