Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” opens with a brutal fight sequence that leaves the fate of Austin Butler’s biker somewhat ambiguous. After he insouciantly refuses to remove his biker jacket (he’s in rival gang territory), two men whale on him in the bar, out of the bar, and then bring a shovel down on him outside in a powerful freeze frame. It’s a jolting introduction to the world of the ’60s-set film about a Midwestern bike gang, curdled masculinity, and the decay of the American dream, one that is as gorgeous to look at as it is unsparing in its violence.
“I spent quite a bit of time with Jeff Nichols,” stunt coordinator Freddie Poole told IndieWire. “And Jeff Nichols is a very involved director. You can see the end product on the screen.
I really enjoyed watching him go through his process, but we would sit down and talk through that opening sequence and how violent it was. And I actually said, ‘It would be ideal to cast two stunt actors to play the brothers in the beginning. That way, you can carry that scene on without having to take unnecessary pauses or breaks.
Because that’s the thing. That’s the beginning of the movie.” The sequence is extraordinary both for its precision and for its savagery — all captured on gorgeous film.
If nothing else approaches its beauty, that was intentional. In an era of increasingly stylized action movies, “ The Bikeriders ” revels in the messiness of brawls. As Poole points out, movies like “John Wick”.
