Film No. 40. THE BIKERIDERS (2024). 2nd July.

 

Film No. 40 (2024) July 2nd.  6:30 PM  LUNA CINEMA, Cinema 1,  Leederville.

"From the beginning? ... Well, there was the golden age of bike-riders. I never felt so out of place in all my life." (Kathy begins her tale. The tale that concretes the foundation for the origins of The Vandals motorcycle riders).

WINNER: Directing (Jeff Nichols) Mill Valley Feature Film Festival.  2024.

Is THE BIKERIDERS (RIDERS) a depiction of how motorcycle gangs, of the despicable kind, came into existence? Considering this story is based on actual cornicles by Danny Lyon, who also co-wrote the screenplay, aspects to Jeff Nichols version can be taken very seriously.

NOTE: The Vandals, this version, do not set out to be despicable.

The fact is, the big studio, star driven shtick, that is RIDERS, does dilute the real story. But  the magnetic qualities of Hardy, Comer and Butler give this film a "don't miss" tag. Comer's Kathy grounds the film as the prime witness to this macho, needing to belong, culture. Was Hardy's Johnny the original pioneer of motorcycle gang "business"? No! Is Butler's Benny a reinvigoration of James Dean (REBEL, GIANT)? Yes -  but there was only one Dean! 

Nichols created LOVING, and MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. Both these films had big hearts' and were intelligently nuanced. RIDERS, too, creates empathetic feelings towards our chums, however violent they become. Nichols is back making a feature after eight years; that's also a good thing.  10GUMS.