Barbarians on Bikes: A Bikeriders Film Review
The Bikeriders (2024)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Michael Shannon
The word barbarian goes way back. It was coined by the ancient Greeks to describe non-Greek-speaking people. To their ears, all other languages sounded ugly and uncivilized. To them, it all sounded like “Bar bar bar.” Hence the word barbarian. I had a similar experience while watching The Bikeriders.
Jeff Nichols’ unimpressively titled film is a love letter to toughness. Inspired by Marlon Brando’s character in The Wild One, Johnny (played by Tom Hardy) starts a motorcycle gang called The Vandals. But as the gang grows, so do unmanageable tensions that threaten to tear it apart. It’s a story full of tough guys living tough lives, but unfortunately, I found the film tough to enjoy.
It just didn’t have any style. The camera work, the lighting, the editing—it all felt like the film’s title: unimaginative. I’m not saying Nichols should have zhuzhed things up, but there wasn’t a single frame or scene that gave me goosebumps. I didn’t once mutter, “Damn. That’s beautiful.” There was one tracking shot of motorcycles driving past a wheat field. That scene could have been an inspired moment. It wasn’t. And that’s what I’m looking for in any work of art: moments that make me feel something—and feel it powerfully. The Bikeriders was a hotdog in a hallway. I didn’t feel a thing.
Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer were excellent. They fully inhabited their characters (the not-so-enigmatic Johnny and Kathy Cross, respectively). They brought their roles to life. Hardy has such a strong presence on screen. It’s like magic. And I liked his accent. Some might disagree, but to my ears, both of their accents worked. Comer’s was grating at first, but it grew on me, as did her performance. She and Hardy carry the heart of the film. It just wasn’t a big enough heart to get my blood pumping.
Austin Butler, after his portrayal of Elvis, became a top-tier actor in my book. The turn he took in Dune 2 was almost as impressive. But this cool-guy persona he slips into for Masters of the Air and his role as Benny in The Bikeriders doesn’t fit. It feels plastic, inauthentic. Butler is a handsome man with a deep voice. But that doesn’t mean he can Fonzie. Very few can. Or maybe he can, and he just needs the right director to tease it out of him.
But my ultimate question is: why are we celebrating a group of uncivilized assholes? There was no golden era for The Vandals. They were a gang of douchebags from the start. Today, they would be sporting MAGA hats and tiki torches. These men were barbarians—drunken fools wreaking havoc. If there is anything admirable about The Vandals, it’s something a teenager would admire. To me, they’re deplorable.
Funny thing is, The Vandals were a Germanic tribe that attacked and, at one point, sacked the Roman Empire. I’m not saying The Vandals are a threat to society, but I did hear them say a lot of bar bar bar.