THE BIKERIDERS is the latest from director Jeff Nichols. His work continues to perplex me. With MUD, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, LOVING, and now THE BIKERIDERS, Nichols makes films that look beautiful, have wonderful acting, and at times, are captivating. Yet, for the most part, his work tends to be slow-moving and extremely character-driven. This makes sense since he stated in a Q&A for the screening of THE BIKERIDERS, “plot is overrated.”
If the “plot is overrated,” then your movie at least has to be compelling or fun. THE BIKERIDERS has been compared to GOODFELLAS, and while I can see the similarities since both use the mechanism of a narrator recalling the past, THE BIKERIDERS didn’t hit those same highs since it doesn’t know how to have fun. Also, if your lead character, Benny (Austin Butler), is expected to be an “empty vessel,” then why should the audience care to keep watching? Even with a fantastic award-worthy performance by Jodie Comer as the narrator, the audience I saw the screening with wasn’t invested in the story… sorry, the memories she was telling.
THE BIKERIDERS should be an experience that audiences remember, but I can hardly recall much about it outside of a feeling of a broken community. The Vandals biker community understands what it must be like to be in a destructive group like the Proud Boys (Nichols spoke about this at the screening). And while it is riveting to see Tom Hardy as the gang’s leader, it’s not enough to justify the feature film.
Jeff Nichols is one of the most talented directors presently making movies. Yet, he hasn’t had a flick that I’ve loved. For me, it’s because of two reasons:
- He writes his films when he should have others collaborate with him.
- The topics he likes in cinema are interesting, but how he portrays them is not.
And with that complaint, I’m sure this muddling picture will get a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the Oscars.
THE BIKERIDERS drives into theatres on December 1st.
