Indie filmmaker Jeff Nichols sees his dream 20 years within the making – “The Bikeriders” – finally hit theaters Friday after a period of dormancy attributable to studio hopping. The star-studded vehicle explores the romantic and sexy side of American masculinity, in addition to its dark and dangerous underbelly through the turbulent '60s.
Nichols traces the bumpy expansion of a small Chicago motorcycle club, observing a love triangle between three of its core members – hotheaded pretty boy Benny (Austin Butler), no-nonsense Kathy (Jodie Comer), who’s infatuated with Benny, and repressed, reluctant club leader Johnny (Tom Hardy).
Nichols' sixth feature film was delayed in release when it was unexpectedly canceled by one studio (twentieth Century Studios) after which picked up by one other (Focus Features).
Nichols' vision was driven by Danny Lyons' nostalgic 1968 photo book in regards to the real Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club – a gaggle to which Lyon belonged. Twenty years ago, the 45-year-old director took up a brand new edition that reported on the club's former key figures. Lyon's sentence in regards to the “end of the golden age of motorcycles” particularly stood out.
“Danny's book was the real inspiration for this overarching development: the idea that this club would evolve from a small regional social club into essentially a larger gang over the course of the '60s,” Nichols said.
He fleshed out a premise by creating characters based on what he saw and skim in Lyon's book. The material was ripe for film adaptation.
“It was like walking into a room and the Christmas tree isn't there, but all the decorations are on the floor,” he said. “And then I thought, OK, we need to pick this up. We need to find something to hang it on.”
Bikeriders tells the story of the evolution of the fictional Chicago-area motorcycle club Vandals, which expands over the course of a decade and leads its members down a darker path.
Nichols wanted creative flexibility in telling the story and subsequently decided to not make a pure documentary in regards to the Chicago Outlaws.
“I'm a little intimidated by them,” he admits. “And probably more importantly, I don't want to be tied to their story.”
So, as he reflected on passages from Lyons' book and checked out the numerous photographs that set the mood and details of his film, a story emerged that allowed him to play with archetypes. He increased the dramatic tension by having two fundamental characters – the Marlon Brando admirer Johnny and the honest and outspoken Kathy – turn into entangled with the enigmatic, incredibly handsome loner Benny.
The film is stuffed with exciting roles and a top-notch solid was assembled to play them. The top talent expanded to supporting roles, with Nichols' regular actor Michael Shannon getting the role of Zipco, a biker fired from the Vietnam War. He has one among the film's best monologues about it.
Nichols has high praise for his solid, saying his beloved crew are like family and friends to him, having been on his team for much of his profession, which began with 2007's “Shotgun Stories” (starring Shannon). Nichols' other movies include “Loving” (2016), “Take Shelter” (2011) and “Mud” (2012), starring Matthew McConaughey.
Butler first signed on for “Bikeriders” and was solid before “Elvis” got here out. Nichols saw the Anaheim native in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and knew immediately he was born to play the role of Benny. He also realized he was within the presence of a movie star.
“Movie stars are something else,” Nichols said. “When Brad Pitt walks into a room, the temperature changes, and not just now — I'd say it probably happened in 'Thelma and Louise.' And that's how Austin was. If he walked into that room now, the temperature would change.”
To prepare for the role, Butler – who said he began riding around together with his dad when he was 15 – revisited biker classics, including 1953's “The Wild One” starring Brando (which is referenced within the film) and 1969's “Easy Rider” (also referenced). But he credits motorcycle stunt coordinator Jeff Milburn – “most of the bikes in the film are his own,” he notes – for turning him on to a movie he absolutely loved and watched repeatedly, 1981's “The Loveless” starring Willem Dafoe.
“I watched it over and over again because Willem Dafoe is the coolest guy on a motorcycle,” he explains.
But riding around together with his dad was a totally different experience than riding a 1965 Harley in The Bikeriders.
“Each (bike) has its own personality,” Butler said, “and when you hit the brakes, it feels like you're trying to stop a freight train.”
Butler praises The Bikeriders for its nuanced portrayal of masculinity and the “unspoken love” that Benny feels for Kathy and Benny for Johnny. Given the era, it wasn't “more overt male love,” he said.
He also points out that Nichols' film “reflects themes like the desire to be untied, to be free, to be like a wild stallion that can run free. And that, to me, is one of the most fascinating things about Benny.”
When casting for the role of Kathy, Nichols knew he wanted Comer after being wowed by her Tony-winning performance on stage in “Prima Facie.” He saw the show in London while talking to Hardy in regards to the role of Johnny.
“I left the theater like I was the happiest director in the world,” he said, adding that the “Killing Eve” star was one among the best actresses he had ever worked with.
“I really can't say enough about her,” he said. He also admired Comer for all the time respecting who Kathy was, working-class, and where she got here from.
“I think sometimes people can't help but look down on characters, especially from that socioeconomic perspective. And Jodie never did that.”
xxxxx
Comer's Kathy plays an important role within the film as narrator. This decision gives “The Bikeriders” more dimension, depth and even humor, presenting a female perspective in a male-dominated world.
Comer watches as Kathy progressively realizes that most of the men within the club are only playing a job fairly than being honest with themselves.
“She's taken by all of this, but then over time she sees that many of them are just playing a role or are not being honest or are not communicating how they really feel and the damage that actually causes,” she said.
Comer really responded to her character's entertaining gift for storytelling, as “my grandma would tell you the same story six times.”
“(Kathy is) an interesting choice (as narrator) because she's the only woman, so she has a very different perspective,” she said. “But it definitely felt like Danny (played by Mike Faist from “Challengers,” who interviews Vandals members) was the first person to ask her for her opinion, and it felt like she had bottled all of that up over time and was ready to go.”
“It definitely seemed to me like she was probably the most reliable and honest because she just sees things from a different perspective.”
A smart decision that puts Kathy on top of things as she navigates the sometimes appealing, sometimes threatening machismo that surrounds her.
image credit : www.mercurynews.com