The Bikeriders
2024 · Directed by Jeff Nichols
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
The story
After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.
What it’s like
Warm, grainy 1970s Americana: sun-faded Midwestern towns, dusty roads, bar interiors lit by sodium streetlight and cigarette glow, and a sepia-tinged palette that makes leather, chrome and denim look worn in. Jeff Nichols frames much of it as talking-head interview footage, so the story arrives in the recollections of a woman who sits close to the camera and speaks in a flat, rueful drawl, while the images cut back to blurred, handheld motorcycle rides and tight, sweaty club gatherings. The score is sparse and rolling, with classic rock threaded through the rides and long stretches of engine noise and quiet talk. The mood is nostalgic and quietly ominous, a slow-burning unease that builds toward sudden, brief bursts of violence, including a beating and an arson, that land hard and fast rather than lingering on gore. Its emotional register is melancholy and tender, following a loyal man pulled between love and a brotherhood that is rotting from within. Best suited to a slow evening with a drink, for viewers who enjoy character-driven crime dramas, period texture and understated performances from its lead cast.
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