Director: Jeff Nichols
Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus
Screenplay: Jeff Nichols
116 mins. Rated R for language throughout, violence, some drug use and brief sexuality.

It’s nice to see a long-gestating project finally see the light of day. Jeff Nichols (Loving) has had the idea for The Bikeriders floating around for years, and it’s finally arrived. Yes, it’s good to see it happen, but it’s even better when the finished project is actually great, as is the case here.

When Kathy (Jodie Comer, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) strikes up an uneasy relationship with Benny (Austin Butler, Dune: Part Two), a member of the Vandals Motorcycle Club, she becomes entwined in their world, including occasional clashes with the leader, Johnny (Tom Hardy, Inception). As their story is captured through interviews with photographer Danny Lyon (Mike Faist, Challengers), the Vandals MC slowly evolves from a friendly club for riding enthusiasts into a violent criminal gang.

None of the marketing pieces for The Bikeriders really pulled me in. It seemed like the tone and intensity Nichols was aiming for clashed with the visual aesthetic, which seemed pulled out of the 1960s perception of bikers instead of the actuality. I’m happy to report I was wrong. As the Vandals MC evolve with the shifting of the times, that visual aesthetic makes minute but effective changes to reflect that evolution. Having seen a few of the images from the photo book that inspired Nichols, he’s recreated that feeling on the screen excellently, translating his vision into something that has the intensity and love they share for their group.

There are some excellent performances all around in The Bikeriders, including a surprise supporting appearance from Ride host Norman Reedus (American Gangster), but this is Jodie Comer’s movie and we’re all just living in it. She captures Kathy with an incredible vocal performance and the kind of range that allows her to maintain a strained relationship with the Vandals and even her husband as the push and pull of the club’s hold on him further forms a dividing line. Comer completely disappears into the role, further proving that she’s one of the most versatile performers working today.

Butler further proves his versatility as well with Benny, and when you consider the run he’s been on in recent years, with Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood, Elvis, and this year’s Dune: Part Two, it’s impossible to even guess where Butler will go next. His performance as Benny pulls the confidence of previous characters and the charm of Elvis mixed with the hard edge of assured intensity that his work with Tarantino and Villeneuve brought forth.

Nichols has the right soundtrack going here, with songs that would be popular for the time but not overused in films to represent the time period. It’s familiar without becoming musical cliches. The music, combined with excellent cinematography from frequent collaborator Adam Stone has perfectly encapsulated the world that I believe Nichols was aiming for.

The Bikeriders is a confidently made drama filled with strong performances (some of my favorites of the year thus far) with an assured director at the helm. It is quite possibly Nichols’s strongest film yet, a sweeping and intelligent movie about created family and the loss of control, even if it falters a bit narratively in the back half. At one point early on the film, Vandals member Cal, played by Boyd Holbrook, states the importance of knowing one’s motorcycle, of crafting one that is unique, one that stands out. The Bikeriders is very much built from a bunch of known parts, well-crafted, creating something truly unique and worthy in the process.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe