As a Chicagoan who grew up in the era of the story I was familiar with a lot of it. I’m also a rider. So this film appealed to me as a “historical” piece s well as a riding movie. I think your review is spot on. It isn’t a big blockbuster summer hit. It was based in realism. That made it more of a slow burn. I think if you “know” the stories behind the film in real life the film is a more complete tale. Obviously about the big Chicago dominant 1% club. I’m sure there were things that had to be left unsaid for fear of a lawsuit. There was enough poetic license it told the story and didn’t cross the line. I loved it.
You verbalized my issue with this movie almost perfectly. The lack of depth left these moments feeling disjointed from one another and it feels so close to being excellent. Give me 3 hours of this story, dig deeper into these characters and it's an all-timer.
I haven’t seen this movie and you just popped into the feed. You have a an informed, balanced view of this movie, a clear understanding of at least some amount of movie history. You are reviewing this with no political checklists, no sneering and no attitude that this or any movie is below you. Your criticism is nothing but respectful and adult. What a delightful discovery you are, deepfocuslens. I’m looking forward to looking up a bunch more of your vids - thank you! Keep this going!
As a rider myself since the early '60's , I can attest that the portrayal of the mood/atmosphere created in the film of the times--i.e. pre and post Viet Nam eras were very accurate. The clubs of the '50's and '60's were essentially riding clubs, even the rougher clubs, but in late and post-Nam years, the old codes of conduct ( both in the motorcycle club world and the country in general) deteriorated and morphed into being more criminal and violent. In this regard, there was a similarity between this film and The Godfather, wherein the leaders are trying to cling to the past while the new breed of members follow no rules. The acting was very good and the cinematography great. BTw, this film was based on a book of the same name ( essentially a photo book) of the early years of a club called the Outlaws, which still exists today. I loved the motorcycles in it but it really is much more than the typical, over-the top biker movies of the past.
I loved it. It was better than expected for me. I was actually sad to see it end because those characters started to feel like family towards the end. Great performances, amazing period detail and a story about how a family can fall apart due to outsiders coming in and destroying it from within. I will watch this one often on Blu-ray and it's destined to become a cult classic.
austin butler did a lot with an underwritten role where he’s basically just smoldering at the camera for 100 minutes. also im very grateful for your reviews as they help me put words to the feelings i get from movies.
@evgeniytsarkov5679 They're both entertaining, intelligent women. I think it would be a fun collab. Especially for a cheesy movie like, say, an entry in the Star Wars universe (which both of them cover)
Thanks Maggie. Just came home from seeing it. I agree overall it's a worthy film. But Austin Butler's part is essentially symbolic. Another thought: though there is a significant passage of time, he seems to be ageless. At the moment though he seems to be the directors' favorite for symbolic roles. And I laughed out loud in my seat as soon as I heard Jodie Comer's voice over the freeze frame of the shovel scene at the beginning. She hits a working class suburban Chicago accent from that period with real pizazz. She has become the best actress of her generation. And I genuinely felt that Tom Hardy's performance was deeply rooted in the 1950s. I guess the main question I have is does it work better with Butler as romantic symbol, who by the end loses his swagger in the face of what I know was a much darker reality. Thanks for sharing with us again.
Agreed, Butler operates largely as a symbol here, though he loses some of his mystique once he settles down and gets his laundry washed by wifey once a week. A real Man wears dirty underwear! I think people hinting at Jodie Comer's perceived dominance of the movie are missing the point. A beguiling performance, but her Kathy adds more context than heart and soul. She's our conduit for seeing these bikeriders, but she'll never understand. She's a woman's woman. She's befuddled when it comes to them. What confuses her and the audience is the lack of Benny. This is supposed to be the movie that catapults Butler through the stratosphere, but it ain't and it won't. That's because it's really all about Hardy's Johnny. We admire Benny from afar, but we come to love Johnny. Just think about how he sacrifices himself for Cockroach, saving his life by shooting him in the leg. Johnny is the man, plain and simple. 10/10
You've sold me on the movie (which I would have seen anyway). Somehow you got through this without once saying Jodie Comer's name, one of the major attractions for me. I guess you forgot. I do that all the time.
Glad this has FINALLY showed up somewhere...no idea if it's in town where I am (or available to rent/buy to stream) but it's been too long since Jeff Nichols' last film came out. Looking forward to seeing it...but with a minor caveat. Five films he's done previously and they are ALL fantastic and I watch them several times in the course of a year. Now this new film's general outline really doesn't fascinate me but I'm sure it's worth watching. His last project was slated to be a remake of Alien Nation but that didn't come to pass after awhile (much like Todd Field being in talks for a film version of Blood Meridian.)
What I found interesting about this flick is Austin the main focus, but almost all of your attention goes Hardy, Comer, and the rest of the characters. Fantastic film. My only complaint would be some wishful thinking in the last 20-30min. Don’t want to spoil.
Jeff Nichols I saw mud long time ago and when I think about that was a very good Matthew McConaughey performance and I’m deathly looking forward to seeing this one. Tom Hardy Austin Butler all are great.
Wowzers. You talk so articulately and fast! Go pro! :D Cheers for the review. Two of my friends were looking forward to this movie. It's not my cup of tea. I'll share your bedazzling review with them once they've seen the movie.
Powerful film. The one thing I haven’t seen talked about yet is the Cinematography. I found myself wanting more from the way it was photographed. There seemed to be a green tint to a lot of scenes I didn’t love. Perhaps they wanted the cinematography to fit the nature of the photos the film was based on, but I wanted a little more.
I think your theater projectionist messed up. I just left the film and there was no green tint at all. The scenes were bright, bold and beautiful at my screening.
I agree with a lot of your assessment here concur with it as it resembles my own. I did enjoy the film and the characters, but felt like, especially with Hardy and Butler‘s characters, that I wanted to die much deeper into them and know much more about them as people and just didn’t get that nearly to the depth that I would’ve hoped for. Still an enjoyable movie, but left a lot on the table so to speak. Thanks so much for what you do in your good work here.
