There aren’t many auteurs focused on chronicling the American South in film currently — at least not many who can command a studio-level budget. Major filmmakers will sometimes stop by for a one- or two-movie detour. Or they might get their start in the South before jetting off to New York or Los Angeles. (Unless their name is Richard Linklater.)
Arkansas native Jeff Nichols has proved it is possible to inch your way up the directorial ladder while continuing to tell stories set in the South. Just look at his filmography: Shotgun Stories and Mud were set in his home state; Midnight Special takes place in Texas; Loving was set in Virginia; even Take Shelter’s climax is set in South Carolina. But now, with his biggest budget and his most star-studded cast yet, Nichols finds himself telling the story of a Midwest biker gang. The Bikeriders, Nichols’ adaptation of Danny Lyon’s photo book of the same name, weaves a fictional tale inspired by images of the real-life Outlaws Motorcycle Club that Lyon captured during his time following the crew.
Originally set to release in winter 2023 — prime time for contention in the now-passed awards season — The Bikeriders was pushed to a summer 2024 release due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. The move makes sense; from a marketing perspective, the movie needs its cast on the red carpet. Like Challengers, another 2024 film initially scheduled for a 2023 debut, the main hook for The Bikeriders is its stars. And the stars deliver.
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Similar to divisive 2013 hit American Hustle — another Goodfellas-inspired period crime piece inspired by true events — The Bikeriders features a number of famous people with accents and wigs turned up to 11. At times it can feel a bit like cosplay, but unlike Hustle, The Bikeriders does not lose points for a convoluted story.
Jodie Comer stars as Kathy — Bikeriders’ answer to Goodfellas’ Henry Hill. She functions as an audience surrogate during this decade-long tale of the gang’s evolution and proves once again that she’s deserving of movie-star-level roles. One day, she’ll break through with an Oscar nom. (Though it should have already happened thanks to her performance in the underseen Ridley Scott historical drama The Last Duel.) Speaking of newly minted movie stars, Austin Butler and his hair shine as the impossibly suave Benny, a stark departure from his psychotic, scene-stealing portrayal of Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two. It’s not quite an Elvis-level showcase for the former Disney star, but it shows he still has “traditional” leading man roles in his future.
Even with going for it pros like Mike Faist (on quite a streak this year following Challengers), Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Nichols muse Michael Shannon and others in the (testosterone-heavy) cast, no one is out-performing Tom Hardy in the Goofy Voice Olympics. As Johnny, Hardy carries the film’s themes of fragile masculinity, chosen families, and the weight of leadership on his back.
The Bikeriders is Nichols’ biggest commercial swing yet, even outpacing his sci-fi Steven Spielberg homage Midnight Special in its ambitions. The budget is bigger, the scope is wider, and the cast is starrier. But Nichols doesn’t lose his focus on characters — the same focus that made his early, Southern-set work stick with us.
It will be interesting to see how audiences respond. As we’ve seen over and over, every notable movie opening becomes a Referendum on the State of Movies — a statement on modern box office and the lack of a monoculture or media for adults. Hopefully The Bikeriders is allowed to just exist as it is — a familiar but immensely watchable adult drama that’s elevated by the presence of likable stars like Comer and Butler.
