Fantastic movie.

Probably my second favorite of the year so far behind Dune: Part Two.

I do wish it would have gone a bit more into the lives/motivations of the main three characters, and the first half is probably slightly better than the second (I was damn near euphoric for the first hour or so - it's absolutely perfect filmmaking, IMO).

But man, the insane cast, their performances, the accents, the wardrobes, the production design, the cinematography, the soundtrack… it's all absolutely top notch, and feels so incredibly authentic.

Jodie Comer, especially, absolutely kills it. She's so damn good, and gives such a uniquely fun performance. But so does everyone, to varying degrees. Throughout the first half hour or so you're constantly going, "Oh, he's in this?" - and that person then goes on to give a performance we've never seen them give (like what Boyd Holbrook subtly does, in the best way).

Overall, I'd say it's less of plot movie and definitely more of a "vibe" movie. There's very much a Goodfellas feel throughout, as the director has said that was one of his primary touchstones, in that the first half is the fun and games and romanticizing of that world, while the second half is the downfall. This isn't as good, obviously, and is missing that mounting pressure/ticking clock from the authorities coming down on them, but it very much follows that structure (and is another reason the second half isn't quite as entertaining as the first).

I'd say the 82% RT score feels about right, though I'd personally score it in the upper 80s. It's just a damn solid, they-don't-make-'em-like-this-anymore kind of movie, that basically anyone can find something to like about. And while it's definitely a "dad movie" through-and-through, I'll be recommending it to everyone I know, including even my mom and sisters, who I think will enjoy it just as much.

Very good movie. So good that it's one of those I got lost in because it was just so immersive. Loved the soundtrack, the cinematography, looked and felt really true to the period. I liked that it wasn't really trying to do anything in particular, just a good story with rich characters and so well executed. One I'll definitely want to see many more times. Highly recommended.

Thanks, man, I genuinely appreciate it. Especially after the last one of these I wrote up, some doofus gave me sh*t for "trying to sound like a professional critic," when all I'm ever trying to do is be as honest as possible and help people decide if they should see any given movie or not.

That said, I know what it takes to become a professional critic, and I just don't have that level of deep historic knowledge, nor am I true cinephile. Then again, I know a lot of people don't even listen to those guys, and are just looking for a straight shooter, so who knows. Maybe sometime down the line, if my current career doesn't work out. Either way, glad I could help.

As for Hardy, he's doing another one of his off-kilter voices here, which works even better here than usual, considering everyone else is doing their own versions as well. The difference is, he's more subdued than he usually is, and it's really effective. Again, I wanted to know just a bit more about what makes his character tick, and see more of his home life, etc, but it's easily one of his best performances in a while.

Y'all go see this before it leaves theaters. If you're worried your Mrs won't like it, I'm pretty sure they will. A lot of the movie is through the POV of Benny's wife and she's such an interesting character (not the female character Hollywood re-packages lately over and over). Also, another reason I choose to see movies at the cinema vs waiting for streaming is for sound quality -- the intensity of the bike engines on this movie is cool as hell.

Serviam said:

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I just got out of seeing it. I didn't care for it much, thought it tried to be too much more than it had to be. I thought the acting was fantastic, but was expecting more of an action story than "the great American tragedy" set to the background of motorcycle engines.

Also, I don't think it's fair to call something based on a true story "predictable" but the ending was pretty predictable.

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To be fair, I think the "the great American tragedy" set to the background of motorcycle engines is a pretty decent summary of biker clubs/gangs. I get what you're saying, but to me the trailer made it pretty clear this was going to be more a character drama involving the realities of a messed up social scene and not Fast & Furious: With Harleys.

My wife and I saw it last night. TCTTS' review has a lot of spot on commentary. I really enjoyed it. The acting is fantastic, but the steady pacing and soundtrack are also both great. I don't think anyone will find the story or how it ends all that surprising and I appreciated that I didn't have to think much and got to...just appreciate it.

Excellent movie, definitely glad I saw it in the theater. There's nothing over the top attention-grabbing about the role of Comer's but her performance is just so good in all the details that I'll be surprised if she doesn't get nominated for an Oscar.

Daniel Day-Lewis is in a league all his own obviously, but Comer is entering that upper echelon of actors of which he is the gold standard who make you forget who they are in real life by just completely disappearing into their roles and blowing you away.

Anyone who has said or thought "They don't make movies like they used to" needs to go see The Bikeriders. It's not an action film and it's not as violent as Sons of Anarchy. It's a character drama and a time capsule with a good balance of humor and quiet intensity.

— Nasha (@Nasha_Foster) June 23, 2024

Haven't seen this, but think they should have work shopped the title more. It seems so generic and bland, like a placeholder for something better, but they never got around to changing it

not sure if anyone knew this but Ben Nichols is the brother of the director of this movie and the lead singer of Lucero

"Bikeriders" is a song from the Lucero record "Nobody's Darlings", and the song is about a biker named Benny and his girl Kathy.

the characters in the movie: Benny and Kathy

TresPuertas said:

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not sure if anyone knew this but Ben Nichols is the brother of the director of this movie and the lead singer of Lucero

"Bikeriders" is a song from the Lucero record "Nobody's Darlings", and the song is about a biker named Benny and his girl Kathy.

the characters in the movie: Benny and Kathy

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Nobody's Darlings would have been a much better title.

TresPuertas said:

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see above. he named the movie after his brothers song

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His brother should have done a better job naming his song. The title is stupid for both.

Bunkhouse96 said:

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TresPuertas said:

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see above. he named the movie after his brothers song

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His brother should have done a better job naming his song. The title is stupid for both.

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Uhhhh, the movie is based on an actual book named The Bikeriders (the author was the guy recording the audio and taking the pictures throughout the entire movie).

Quote from the author,

Quote:

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"Back then in Chicago, they had a lot of names for things, names that were of the Midwest, and of that city, words belonging to that place and to the people who lived there," wrote Lyon in the 1997 preface. "One of those words was bikeriders. No one there ever called them motorcyclists. The machines were called bikes, and the riders were called bikeriders. The word biker was simply never used in the Midwest by anyone at that time."

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I believe the director's brother named his song (and the idea behind the song) after the book.

Ok, still a stupid name.