I absolutely loved it. I was expecting to see evo's , conehead shovels, or god forbid Yamaha viragos, all mixed up up where they didn't belong. But everything seemed totally period correct! Even all the cages looked spot on for whatever years they were portraying. Brought back a lot of good memories.
At the beginning of the film I was convinced it was going to be Goodfellas crossed with Sons of Anarchy it certain it certainly has the influence of Scorcese with its editing and musical drops, but by the end I felt it had more in common with a film like This Is England (2006). The Bikeriders isn't trying to be a mob crime epic, what its doing is detailing the twilight years in the golden age of motor cycle clubs, when they were just social clubs for working class bike enthusiasts before the culture was subsequently hijacked by criminals and fanatical dregs. Similar to This is England (2006) which documents the original Skinhead movement as a culture of working class kids who just wanted to listen to reggae and ska before it was hijacked by far right facist thugs. The best thing that could be said about The Bikeriders is that it works extremely well as a companion piece to Easy Rider (1968) which it references towards the end as a melancholic ode to an era long gone. 8/10 my favourite film of the year so far.
Thanks for such a thorough detailed review. I saw the trailer and was intrigued. I really like how you described it all. The trailer made it feel like it could be one of those American classics, so it's interesting to hear how you had similar expectations and how they didn't quite live up.
Just saw this in theater All the Characters were interesting i like crime/Drama definitely a good movie, end credit pictures of the real Bikers was a nice touch .
It starts off really good with great acting and style only to pussy out with a predictable and safe ending. The director builds tension only to lose his balls in the end.
For me, one more part of this movie is the characters who refuse to change. Its a great look at the oldee men who refuse to change but also remain loyal to friends. That asoect if the movie seems very complete and well explored. I agree there is a dustance in the main cgaracters that explays why they romanticuze so much abti social behavior.
not necessary to be familiar wiith the sorce material to appreciate the film (as defensive cape across the puddle anthony pointed out) but i'm also disappointed that Danny's project/book isn't getting more attention ....
Love This Movie. Good Little Movie With A Good Heart. It Assumes An Audience In 2024 Has Enough Imagination To Fill In The Blanks. "THE BIKERIDERS" - The movie we all have a million complaints about and yet love so dearly. 🤔 Wait a minute. That Reminds Me Of The Characters In The Movie 😮
I just finished John Truby’s Anatomy of Story & Anatomy of Genre. I think 06:09 opens up the journey of studying the StoryCraft here for both revisiting & refinement. A finished project can make the pass of the baton easier.
Always love your insights! I thought the cast of characters did such a phenomenal job. There was a little bit of it feeling like chunks/installments of a story with the interview portions mixed in with the bikeriders' stories and experiences that made it drag a bit, but overall I really enjoyed the film.
I was sad to learn of the death of Donald Sutherland today. I might have to dig around the internet and find something of his to watch tonight. I think my wife will enjoy Citizen X, but I'm open to suggestions.
Movie was fantastik. Saw it 6times would go again Butler was mesmerizing jusy like the REAL Benny Bauer who is still alive living in Fla Benny was supposed to be super good looking and a bit mysterious rebel. That WAS Austin perfectly! Rheedus was perfect as Funny Sonny another REAL chsracter who was originally a Hell's Angels member then became an OUTLAW. Movie was fabulous. Will become a cult classic
Yeah I was kinda disconnected from this story. It could’ve used a stronger protagonist, like it was trying to focus on Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy all at once but didn’t explore any one of them in a satisfying way. The film really should’ve focused more on the wife’s perspective instead of balancing so much at once.
I totally agree with you. I also felt that story was very loose and it was hard to find the point of the story. They didn't focus on Butler-Comer romance, they really didn't focus on society aspect of bikeriders, not really bikerider vs bikerider issues or anything like that.
Hi. I found your channel through film threat, which isn't really for me anymore - too much culture-war crap. Really love your work. Have you ever thought of doing Top Films by Country lists? Fave Italian, Brazilian, Aussie etc. I think that's an interesting idea. All the best.
As someone as familiar with the brilliant acting phenomenon that is Jodie Comer as I am with Butler, Hardy and Shannon, it's really odd that she is the only one of that quartet whose name you don't mention. (A little homework required, perhaps?) Looking forward to this one, though.
Butler is already an invention. Even during doing press or interviews he seems to always trying his best to outhunk himself (totally incapable to sit properly on a chair, employing mannerisms he surely now longer can tell if they are his or copies). He is the reprint of cinematic plinth saints. Here he acts in a role that would have been cast with Dean, if it had been a film from back then. This actor, who perceives and constructed himself a reincarnation of a mythical film type, is now playing a role in the character of the character he's construed. Same with Hardy. In his case it's Brando, and Hardy is far from as greasy as the other guy. Hardy is also an actor and not only an acting impersonator.
