Mark Kermode reviews The Bikeriders - Kermode and Mayo's Take

#MarkKermode #SimonMayo #FilmReviews

After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny, member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club.

[Johndoe]

A straightforward and simple visual explanation of classic American 🇺🇸 sub culture . A type of film 🎥 that we use to see a lot of in past but not in many years . A classic story from the past but made now

[roadrollerdio]

Reviews like this really set Kermode apart. He provides so much film history context so that even a basic film enjoyer like me can go in with the right mindset.

[t-viv]

Just saw it and I was indeed surprised, in the best possible way. It's a disjointed film, it hides its story beats with the mundanity of the club's everyday lives and simple aspirations and combined with an absence of Tarantino-esque stylisation that gives it a real sense of authenticity. Main trio are excellent, Comer especially, but the supporting cast deserve plenty of praise too. I think because of what it is it won't set the world on fire, but it deserves all the attention it gets and more.

[lesley-anneweir]

Loved this romantic, beautifully shot, superbly performed, wonderfully scored love letter to a bygone era which created the very concept of cool.

[StevieSpiers-rumf]

Dear Mark and Simon-from an 'insiders' point of view this film is a very sympathetic, respectful and accurate portrayal of the Club that is featured in the book during the period. There are lots of clever little nods and winks which I wouldn't expect you to pick up, but they're there.

[rodrigomarquez]

As much as i love Kermode, I think he's underselling it. If it doesn't do well in the box office now, it'll grow to be acknowledge and loved my many. Bit like Drive or a place Beyond the Pines.

[justinlinnane]

Watching " The Loveless" as a 15 year old boy over forty years ago was a truly formative experience for me . I still have those classic lines in my head today !!

[samuelbarber]

I saw this last night and really dug it. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel but gives a firm and heartfelt account of a gang’s history from the perspective of an outsider. Good performances all round as well.

[enriquevp]

Tom Hardy is absolutely brilliant in his role considering he is portraying a real person, this is not the average teen movie hero, this is a real guy who comes from the streets of Chicago in the 60s, I love the accent, the way he looks, even I could say that I come from an equivalent kind of background that involves motorcycles and I've met more than one person that sounds and looks exactly like Jhonny, Tom Hardy's role. Jodie Comer delivers a legendary performance, a strong candidate for all the film awards. Austin Butler in the role of an aspirational figure for the other members of the club is phenomenal. The recreation of the period, the photography, the art direction all in this movie is superb.

[deveshsood]

Saw this at LFF - my opening film. I was really excited as I love Nichols films, but I ended up thinking this was just... ok. Wanted to love it more than I did

[Regenmacher]

I just came out of the film and I really enjoyed it. All 3 main characters communicate so much without there being a need for them to say much of anything with words. The film presents how one thing can turn over time into a very different thing altogether to the point that it becomes unrecognisable. It reminded me of This is England at a couple of moments.

[vickiep]

This has just reminded me I went to see Wild Hogs ( for Ray Liotta mostly). I had wiped it from my brain. Shouldn't have clicked on this review as now I have to forget all over again 😮

[SvetlanaMSK-nt]

I really liked the film. and the cast is wonderful. 👍🔥

[leonlee]

I did feel like the poster and trailer was slightly misleading, but the actors in the movie and how they carried everything was still good enough for me to enjoy it throughout. Didnt love it, but liked it a lot. Also, JODIE COMER!

[AJL]

I wasn’t really that interested in this, but name dropping The Loveless and Cruising has got me excited.

[cianoleary]

I spent basically all of 2023 working on a documentary series about the Hells Angels, so had a particular interest in this world anyway, but I came out of seeing it last night thinking the exact same as what Mark and Simon say here, that a lot of people might expect it to be a much more action-packed, warring rival gangs type film than it is. I thought it was really good and, I suspect, if I watch it again in a few years I'll think it's even better. I loved the voices Tom Hardy and Jodie Comer went for. I also now think Austin Butler is the only other actor who could pull off Ryan Gosling's character in Drive. That kind of silent charisma is captivating.

[SpiderDijon]

I really loved it. Part of that might be that I knew the story going it: most of the dialogue is lifted, word for word, from the interviews in Danny Lyon's book, many of the shot compositions are copied directly from his photographs. There are significant elements of fictionalisation (the club expanded in a somewhat different way, and the real Johnny Davis was killed in an argument and then they had an election to replace him) but also elements of truth: Benny and Cathy really did leave Chicago and settle in Florida. Anyway, I appreciated this era of motorcycle club history being depicted on screen.

[phantom]

Thank you for the review. It's great to hear some thoughts from a knowledgeable movies lover and someone who's really done the homework, so to speak, by reading Jeff's interviews. This kind of audience is unfortunately rare nowadays that's why movies like The Bikeriders will hardly be a box office success.

[Sapmok]

Just seen it. Welll... First of all it differs a lot from this MC original story. In reality Johnny was alive for a long time after, he divided the club and eventually left. He passed 2018, as far as I know. Benny really wasn't a main guy at all, it just so because the story was taken from his wife. Actually, there are almost no pictures of him in the book. He's still alive, but inactive in the MC. Katy, as far as I know, passed away not so long ago. Funny Sonny remarried about 10 times, and was active in his MC for a long time. Passed in 2010. So the movie is good as a separate story, and cannot be compared or related to the original story about the MC the Bikeriders are written about.

[bornimusic]

Just watched this film. Totally agree with this analysis. Thanks!