Acclaimed director Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter, Loving) points his lens at the early days of the outlaw motorcycle culture in this adaptation of photojournalist Danny Lyon’s cult book.
How to watch The Bikeriders in New Zealand
The Bikeriders is in New Zealand cinemas right now.
The Bikeriders
What is The Bikeriders about?
Like a leather-jacketed Goodfellas, The Bikeriders uses extensive voiceover narration and a sprawling, episodic structure to take us into the world of The Vandals, a midwestern motorcycle club, as they struggle against the straight world, riding and fighting their way through the turbulent ’60s.
Our point of view character is Kathy (Jodie Comer), who impulsively marries biker Benny (Elvis‘ Austin Butler), but finds that he’s more loyal to The Vandals and their charismatic President, Johnny (Tom Hardy ticking yet another accent off his list) than to her. As the club grows in numbers, power, and notoriety it seems the wheels are bound to come off one way or another.
The cast of The Bikeriders
Nichols has assembled a crack team of modern movie tough guys and character actors for this one, including Mike Faist, Norman Reedus, Emory Cohen, Damon Herriman, Toby Wallace, Happy Anderson, and Karl Glusman. And the mighty Michael Shannon, of course, who has featured in every single one of Nichols’ films so far.
The Bikeriders trailer
Why we’re excited about The Bikeriders
When’s the last time we had a cool, tough, biker movie? If you’ve ever read Hunter S. Thompson’s first published book, Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, you know what to expect in terms of violence, rock ‘n’ roll, and hedonistic excess. Jeff Nichols has yet to make a bad movie, the cast is incredible, and we’re keen to see if butler can transmute his sudden Elvis success into long term fame and fortune. He certainly looks the business here, though.