So I've been eager to see this film ever since I heard that it was in production and yeah I too really wanted it to be quite a far more engaging work of cinematic storytelling that would have resulted in being a masterfully nostalgic period piece for the modern age and you hit the nail on the head when you made comment about that it has all the components and ingredients to be a great film. It's just a pity that it never truly exceeded it's potential grasp and be as captivating as it really could have been and I found myself to be a little irritated and underwhelmed but it never made me feel as if I could no longer withstand watching the film quite opposite I just really wanted more from it you know more engagement for the story including more grit as well as further exploration of the characters, intellectually. Because I'm not going to lie at first glance when watching the trailers I did fall under the impression that this was going to reach specific, enthralling heights of a dramatic crime thriller but felt like a time period reenactment with an atmosphere of cool scenery that was filled with a favored ensemble of talent. I think the cast was perfect just weren't given enough especially with the efforts of the crew and of Jeff Nichols' vision. I understand the attempt at the angle to capture the narrative but didn't exactly pay off well felt as though it fell short because there's a development here that doesn't truly provide satisfying answers to questions of interest just kinda glosses over it all. There was a much stronger and captivating tale to have been pieced together than what is. I did go into this film having expectations and even though they weren't really met I still didn't feel disappointed, more so unfortunate but with acceptance because I was yearning for more and this is a film that may not truly deliver but is worth watching just not scratching to revisit soon
For people who have seen this was anyone else reminded of the movie the loveless? I thought it was pretty good not the director’s best imo but pretty good nichols is better than most
I enjoyed your review I'm not seeing the movie yet but I'm very interested too. I was to say something but I want to put it very delicately because it might be taking the wrong way. And it is this and I'm not directing this at you, but my question is, can a woman really understand the male bro code. The respect and the friendship and the loyalty cues are sometimes so subtle but they are so powerful because of it. I recently watched Mad Max 2 the original. With Mel Gibson. And that film was so sprinkled with magnificent tough bro code and friendship and loyalty stuff. This film is one that really interests me and normally don't go to the cinema much. But I will for this. Tom hardy is normally a great bet he really is a guy's guy. With him a minute I don't believe this film can go wrong. But I have him open mind I'm not non-critical. I'll be very interested to listen to your review again after I watched it. Either way You are analysis is very nuanced and interesting and no respective very much. I'll probably be eating my words when I see the film
You explained things in this movie that I just didn't see so thanks for that but I just couldn't get how the characters motivations just didn't make any sense to me and I was hoping for more style in this movie it really lacks in cool moments imo
Goodfellas is an obvious touchstone for this, or at least I felt that Nicholls was going for a Goodfellas-on-bikes vibe. The big difference for me is that in Goodfellas you - or at least I - completely understand why Henry Hill is drawn towards the gangster lifestyle in the first place: the money, the women, the sense of freedom ("people who worked shitty jobs for bum pay checks were dead - they had no balls")... they make being a gangster look F-U-N! NO-ONE looks happy to be a bikerider. Everyone is sullen and glum, ALL the time. Cheer the f*ck up lads, eh?! And they all look like they need a good wash. At least gangsters scrub themselves up a bit. But the biggest problem that the film had (for me) is that it felt rushed. Had Nicholls given himself another 45 minutes or an hour he could have fleshed out things like the allure of it all, the camaraderie, etc. Instead I felt that we were told about all that through the narration - lots of 'telling not showing', etc A film with this much VO needs to be longer, or the VO needs to be cut, because it gets oppressive. I thought the final shot was sappy, too. Again, I think that it was intended to offer a kind of response to Henry Hill's ironic, regretful laugh to himself in the final shot of Goodfellas, except in this we get a genuine smile because the 'outlaw' has got a nice domestic life. Yay. Yay for domesticity. Settled down. Married With Children, even though you know you're wrong you say you're right. Yay. yay. Looks awesome, sitting in you overalls, filthy from a days work, sipping a beer while some neighbour earholes you about his kids or his wife or his boss or some football team that never fckng wins, etc. yay.
Im sure the studio was like. "Its a slow burn it cant be any longer" but I liked the characters in the movie. I wish it was longer just to have better payoffs the michael shannons character. Norman reedus kinda just ends up feeling like a cameo. Dont need 3 hours but maybe 15 minutes more wouldve worked for me.
Sometimes Maggie's discussion of films reminds me of Patrick Bateman expounding the relative merits of Phil Collins's solo and Genesis output. That's not a criticism; I love her passion for cinema.
I hated this. I hated all of it. I hated butler trying to be Dean. I hated hardy trying to be brando. I didn’t particularly like comer but I’d say she was the best part. I felt like the gang stuff overall felt closer to the outsiders than sons of anarchy which was a vastly superior experience than this. I don’t think anyone really made anything close to a bond or offered a decent scene the whole movie till butler hears her tell him he has to leave and she won’t live like this. And hardy when he realizes he can’t control anything anymore starts to really settle into the weary side of his character. But we forced some sort of hyper masculine bond that was thin even by those standards between butler and hardy right away that pretty much came down to he was a wild child. He never really gave any leader vibes whatsoever. I don’t think you ever feel a deep bonding moment between comer and butler even as they are in love allegedly. I don’t think the side characters are memorable or interesting and often feel like they are just improvising off some background about their character. And I’d say okay it’s a slice of life deal rather than dramatic, but butler and hardy feel very self aware of exactly who they are portraying almost in I’m making a reel way, comer is giving her best goodfellas monologue, and they do insert some dumb drama moments that don’t really feel like they have stakes for the most part. I’d say it’s a character piece but these aren’t fleshed out characters, they each have two notes at best and just play the same chord progressions. This movie was a slog and ended with nothing really to say except youth always messes shit up. Yay.
This was fine but it's easily Nichols' weakest film. It was a bad idea to have Comer narrate the film. I get she's emulating a real person but she came across as a hammy caricature. I'd rather just watch Mud again.
Here’s a real wrap up. Tom was awesome. But we lose him with all this other bullshit. Come on. Austin Butler finally doesn’t sound like Elvis. So what. Goodfellas? Casino? I don’t think so. Jodie did good/ok…well she sounded like a woman doing an accident of an accent. Were there good scenes? Yeah. Did Norman Reedus make me laugh? Yeah. For 2 seconds. Spoiler Alert: Boom. 🤯 Best fuckin character in the movie dies. In a really shitty way. After watching him KILL it the entire movie. Only thing you LOVE gets boom. killed. Sorry but it ruined the movie for me. BOOM. I was done. I loved it or at least I tried and thought I did until they fucking ruined it. Austin Butfucklet did good. Ok, he wasn’t Elvis…and I felt Johnny and Benny… but then they really fucked it up. I’ll tell you why. It was this: all the sex and love and heart of any movie was washed away when they forgot this: if you’re going to kill off the BEST and Coolest character…at least let him FUCK someone up. OR kiss a girl. Something was missing. Yes I saw a few fights. And some laughs, but I tell you… the ending SUCKED. No spoilers…imagine if Johnnys friends weren’t FUCKING around in their little cold cars…the god damn trailer was BETTER than the movie. And I love and respect Tom Hardy. Fuck you.
