The Bikeriders Review: A Compelling Study of Power and Influence

Jeff Nichols returns to the big screen with a bang.

His first feature since Loving in 2016, The Bikeriders, provides a compassionate look at power and influence and what can happen when something made from love turns sour.

Inspired by Danny Lyon's 1968 photo book, which captured the stories of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club, The Bikeriders is fuelled by the star power of Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer and Michael Shannon, who depict their real-life counterparts with care.

Wasting no time setting the scene, Nichols plunges us into the distinct world of the outlaw motorcycle gang, where dramatics are part of the everyday. This unconventional family have found a community where they hadn't elsewhere. Butler is the enigmatic Benny, whose words are few and far between. Hardy is Johnny, the ringleader whose heart is too big for his own good. At the center of the chaos is Jodie Comer as Kathy - swept up into the world against her will - who grapples with her love for Benny against the desire for a life free of the bedlam.

Their world is sun-soaked and gorgeous, with a stellar soundtrack featuring hits like "I Feel Free" by Cream. It is also relentlessly violent. Nichols spins that on its head by inviting us to be part of the family, grounded by Mike Faist, who is the insert for Danny Lyon.

Playing with the juxtaposition, Nichols humanises what seems threatening. Their brutality is justified, and it's an interesting spin on what we come to expect from stories of bikers. It breaks stereotypes and invites the audience to dig deeper.

The Bikeriders' most compelling facet is the conversation the film is having with itself about responsibility and legacy. Johnny's motivation was community. He wanted an extension of his family, people he could look after. A ticket into the club is an unbreakable bond. What started locally expanded nationally, and with Johnny no longer able to watch over every corner of it, the initial spark turns sinister.

The club becomes its own Frankenstein's monster. People begin to apply their own meaning to it until it no longer reflects the initial foundation. Tom Hardy delivers a subtly brilliant performance of a man watching something he loves so dearly crumble before his eyes. His blind faith in believing that his intention was clear in the minds of others becomes his downfall.

Ultimately, nothing good can last forever. The power fear holds over us will eventually spill over, forcing us to make the head decision over the heart decision. Leaving love behind does not mean abandoning it. It means leaving it for the better.

While set in the ‘60s, The Bikeriders feels urgent and contemporary. The past is conversing with the present, asking us to move cautiously through contemptuous times. It's smarter than it'll get credit for and has unfortunately postponed its release due to the ongoing refusal of the AMPTP to give actors a fair deal.

If you dig deep into what Nichols is offering, you'll receive a multitude of lessons to take away, which is ultimately cinema at its most powerful.