The Bikeriders Director : Jeff Nichols Cert : 15A Starring : Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen Running Time : 1 hr 56 mins It hardly needs to be said that Jeff Nichols ’s fascinating study of 1960s biker life is steeped in mythology and elegy. That world has been nearly as romanticised as has the old west (and often in similar manifest-destiny fashion). What does surprise here is the information that, even before the rock era had properly begun, the gangs knew they were acting out codified legends.
Speaking in Tom Hardy ’s singsong goose voice, Johnny, leader of the gang, lets us know he got the idea for Vandals MC, a Chicago-based motorcycle club, when watching Marlon Brando on telly in The Wild One. Yes, there is something of the pioneer days here. But there is also something of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.
[ Jeff Nichols on his film The Bikeriders: ‘For me it’s a combination of two things – Danny Lyon’s book and GoodFellas’ ] The Bikeriders is, nonetheless, keen to press home how hard these characters work to shut out the surrounding world. Jodie Comer takes a wild vocal swing as our guide through a now lost era. Nichols, versatile director of Shotgun Stories , Take Shelter and Loving , has Mike Faist as the young Danny Lyon, author of the source documentary-photography book, gathering quotes after one generation of the gang has dispersed.
Comer pl.