I'm really interested to see if Austin Butlers career will continue to flourish or crash and burn. He's kinda marketed as a new James Dean kinda actor, and we really haven't had an actor like that in a while.
This film was yet another 6/10 release. Something nice to watch, but nothing really interesting. I really had hard time to understand the story or the point of the story. There are bunch of individuals who are having time of their life in a motorcycle club. And that's it. No connection to their families, no connection to other part of the society. Everything was very loose. They did underline thing that authority was afraid of this biker club, but how that status was actually achieved? Funny thing, for me the most interesting story line was how this kid with RMC vest got into the club. Which probably was sort of side story line.
If you write a song built on pop tropes you have a pretty good pop song but ultimately you might have created an unoriginal, sort of vapid song- if you build a movie full of characters / storylines built on historical movie tropes than, well, you know.
I did not enjoy. I was even tempted to walk out when I finished eating snacks but I realised I have no other plans. No story. Noting deep. No action. Nothing interesting. What was the point of this movie? Who was it made for?
Imo the plot was non-existent, we never learn anything about how the club operates (do they make money? Commit crimes? All we see are people trying to join...) Plus the charcters are all played out archetypes, really felt like someone took a piece of the style of GoodFellas without the substance of GoodFellas. I didn't even feel the camraderie between the characters, because they don't explore that with any depth. How did Johnny and Benny even meet? They barely even talked about choppers and provided insight on building them, I left the movie knowing nothing about this culture or the people in this gang except for: They sure like to get drunk, smoke, ride motorcycles, and sometimes fight. Could've been a great movie, but I'm disappointed.
There're several takeaways: Tom Hardy is no longer enough reason to watch a film, Comer will definitely be a don't watch (Streep as Jenkins might be even a worse performance, but this is so close to totally insufferable), the director is also personally blacklisted. What is the charm of this supposed to be when you have to watch from hardship never touched actors trying to pretend they're leathered tough guys who then appear to be just as pussy as the nerds from school? A total desaster this is.
I found the movie a little boring to be honest. Great cast, good acting and a few good scenes but the practically no plot and little character development. It reminded me a bit of Rumble Fish but that film was way more engaging.
Mediocrity rides like hell. The accents are too community theater and the drama is pretty lackluster. Huge disappointment. No excitement whatsoever or analysis. Also, annoying that the bikers wear a "1%" patch yet they don't become an organized gang until the new riders take over, so that didn't make too much sense.
Fuck… the writing wasn’t good. Very basic. It got lost with really good actors. Tom Hardy was great as always and Austin wasn’t believable for me because he tried to play a badass but he seems like a kid for me. As a person who has been in jail and felt a reality of this it wasn’t really true to character. Go back and watch The Wild One. I like how they tipped the hat to Marlo Brando, that’s about it. You are right on when you say: ITS NOT ENOUGH! FUCK.
Probably my least favorite Jeff Nichols film. Almost two hours, and felt every minute, especially while listening to that accent Jodie Comer used. No depth of character, so hard to really care. Austin Butler spent the movie in various poses. LOL
@@nalday2534 ironically, this applies to every film except Fury Road, the one role where it would have been permissable for him to do a mental Australian accent.
This is and hopefully will remain the coolest, old school UA-cam and “underground” film critique channel.
You are probably the best, most insightful film critic on UA-cam. I always enjoy your reviews.
As a Chicagoan who grew up in the era of the story I was familiar with a lot of it. I’m also a rider. So this film appealed to me as a “historical” piece s well as a riding movie. I think your review is spot on. It isn’t a big blockbuster summer hit. It was based in realism. That made it more of a slow burn. I think if you “know” the stories behind the film in real life the film is a more complete tale. Obviously about the big Chicago dominant 1% club. I’m sure there were things that had to be left unsaid for fear of a lawsuit. There was enough poetic license it told the story and didn’t cross the line. I loved it.
same same
You verbalized my issue with this movie almost perfectly. The lack of depth left these moments feeling disjointed from one another and it feels so close to being excellent. Give me 3 hours of this story, dig deeper into these characters and it's an all-timer.
I haven’t seen this movie and you just popped into the feed. You have a an informed, balanced view of this movie, a clear understanding of at least some amount of movie history. You are reviewing this with no political checklists, no sneering and no attitude that this or any movie is below you. Your criticism is nothing but respectful and adult.
What a delightful discovery you are, deepfocuslens. I’m looking forward to looking up a bunch more of your vids - thank you! Keep this going!
Seek in...Don't pay monies for this.. It goes nowhere. Imho
As a rider myself since the early '60's , I can attest that the portrayal of the mood/atmosphere created in the film of the times--i.e. pre and post Viet Nam eras were very accurate. The clubs of the '50's and '60's were essentially riding clubs, even the rougher clubs, but in late and post-Nam years, the old codes of conduct ( both in the motorcycle club world and the country in general) deteriorated and morphed into being more criminal and violent. In this regard, there was a similarity between this film and The Godfather, wherein the leaders are trying to cling to the past while the new breed of members follow no rules. The acting was very good and the cinematography great. BTw, this film was based on a book of the same name ( essentially a photo book) of the early years of a club called the Outlaws, which still exists today. I loved the motorcycles in it but it really is much more than the typical, over-the top biker movies of the past.
So pleasantly surprised by the Nate Diaz comparison. Love your work.
I loved it. It was better than expected for me. I was actually sad to see it end because those characters started to feel like family towards the end. Great performances, amazing period detail and a story about how a family can fall apart due to outsiders coming in and destroying it from within. I will watch this one often on Blu-ray and it's destined to become a cult classic.
austin butler did a lot with an underwritten role where he’s basically just smoldering at the camera for 100 minutes.
also im very grateful for your reviews as they help me put words to the feelings i get from movies.
