The Bikeriders

At two levels, this movie begins in medias res. The opening scene, when Benny (Austin Butler) is approached by two dudes in a bar and brutally assaulted over his Vandals jacket, freezes just before its key moment in order to jump backwards in time. Enter a voice over from Kathy (Jodie Comer), recounting her first time meeting the Vandals, including the brief story of how Johnny (Tom Hardy) decided to found his own riding club. That's when she lays eyes on Benny, the club's most respected and feared and crazy member, who wordlessly scares away Kathy's boyfriend and marries her five weeks later. She's our guide to the club's journey from small group of motorcycle racing enthusiasts to a collection of men not afraid to use violence to protect their territory and pride to...something else entirely.

But as with so many films, especially recently, it's really about an unconventional love triangle, centered on Benny. On one side is Kathy, his loving but concerned wife, who was certain he'd settle down over time and has watched as he's only gotten more wild and distant. On the other is Johnny. Not that his love is romantic: it's born of loyalty and respect, of an admiration and knowledge that everyone else sees him as the group's soul. Even that affection he can barely bring himself to express, as their cult of masculinity prizes stoicism and anger and boasting, nothing as "womanly" as love. But to see his vulnerability written all over his face as he approaches Benny about taking over the club betrays his true feelings.

Not that Benny takes much note of any of this. He's aloof, wanting nothing more than to disappear within the group. While he wants everyone to know the Vandals have a rabid dog they're more than willing to let off the leash, he's not interested in authority or making a name for himself. He cares about his crew, and about riding, and about flouting the law.

The irony of the story is that despite Kathy being the narrator, thus giving her perspective on the story, there's not a lot of "her" in it. I don't mean that we don't see her often: we frequently cut back to her doing laundry, or dishes, or other chores, as journalist Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) interviews her. And she's present in many of the flashbacks, too, although some must be second hand due to her absence from certain events, which is fine. Rather, despite how present her voice is, she's probably the character we come to understand the least. With the narrative focused elsewhere, we rarely get to see her react to the goings-on in real time. So our best avenue to learning about her in depth is through her interactions with others, most notably Benny. Leading us to the biggest weakness of the film: its relationships.

The gang comes across as a loose collection of guys with little holding them together. They've found a home amongst this assortment of misfits, we know they all respect Johnny and fear Benny, but that's about it. Most noticeably, the dynamic between the three main characters never gets properly fleshed out. We have little sense of what being married to Benny is like, save for him ignoring Kathy's pleas to leave the Vandals. The relationship between Johnny and Benny is set in concrete from the moment we meet them. The only gesture at development is when Benny runs in and starts a fight with the Renegades for daring to talk to Johnny, marking Benny as possible leadership material. To that point, though, the audience already saw Benny as an important member, so that hardly feels like a significant change. We do get a bit of movement between Kathy and Johnny, as she starts to resent the hold he has over Benny and the loosening grip he has on the club. However, most of that comes out as a step function, as she's already decided this off-screen and we just get a scene to see her say so. Given the movie is structured around hitting the major points in the history of the club's real-life analogue, Outlaws MC, it leaves the audience without much to grab on to, making the whole thing feel a bit inconsequential. It doesn't feel like there's a main character, or even a main few characters, and the script doesn't quite have the necessary strength to pull that off.

However, the side characters are colorful enough to keep you engaged most of the time. From Zipco, the Latvian no one knows much about (Michael Shannon), to the wannabe motorcycle cop Cockroach (Emory Cohen), to Funny Sonny, the hippie biker from Cali who rode cross-country to administer an ass-whooping but decided to join up instead (Norman Reedus). Everyone is different and well thought out and memorable in their own way. These interactions bring out a bunch of sly humor, dark jokes, and the kind of tough guy posturing and ribbing that reads as threatening until someone says "Just kidding!". They're not going to get any huge laughs, just the small chuckles you expect when a bunch of random schmucks get together and talk like normal people. Kathy gets some of the most entertaining lines, as she's at a remove and commenting on all of it in a fast-talking, strong Chicago-Minnesota hybrid accent. So you won't want for entertainment.

That being said, I keep coming back to the thinness of our experience of the bonds between our protagonists. Being told they exist isn't the same as watching their forging, nor seeing them survive events which test their mettle. Still, the story is interesting enough, with just enough tension to keep your attention, and each performance is incredibly compelling, giving you even more to look at. Even if you're left wondering what all of it was for, you won't be left bored.