The Bikeriders

"3⭐️ Ehh .. disappointed. First off, what I liked: A distinct feel of time, place and aspect of the history of bike clubs. You get a sense of displacement .. disenchanted men in need of position, power and freedom, a place to fit. Stylistically cinematic, coolly muted and atmospherically realistic in the sets, cycles and costumes. Really well done. HOWEVER .. SO much affectation. The overdone accents and weird acting was almost comedic, even campy, but could’ve been astounding if taken down a notch or two or three. Tom Hardy’s charisma and chops are clearly in evidence but I wanted to laugh every time he opened mouth. Same with Jodie Comer. Austin Butler doing broodier Elvis, charisma a definite yes. And without a distracting accent to speak of, yet he’s not given much substance here. The script just needed a lot more work. No cohesive story development. Zero character development. Zero romantic chemistry. The audience is expected to believe in Austin and Jodie, yet how are we to if rarely on screen together. There’s just no sexual tension nor any kind of build up to explain their relationship at all. The film itself lacks the depth to generate enough emotional connection to story and character, and without that the ending is rendered anticlimactic. I didn’t expect nor did I want a Sons of Anarchy imitation but I was hoping for something more epic and emotionally resonant. But for all that it is watchable. Which is something. "

"This movie started out great and looked promising, but ultimately, lacked direction. It kind of had a slight Goodfellas vibe to it with the narration, but was lacking in its execution. The cast is full of underutilized talent, and that's no fault of the actors, but the fault of the script. It should be mentioned that Jodie Comer does an exceptional job in her role, nailing an Illinois accent despite being a British actress. This is a great looking movie with the cinematography and they really captured the 70s aesthetic, but if you're expecting something similar to Sons of Anarchy, you're going to be disappointed. I'm saddened by what this movie could have been but wasn't. 6.5/10"

"My father was a bike rider and the president of his biker gang so this hit me very close to home. I still have very fond memories as a child me and my brother shooting pool in the club and watching Micheal Jordan go against the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs. I know this is very off topic but it’s just also part of the reason I loved this film. RIP Pops"

"I for one really enjoy this film judge's performance is the standout surprisingly not austin or tom but their performances were incredible as well this film was giving everything it need to give but it's simply telling a story and if you are expecting more than that then it will disappoint you are basically given this intimate in the early days of biker clubs and the eventual downfall there is no plot twist no crazy action or anything like that it's truly a storytelling experience with beautiful cinematography "

"Not what I thought it was going to be. Really great soundtrack. I was expecting something like SAMCRO and there are bits of that. Think of it as the genesis and what the clubs became? Tom Hardy’s character, Johnny, says, “You can give everything you got to a thing…and it’s still gonna do what it’s gonna do”. That’s The Bikeriders. Really dug it."

"Did not meet my expectations. Relatively boring"

"+/- While I do think this is competently made in the sense that the performances are good, the cinematography is high quality, and the editing moves the story forward decently, I also think that THE BIKERIDERS felt like many other similar movies rolled into one. This can be said for movies like JOKER or BLACK MASS, but whereas those movies felt like emulations, this felt like a retread for the most part. It's a shame because I like the idea of a story not following an established gang or organization, but instead one that is started as a way to establish power, but not able to be maintained. It becomes a story about the creation that overpowers the creator, and I don't see that very much in these types of movies. The problem is that it doesn't explore this aspect in an authentic way that would allow us to enter this particular gang and world. The director Jeff Nichols starts taking too many pages out of Scorsese's book by making the rock music of the time the soundtrack to the movie, and having much of the dialogue sound like something we might hear in one of his movies. It looks as well produced as GOODFELLAS or THE DEPARTED, yet in my opinion, it looks too good. The movie, being about bikers who look as if they are always on the road, and rarely change their clothes or bathe, could have benefited from a dirtier, grittier look, with more handheld work, and set designs that were more suggestive of the time. Something more in the vein of an indie production. The overproduction and lack of personal identity also makes the performances suffer to a certain extent. One example is Jodie Comer as the wife, who gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, but comes across as inhabiting a world that is too reminiscent of other similar movies. Her authentic portrayal deserves a cinematic world that is different from other movies that we have seen. Something more real and less produced. It's not a bad movie, but it could have been more different instead of a stylistic rehash."

"Was looking forward to this movie. Really I’ll watch anything Tom Hardy is in. Movie was really good with a pretty stacked cast. The performances by Hardy and Butler were pretty awesome "

"This was a very good movie. It's not a movie about motorcycle culture, but now about the friendship. This could have been about a knitting club with guys that are great friends, but it wouldn't have been as cool. A definite go see. 8.5/10"

"Great documentary take on a bike gang that's definitely worth a watch. "