We need a Deep Focus/Snarky Jay collab. You gals are killin' it with your reviews. Much respect!
No.
Snarky Jay is not even close to this level.
@evgeniytsarkov5679 They're both entertaining, intelligent women. I think it would be a fun collab. Especially for a cheesy movie like, say, an entry in the Star Wars universe (which both of them cover)
Thanks Maggie. Just came home from seeing it. I agree overall it's a worthy film. But Austin Butler's part is essentially symbolic. Another thought: though there is a significant passage of time, he seems to be ageless. At the moment though he seems to be the directors' favorite for symbolic roles. And I laughed out loud in my seat as soon as I heard Jodie Comer's voice over the freeze frame of the shovel scene at the beginning. She hits a working class suburban Chicago accent from that period with real pizazz. She has become the best actress of her generation. And I genuinely felt that Tom Hardy's performance was deeply rooted in the 1950s. I guess the main question I have is does it work better with Butler as romantic symbol, who by the end loses his swagger in the face of what I know was a much darker reality. Thanks for sharing with us again.
Agreed, Butler operates largely as a symbol here, though he loses some of his mystique once he settles down and gets his laundry washed by wifey once a week. A real Man wears dirty underwear!
I think people hinting at Jodie Comer's perceived dominance of the movie are missing the point. A beguiling performance, but her Kathy adds more context than heart and soul. She's our conduit for seeing these bikeriders, but she'll never understand. She's a woman's woman. She's befuddled when it comes to them.
What confuses her and the audience is the lack of Benny. This is supposed to be the movie that catapults Butler through the stratosphere, but it ain't and it won't. That's because it's really all about Hardy's Johnny. We admire Benny from afar, but we come to love Johnny. Just think about how he sacrifices himself for Cockroach, saving his life by shooting him in the leg. Johnny is the man, plain and simple.
10/10
You've sold me on the movie (which I would have seen anyway). Somehow you got through this without once saying Jodie Comer's name, one of the major attractions for me. I guess you forgot. I do that all the time.
Glad this has FINALLY showed up somewhere...no idea if it's in town where I am (or available to rent/buy to stream) but it's been too long since Jeff Nichols' last film came out. Looking forward to seeing it...but with a minor caveat.
Five films he's done previously and they are ALL fantastic and I watch them several times in the course of a year. Now this new film's general outline really doesn't fascinate me but I'm sure it's worth watching. His last project was slated to be a remake of Alien Nation but that didn't come to pass after awhile (much like Todd Field being in talks for a film version of Blood Meridian.)
Always my fave robot interviewer with eye candy to add to it :) Thanks Deepfocus :)
Just wanted to say I recently discovered your channel and really enjoy your takes. Thank you!
What did you think of Jodie Comer?
I have that same question since she never mentioned her name. Best talent on the planet.
@@danielbarrero2815 Her accent was ANNOYING.
Jodie never disappoints.
Austin Butler grew up riding motorcycles with his dad.
What I found interesting about this flick is Austin the main focus, but almost all of your attention goes Hardy, Comer, and the rest of the characters. Fantastic film. My only complaint would be some wishful thinking in the last 20-30min. Don’t want to spoil.
Jeff Nichols I saw mud long time ago and when I think about that was a very good Matthew McConaughey performance and I’m deathly looking forward to seeing this one. Tom Hardy Austin Butler all are great.
Great review!👍🏼gonna watch this for Hardy’s come back to this kinda roles.
Excited to see this film! Jeff Nichols is a fantastic "actors' director'" His 'Midnight Special' remains one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time.
Wowzers. You talk so articulately and fast! Go pro! :D Cheers for the review.
Two of my friends were looking forward to this movie. It's not my cup of tea.
I'll share your bedazzling review with them once they've seen the movie.
Powerful film. The one thing I haven’t seen talked about yet is the Cinematography. I found myself wanting more from the way it was photographed. There seemed to be a green tint to a lot of scenes I didn’t love. Perhaps they wanted the cinematography to fit the nature of the photos the film was based on, but I wanted a little more.
I think your theater projectionist messed up. I just left the film and there was no green tint at all. The scenes were bright, bold and beautiful at my screening.
I agree with a lot of your assessment here concur with it as it resembles my own. I did enjoy the film and the characters, but felt like, especially with Hardy and Butler‘s characters, that I wanted to die much deeper into them and know much more about them as people and just didn’t get that nearly to the depth that I would’ve hoped for. Still an enjoyable movie, but left a lot on the table so to speak. Thanks so much for what you do in your good work here.
I absolutely loved it. I was expecting to see evo's , conehead shovels, or god forbid Yamaha viragos, all mixed up up where they didn't belong. But everything seemed totally period correct! Even all the cages looked spot on for whatever years they were portraying. Brought back a lot of good memories.
I could’ve dropped my croissant when you uploaded this!
MAGGIE YOU CHANGED YOUR PROFILE PIC 😨
Edit: Just to clarify I like it, I’ve just been so used to the other one for years
I, for one, love it ❤
At the beginning of the film I was convinced it was going to be Goodfellas crossed with Sons of Anarchy it certain it certainly has the influence of Scorcese with its editing and musical drops, but by the end I felt it had more in common with a film like This Is England (2006).
The Bikeriders isn't trying to be a mob crime epic, what its doing is detailing the twilight years in the golden age of motor cycle clubs, when they were just social clubs for working class bike enthusiasts before the culture was subsequently hijacked by criminals and fanatical dregs.
Similar to This is England (2006) which documents the original Skinhead movement as a culture of working class kids who just wanted to listen to reggae and ska before it was hijacked by far right facist thugs. The best thing that could be said about The Bikeriders is that it works extremely well as a companion piece to Easy Rider (1968) which it references towards the end as a melancholic ode to an era long gone. 8/10 my favourite film of the year so far.
