‘The Bikeriders’ Movie Review: Hit the Road with Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy

A scene from ‘The Bikeriders’

There’s something about motorcycles that reminds us of our primitive roots. The rumble of the engine, the leather softened by use, the shine of the chrome and the roar of the exhaust all trigger this answering heartbeat in the deepest, darkest places of our soul.

And then there are the old memories, the movies, the black and white photos, the cigarette smoke, and the sad looks, all of which remind us of the rebels without stopping. From a Marlon Brando film Absolutely wild To easy RiderThere is a lot of craze for motorcycles in Hollywood. In Hindi cinema too, motorcycles are often used for the hero’s introduction scene. Remember Amitabh Bachchan on a Yamaha Conqueror of Destiny, Or Aamir Khan and Rani Mukerji creating havoc on tyres and screens Slave,

While movies tend to present motor vehicles of all kinds as exotic, Jeff Nichols has an insight Bike RidersStarting with Kathy (Jodie Comer) saying that Johnny (Tom Hardy) formed the Vandals, a motorcycle club in Chicago, all after seeing Marlon Brando’s Johnny respond to Mildred’s “What are you rebelling against?” with “What do you have?” Absolutely wild.

Based on the book of the same name by photographer/documentary artist Danny Lyon, Bike Riders It tells the story of how the Vandals began as a club of horse-riding enthusiasts in America in the 60s, and as it grew larger, drifted away from Jonny’s ideals and became a criminal enterprise.

A scene from ‘The Bikeriders’

The film is told from Kathy’s perspective in a series of interviews given to Leon (Mike Faist). She transforms from outsider to biker babe to an unrecognizable beast of the Vandals. In addition to being the story of the Vandals, Bike Riders It is also the story of America from the Flower Power of the 60s to the disillusionment of the 70s. Soldiers returning from Vietnam began using drugs instead of cannabis, just as guns replaced knives and fists.

Kathy’s entry into the Vandals coincides with her first sight of the handsome Benny (Austin Butler) and the two are married five weeks later. After a point, when Kathy wants to quit living on the street, Benny must choose between the motorcycle, Kathy, and Johnny.

A scene from ‘The Bikeriders’

Homosexual subtext abounds, in the almost kiss between Johnny and Benny, and in Kathy’s admission that both she and Johnny love Benny. Nichols’s gritty, dirty approach creates a fascinating study of the life and times of a subculture. Some of Lyons’ breathtakingly beautiful original photographs are used over the end credits and one can see that Nichols has reworked photographs in some of his frames.

Butler’s performance is dazzling, while Hardy plays the elder statesman and Comer plays a pretty historian with feathers in the corners of her eyes. Bike Riders It’s a great trip down memory lane (where you might tell yourself that you too could have been a contestant). Now when you think of two-wheelers, the only thing that comes to mind is food delivery, which may not be as romantic as Brando or Jack Nicholson, but is still very much loved. Samosa In rain!

Bikeriders is currently playing in cinemas