By Laura BennettThursday 4 Jul 2024Hope MorningsMoviesReading Time: 3 minutes
When The Bikeriders premiered at Sydney Film Festival last month, there was much fanfare about Austin Butler returning to Australia and how his Elvis swag would translate to the back of a motorcycle.
Key points
- If you’re expecting Sons of Anarchy on the big screen, The Bikeriders isn’t it.
- There are points where this approach feels shallow and inconsequential.
- If viewers come away considering how we find belonging and the importance of shared language across generations, there might be a place for it among the masses after all.
Cut to the credits, and some of the hype may have been wasted as The Bikeriders departs from the mainstream fare Butler can so easily cash in on.
Inspired by a photo-book of the same name, The Bikeriders is about a Midwestern motorcycle club that evolves from being a place for local outsiders to connect to a brawny criminal gang. Benny (Austin Butler) and Johnny (Tom Hardy) are trying to retain the heartbeat of the club as new members cut in and Benny’s wife Kathy (Jodie Comer) is concerned about the club’s personal cost to her husband.
If you’re expecting Sons of Anarchy on the big screen, The Bikeriders isn’t it.
If you’re expecting Sons of Anarchy on the big screen, The Bikeriders isn’t it.
Director Jeff Nichols (Mud, Loving) aims the movie at a more indie, arthouse-loving crowd with its docu-drama stylings and limited dialogue, relying on your interest in Austin Butler’s charm and Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, Free Guy)’s narration to carry you through – as opposed to any inherent momentum.
There are points where this approach feels shallow and inconsequential, but the themes of The Bikeriders still have value.
For each member of the club, riding gives them purpose and community. There may not be much to it, but they’ve got a leader, friends who defend them and a home to come to. When the club devolves the benefit of that allegiance is questioned, but there’s a sense of belonging that carries power. You have to weigh up, what costs more? Staying or going?
If viewers come away considering how we find belonging across generations, there might be a place for it among the masses after all.
Johnny finds himself at a crossroads between the old and new guard. He operates by a personal code that’s increasingly outdated as new chapters want in and younger faces want prominence. It seems this community he has built is slipping out of his control and character and integrity aren’t the traits they esteem.
The Bikeriders may not play into the hands of mainstream fans, but if viewers come away considering how we find belonging and the importance of shared language across generations there might be a place for it among the masses after all.
Article supplied with thanks to Laura Bennett. Laura is the host of Hope Afternoons and producer of a number of our podcasts, including UNDISTRACTED with Laura Bennett.
All images supplied by Universal.