Thanks for such a thorough detailed review. I saw the trailer and was intrigued. I really like how you described it all. The trailer made it feel like it could be one of those American classics, so it's interesting to hear how you had similar expectations and how they didn't quite live up.
Just saw this in theater All the Characters were interesting i like crime/Drama definitely a good movie, end credit pictures of the real Bikers was a nice touch .
What did you think about the watchers?? Just found your channel. Loving it
As a biker I’m determined to like this film.
It starts off really good with great acting and style only to pussy out with a predictable and safe ending. The director builds tension only to lose his balls in the end.
As a biker, I loved the movie.
That's going to be tough. Although. The bikes are dope
For me, one more part of this movie is the characters who refuse to change. Its a great look at the oldee men who refuse to change but also remain loyal to friends. That asoect if the movie seems very complete and well explored. I agree there is a dustance in the main cgaracters that explays why they romanticuze so much abti social behavior.
No mention of the Danny Lyon photographs and book that inspired this?
And yet she could still articulate her review of the film😂
not necessary to be familiar wiith the sorce material to appreciate the film (as defensive cape across the puddle anthony pointed out) but i'm also disappointed that Danny's project/book isn't getting more attention ....
Love This Movie. Good Little Movie With A Good Heart. It Assumes An Audience In 2024 Has Enough Imagination To Fill In The Blanks.
"THE BIKERIDERS" - The movie we all have a million complaints about and yet love so dearly. 🤔
Wait a minute. That Reminds Me Of The Characters In The Movie 😮
I just finished John Truby’s Anatomy of Story & Anatomy of Genre. I think 06:09 opens up the journey of studying the StoryCraft here for both revisiting & refinement. A finished project can make the pass of the baton easier.
I loved the movie. Much better than the garbage coming out of Hollywood today.
Maggie the only one whose words I take seriously when it comes to this cinema shit.
Incels speak out. What about her content do you like?
Always love your insights! I thought the cast of characters did such a phenomenal job. There was a little bit of it feeling like chunks/installments of a story with the interview portions mixed in with the bikeriders' stories and experiences that made it drag a bit, but overall I really enjoyed the film.
I was not expecting a Nate Diaz reference from you!!
same . . ..
I was sad to learn of the death of Donald Sutherland today. I might have to dig around the internet and find something of his to watch tonight. I think my wife will enjoy Citizen X, but I'm open to suggestions.
Klute is really good.
Pride and prejudice ❤
Ordinary People was one of his best roles, which a lot people resonated with.
Don't Look Now is a great film with the wife especially if you're thinking of having kids :P
Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1979
Movie was fantastik. Saw it 6times would go again Butler was mesmerizing jusy like the REAL Benny Bauer who is still alive living in Fla Benny was supposed to be super good looking and a bit mysterious rebel. That WAS Austin perfectly! Rheedus was perfect as Funny Sonny another REAL chsracter who was originally a Hell's Angels member then became an OUTLAW. Movie was fabulous. Will become a cult classic
I think I'm enjoying your review more than I'd actually enjoy the film.
Would you recommend me to see it?
Yeah I was kinda disconnected from this story. It could’ve used a stronger protagonist, like it was trying to focus on Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, and Tom Hardy all at once but didn’t explore any one of them in a satisfying way. The film really should’ve focused more on the wife’s perspective instead of balancing so much at once.
I totally agree with you. I also felt that story was very loose and it was hard to find the point of the story. They didn't focus on Butler-Comer romance, they really didn't focus on society aspect of bikeriders, not really bikerider vs bikerider issues or anything like that.
Look forward to seeing it. Big fan of Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.
Do you review older movies? Because I think you might want to review Clearcut, a 1991 Canadian hidden gem.
would you please review All of us Strangers??
Great review as usual
What is “abstract surrealism” in current films?
Terrific insight, thank you.
Hi. I found your channel through film threat, which isn't really for me anymore - too much culture-war crap. Really love your work.
Have you ever thought of doing Top Films by Country lists? Fave Italian, Brazilian, Aussie etc. I think that's an interesting idea. All the best.
As someone as familiar with the brilliant acting phenomenon that is Jodie Comer as I am with Butler, Hardy and Shannon, it's really odd that she is the only one of that quartet whose name you don't mention. (A little homework required, perhaps?) Looking forward to this one, though.
She's so smart I can't even watch her. .. I have to crank myself up for it. I'm pathetic.
The Nate Diaz comparison is perfect lol
Thanks for the review. But off topic I had to say that I love you hair. I hope you don't mind.
Butler is already an invention. Even during doing press or interviews he seems to always trying his best to outhunk himself (totally incapable to sit properly on a chair, employing mannerisms he surely now longer can tell if they are his or copies). He is the reprint of cinematic plinth saints. Here he acts in a role that would have been cast with Dean, if it had been a film from back then. This actor, who perceives and constructed himself a reincarnation of a mythical film type, is now playing a role in the character of the character he's construed. Same with Hardy. In his case it's Brando, and Hardy is far from as greasy as the other guy. Hardy is also an actor and not only an acting impersonator.
Nate Diaz reference made this review 10/10.
So I've been eager to see this film ever since I heard that it was in production and yeah I too really wanted it to be quite a far more engaging work of cinematic storytelling that would have resulted in being a masterfully nostalgic period piece for the modern age and you hit the nail on the head when you made comment about that it has all the components and ingredients to be a great film. It's just a pity that it never truly exceeded it's potential grasp and be as captivating as it really could have been and I found myself to be a little irritated and underwhelmed but it never made me feel as if I could no longer withstand watching the film quite opposite I just really wanted more from it you know more engagement for the story including more grit as well as further exploration of the characters, intellectually. Because I'm not going to lie at first glance when watching the trailers I did fall under the impression that this was going to reach specific, enthralling heights of a dramatic crime thriller but felt like a time period reenactment with an atmosphere of cool scenery that was filled with a favored ensemble of talent. I think the cast was perfect just weren't given enough especially with the efforts of the crew and of Jeff Nichols' vision. I understand the attempt at the angle to capture the narrative but didn't exactly pay off well felt as though it fell short because there's a development here that doesn't truly provide satisfying answers to questions of interest just kinda glosses over it all. There was a much stronger and captivating tale to have been pieced together than what is. I did go into this film having expectations and even though they weren't really met I still didn't feel disappointed, more so unfortunate but with acceptance because I was yearning for more and this is a film that may not truly deliver but is worth watching just not scratching to revisit soon
For people who have seen this was anyone else reminded of the movie the loveless? I thought it was pretty good not the director’s best imo but pretty good nichols is better than most
Please review SASQUATCH SUNSET. Thank you.
