The Bikeriders | Film Review

 

A chance encounter at a bar leads Kathy (Jodie Comer) to meet Benny (Austin Butler), a member of motorcycle club 'The Vandals'. Over the next decade the lives of Kathy, Benny and the club members changes forever.

This is one of two films that I put off watching for way too long, so I wanted to review it as soon as possible. But as a huge fan of Sons of Anarchy I was looking forward to seeing a different version of motorcycle club culture.

I really liked this film.

For a start, the cast, while random, is really great. Of course it’s well known that Tom Hardy, Austin Butler and Jodie Comer are amazing actors, but the entire cast does an amazing job with the characters. It’s clear a lot of effort went into creating and writing them.

The actors also had great chemistry. They all played off of each other really well and the relationships they created felt authentic.

As mentioned I’m an SoA fan, and what originally enticed me to this film is that motorcycle clubs aren't an area of life that are explored often, so I loved that the film looked at this through such a real angle. It doesn’t look like anything is sugar-coated or made to look worse, it seems to be just a glance into this unique world.

The characters were a lot of fun to spend time with, and I liked that the story was told from the point of view of Comer’s character – for lack of a better word, the outsider. She is the audience’s entrance into this world and a great character to follow.

Having said that, at times it was hard to feel a connection with the rest of the characters, so after a while your interest starts to wane.

But this changes the closer you get to the end. As the film heads towards its conclusion you become increasingly invested.

The writing of the film is what makes it so compelling. It’s written in a way that allows you to feel like an outsider to this world while still being able to fully lose yourself in it.

Overall, while I liked this film a lot, I do wish the middle was as interesting as the beginning and the end.

7/10