You know how you can sometimes be oblivious to any form of accent you have when speaking?
As someone who has grown up in the midwest his whole life, I definitely never picked up on having an accent of any kind. Even so, it was impossible for me to not notice the accent work of Jodie Comer is using in The Bikeriders.
It may turn some off from the movie (any other accent work from the rest of the cast is barely noticeable by comparison, but it fits the movie right as she is the main narrator of the story.
Her narration is the main aspect of the film that likens it most to Scorsese’s masterpiece Goodfellas (1990), yet this film feels much more episodic. Spanning from the mid 1960s through the early 70s, Comer’s character Kathy explains via interviews how the local biker group, the vandals, came to be under the wing of Johnny (Tom Hardy), and how she married one of its most loyal members, Benny (Austin Butler). As the years go on, times change along with the group.
The episodic nature of the film is evident when you realize the film’s writer/director Jeff Nichols (whose only other film I have seen prior to this was 2013’s highly underrated gem Mud starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, and a star making turn for Tye Sheridan) took key inspiration from a photobook of the same name by Danny Lyon (portrayed in the film by Mike Faist). Some of the shots of the film are truly majestic, and I imagine it would feel like you are flipping through Lyon’s book for the first time.
While none of the actors are doing what I would consider their best work, they are all solid none the less. The aforementioned accent by Comer, while noticeable, is not as over the top as something like Jared Leto in House of Gucci. Butler seems a bit more restrained than normal (definitely more so than what he was doing in Dune: Part 2). Other’s in the cast include Michael Shannon (a Jeff Nichols regular), Boyd Holbrook, Toby Wallace (who I personally have not seen before but look forward to more of his work), and Norman Reedus.
Then there is Tom Hardy. This is a role that, in general, is one that only he can play. While he is definitely great, one of my main issues of the movie was that Hardy was not given enough time to go over the edge like we know he can. There are moments when we know his character is about to administer his form of “justice”, but his actions felt less dynamic than they should have been (I was hoping for a little more of a Joe Pesci energy from Goodfellas). This, of course, is not Hardy’s fault. I’d love to know if there is a director’s cut or something out there with more scenes of Johnny losing his mind.
Parents, as for the scenes in the film, the violence is pretty standard for an R rating (after all, the gang does not start off doing as much violence as you might think). It is the over use of swearing that gives the film its R rating (there is one blink and you will miss it sex scene that lasts no more than a few seconds). High School and above.
While The Bikeriders does not go to that next level of excellence (I suppose it is really not fair to compare most movies to something like Goodfellas), it is still an effective look at the hardened lives these men lead (accompanied by a slaying soundtrack). I went with two buddies of mine to the film and one of them (Josh) made a point I did not think of: What you idolize can destroy you.
Well said Josh. You, Casey, and I should get matching jackets soon.
Overall:
Nothing else to say 