Big up for the UFC references! Have you started following KOTS yet?
Funny she referenced Seven Samurai. Our movie club just watched that!
I enjoyed your review I'm not seeing the movie yet but I'm very interested too. I was to say something but I want to put it very delicately because it might be taking the wrong way. And it is this and I'm not directing this at you, but my question is, can a woman really understand the male bro code. The respect and the friendship and the loyalty cues are sometimes so subtle but they are so powerful because of it. I recently watched Mad Max 2 the original. With Mel Gibson. And that film was so sprinkled with magnificent tough bro code and friendship and loyalty stuff. This film is one that really interests me and normally don't go to the cinema much. But I will for this. Tom hardy is normally a great bet he really is a guy's guy. With him a minute I don't believe this film can go wrong. But I have him open mind I'm not non-critical. I'll be very interested to listen to your review again after I watched it. Either way You are analysis is very nuanced and interesting and no respective very much. I'll probably be eating my words when I see the film
Agree so much, I wish I seen this yesterday morning before going.
Trailer looks like goodfellas on bikes.
It's nowhere near the level of GoodFellas sadly. Literal nothing plot
Mam please review recent tamil-language release 'Maharaja'. It's really good.
I think if any movie has ever been a true "7/10", it's The Bikeriders
You explained things in this movie that I just didn't see so thanks for that but I just couldn't get how the characters motivations just didn't make any sense to me and I was hoping for more style in this movie it really lacks in cool moments imo
Goodfellas is an obvious touchstone for this, or at least I felt that Nicholls was going for a Goodfellas-on-bikes vibe. The big difference for me is that in Goodfellas you - or at least I - completely understand why Henry Hill is drawn towards the gangster lifestyle in the first place: the money, the women, the sense of freedom ("people who worked shitty jobs for bum pay checks were dead - they had no balls")... they make being a gangster look F-U-N! NO-ONE looks happy to be a bikerider. Everyone is sullen and glum, ALL the time. Cheer the f*ck up lads, eh?!
And they all look like they need a good wash. At least gangsters scrub themselves up a bit.
But the biggest problem that the film had (for me) is that it felt rushed. Had Nicholls given himself another 45 minutes or an hour he could have fleshed out things like the allure of it all, the camaraderie, etc. Instead I felt that we were told about all that through the narration - lots of 'telling not showing', etc A film with this much VO needs to be longer, or the VO needs to be cut, because it gets oppressive.
I thought the final shot was sappy, too. Again, I think that it was intended to offer a kind of response to Henry Hill's ironic, regretful laugh to himself in the final shot of Goodfellas, except in this we get a genuine smile because the 'outlaw' has got a nice domestic life. Yay. Yay for domesticity. Settled down. Married With Children, even though you know you're wrong you say you're right. Yay.
yay. Looks awesome, sitting in you overalls, filthy from a days work, sipping a beer while some neighbour earholes you about his kids or his wife or his boss or some football team that never fckng wins, etc.
yay.
Please review Ship of Theseus. It is a very philosophical movie about the meaning of life. It is available free on UA-cam.
Im sure the studio was like. "Its a slow burn it cant be any longer" but I liked the characters in the movie. I wish it was longer just to have better payoffs the michael shannons character. Norman reedus kinda just ends up feeling like a cameo. Dont need 3 hours but maybe 15 minutes more wouldve worked for me.
Sometimes Maggie's discussion of films reminds me of Patrick Bateman expounding the relative merits of Phil Collins's solo and Genesis output.
That's not a criticism; I love her passion for cinema.
Waar is die resensie vir "The Boy And The Heron"?
I really liked this movie.
They don't make movies like this anymore.
Loved this movie
Tom Hardys accent is WTF in this!
Huge fan of Hardy, but OFTEN his accents are odd. Brilliant actor, but not immune to ham.
I hated this. I hated all of it. I hated butler trying to be Dean. I hated hardy trying to be brando. I didn’t particularly like comer but I’d say she was the best part. I felt like the gang stuff overall felt closer to the outsiders than sons of anarchy which was a vastly superior experience than this. I don’t think anyone really made anything close to a bond or offered a decent scene the whole movie till butler hears her tell him he has to leave and she won’t live like this. And hardy when he realizes he can’t control anything anymore starts to really settle into the weary side of his character.
But we forced some sort of hyper masculine bond that was thin even by those standards between butler and hardy right away that pretty much came down to he was a wild child. He never really gave any leader vibes whatsoever. I don’t think you ever feel a deep bonding moment between comer and butler even as they are in love allegedly. I don’t think the side characters are memorable or interesting and often feel like they are just improvising off some background about their character. And I’d say okay it’s a slice of life deal rather than dramatic, but butler and hardy feel very self aware of exactly who they are portraying almost in I’m making a reel way, comer is giving her best goodfellas monologue, and they do insert some dumb drama moments that don’t really feel like they have stakes for the most part. I’d say it’s a character piece but these aren’t fleshed out characters, they each have two notes at best and just play the same chord progressions. This movie was a slog and ended with nothing really to say except youth always messes shit up. Yay.
This was fine but it's easily Nichols' weakest film. It was a bad idea to have Comer narrate the film. I get she's emulating a real person but she came across as a hammy caricature. I'd rather just watch Mud again.
