Inspired by a photographic coffee-table book about a late 60s/early 70s Midwest motorbike 'club', The Vandals, The Bikeriders at times plays like a more adult version of The Outsiders. The story is told economically in order to focus on the characters, and it mostly looks very stylised and placed in a good way, almost as if every (relentlessly centred) shot could be a good-looking still image (no irony intended) as per the source material. It explores its biker counterculture and its period setting effectively, from its portrayal of small-town life to the freedom and brotherhood offered by the lifestyle, but the ultimate hook here is the powerplay dynamics between newcomer Benny (Austin Butler), Kathy (Jodie Comer) and the older club leader and family man Johnny (Tom Hardy). Butler does his soulful pretty-boy Depp-Junior-alike role to good effect, Hardy is a strong brooding senior powerhouse and Comer here is an absolute treat, acting as the viewers' delightfully-chatty entry into this particular world. The film is a visually good-looking time capsule that is enjoyable to watch, even if ultimately it has little to say.
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