For me everything, including the depiction of bikers, was caricature.
This was his WEAKEST? WOW 😮, how good are his other films? Throw me some titles!
She's definitely annoying and talks way too much in that awful accent
Here’s a real wrap up. Tom was awesome. But we lose him with all this other bullshit. Come on. Austin Butler finally doesn’t sound like Elvis. So what. Goodfellas? Casino? I don’t think so. Jodie did good/ok…well she sounded like a woman doing an accident of an accent. Were there good scenes? Yeah. Did Norman Reedus make me laugh? Yeah. For 2 seconds. Spoiler Alert: Boom. 🤯 Best fuckin character in the movie dies. In a really shitty way. After watching him KILL it the entire movie. Only thing you LOVE gets boom. killed. Sorry but it ruined the movie for me. BOOM. I was done. I loved it or at least I tried and thought I did until they fucking ruined it. Austin Butfucklet did good. Ok, he wasn’t Elvis…and I felt Johnny and Benny… but then they really fucked it up. I’ll tell you why. It was this: all the sex and love and heart of any movie was washed away when they forgot this: if you’re going to kill off the BEST and Coolest character…at least let him FUCK someone up. OR kiss a girl. Something was missing. Yes I saw a few fights. And some laughs, but I tell you… the ending SUCKED. No spoilers…imagine if Johnnys friends weren’t FUCKING around in their little cold cars…the god damn trailer was BETTER than the movie. And I love and respect Tom Hardy. Fuck you.
@@CarlosGuzman-vi9xw you can use the internet to look them up! I'd start with Take shelter and Midnight Special.
Love you, Maggie. ❤❤❤
I'm really interested to see if Austin Butlers career will continue to flourish or crash and burn. He's kinda marketed as a new James Dean kinda actor, and we really haven't had an actor like that in a while.
.....................
in what way is he being marketed as james dean? other than being attractive and talented?
Uh, Heath Ledger erasure?
They’ve been pushing Timotee and Adam Driver. Butler is the least annoying of the 3. I think he needs to loose the Elvis voice and Dean hair.
he will continue to get roles but hes not a movie star that the industry is trying to make him into
This film was yet another 6/10 release. Something nice to watch, but nothing really interesting. I really had hard time to understand the story or the point of the story. There are bunch of individuals who are having time of their life in a motorcycle club. And that's it. No connection to their families, no connection to other part of the society. Everything was very loose. They did underline thing that authority was afraid of this biker club, but how that status was actually achieved? Funny thing, for me the most interesting story line was how this kid with RMC vest got into the club. Which probably was sort of side story line.
Not the new pfp 😮
It was fine, borrowed a bit from Goodfellas.
If you write a song built on pop tropes you have a pretty good pop song but ultimately you might have created an unoriginal, sort of vapid song- if you build a movie full of characters / storylines built on historical movie tropes than, well, you know.
I did not enjoy. I was even tempted to walk out when I finished eating snacks but I realised I have no other plans. No story. Noting deep. No action. Nothing interesting. What was the point of this movie? Who was it made for?
Imo the plot was non-existent, we never learn anything about how the club operates (do they make money? Commit crimes? All we see are people trying to join...) Plus the charcters are all played out archetypes, really felt like someone took a piece of the style of GoodFellas without the substance of GoodFellas.
I didn't even feel the camraderie between the characters, because they don't explore that with any depth. How did Johnny and Benny even meet? They barely even talked about choppers and provided insight on building them, I left the movie knowing nothing about this culture or the people in this gang except for: They sure like to get drunk, smoke, ride motorcycles, and sometimes fight.
Could've been a great movie, but I'm disappointed.
If y'all like this channel, wait till you discover Moviewise. Now that's crticism at its finest
There're several takeaways: Tom Hardy is no longer enough reason to watch a film, Comer will definitely be a don't watch (Streep as Jenkins might be even a worse performance, but this is so close to totally insufferable), the director is also personally blacklisted. What is the charm of this supposed to be when you have to watch from hardship never touched actors trying to pretend they're leathered tough guys who then appear to be just as pussy as the nerds from school? A total desaster this is.
I found the movie a little boring to be honest. Great cast, good acting and a few good scenes but the practically no plot and little character development. It reminded me a bit of Rumble Fish but that film was way more engaging.
Mediocrity rides like hell. The accents are too community theater and the drama is pretty lackluster. Huge disappointment. No excitement whatsoever or analysis. Also, annoying that the bikers wear a "1%" patch yet they don't become an organized gang until the new riders take over, so that didn't make too much sense.
No mention of the Axis cross on their jackets either? Not gonna mention that at all? (Not you, the filmmaker haha) I agree, very weak film.
Fuck… the writing wasn’t good. Very basic. It got lost with really good actors. Tom Hardy was great as always and Austin wasn’t believable for me because he tried to play a badass but he seems like a kid for me. As a person who has been in jail and felt a reality of this it wasn’t really true to character. Go back and watch The Wild One. I like how they tipped the hat to Marlo Brando, that’s about it. You are right on when you say: ITS NOT ENOUGH! FUCK.
Probably my least favorite Jeff Nichols film. Almost two hours, and felt every minute, especially while listening to that accent Jodie Comer used. No depth of character, so hard to really care. Austin Butler spent the movie in various poses. LOL
Looks like a lifetime movie.
Just seen it ..Not Good..
For The Algorithm
Freya von doom?
So many of Hardy's performances rely upon a wacky accent. It's become a massive distraction for me in his filmography.
It's a feature for cool people and cool people only
@@nalday2534 ironically, this applies to every film except Fury Road, the one role where it would have been permissable for him to do a mental Australian accent.
James Dean had no bike in rebel without a cause, or any of his films.
You ever ride motorcycles?
I've never seen a movie build up so much tension just to wuss out with a predictable and disappointing ending! Director lost his balls I guess!