Seen through the lives of the Vandals’ members, the Midwestern motorcycle club evolves over the course of a decade from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s unique way of life. A film by Jeff Nichols, starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Damon Herriman, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Karl Glusman, Toby Wallace, and Norman Reedus.

Written and directed by American filmmaker Jeff Nichols, The BIKERIDERS is inspired by Danny Lyon’s 1968 seminal work of photojournalism that documents the Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club in the mid-1960s.

Danny Lyon is an influential American photographer and filmmaker. He is best known for his immersive documentary style, which is often associated with the literary movement known as “New Journalism.” This approach involves the photographer becoming deeply involved with their subjects, which allows for a more personal and nuanced portrayal of their lives. Danny Lyon embedded himself with Chicago Outlaws motorcycle club from 1963-1967, making photographs and tape recordings of its members. The BIKERIDERS book, first published in 1968 by Macmillan, features Lyon’s raw, dramatic black-and-white photographs along with interviews and stories from the bikers themselves. It provides an inside look at the biker subculture and counterculture of the era. Throughout his career, Lyon has published several notable books, including The Movement (1964), which focuses on the Civil Rights Movement, and Conversations with the Dead (1971), a poignant examination of life in Texas prisons.

The BIKERIDERS unfolds its narrative in documentary style in non-chronological order. The film begins with a scene in a bar where Benny (Austin Butler), a member of the Chicago-based Vandals Motorcycle Club, sits at the bar, enjoying his drink. He is approached by two regulars, Paulie (Tony Donno) and Henry (Mike Endoso), who claim that he cannot wear his club jacket in here and demand that Benny take it off, threatening to take the jacket off his back and wrap it around his neck and choke him if he does not comply.

Benny slowly turns to face them, unflinching. He tells them that they would have to kill him to get his jacket off. Enraged, the two men attack Benny. They swing a chair at his head and pummel him with their fists. Benny fights back as they drag him out of the bar, the brawl spilling out into the alley. The scuffle continues, brutal and chaotic. Benny slashes Henry’s face with his pocket knife, unaware that Paulie is sneaking up behind him with a shovel. The shovel connects with the back of Benny’s skull with a sickening thud. As Benny falls to the ground, Paulie shoves the shovel into Benny’s ankle, severing his foot.

The next scene reveals that the story is largely told through interviews with Benny’s wife, Kathy, and other founding members of the Vandals Motorcycle Club. These interviews are conducted by Danny (Mike Faist), a college photography student who’s decided to join the club. As he captures photos and records conversations with the members, Danny hopes to gather material for a book he’s planning to publish.

In a 1965 interview at a laundromat, Kathy (Jodie Comer) tells Danny about her first encounter with Benny at a bar in 1964. She goes to Grand & Division to lend money to her friend Donna. Entering the bar where the club is meeting, Corky (Karl Glusman) approaches her, asking if she needs a man.

After handing over the cash, Kathy tells Donna that she has to go. Donna suggests that she stay for a bit and introduces Cockroach (Emory Cohen) to her. Moments later, when Kathy is about to leave, she spots Benny at the pool table. Her heart skips a beat.

Intrigued, she circles back to Donna (Maggie Cramer) and asks her about the handsome stranger. However, Donna warns Kathy to stay away from him, asserting that wherever he goes, there’s trouble.

When Donna leaves to fetch Kathy a drink, Benny seizes the moment to introduce himself. The attraction seems mutual, but Kathy insists she needs to go home. Benny backs off, leaving her alone. Johnny (Tom Hardy), the club president, then approaches. He introduces himself, trying to put Kathy at ease by assuring her the guys are just looking for some harmless fun.

Finally making her exit, Kathy navigates through a crowd of handsy club members. Outside, while waiting for the bus, she spots Benny leaving the bar and heading to his bike, oblivious to her gaze. Suddenly, other club members burst out, shouting at Kathy. Spooked, she makes a split-second decision, walking over to Benny and hopping on his motorcycle. Without a word, they ride off together.

As Kathy and Benny speed away, the other club members fall in behind them. For the first time, Kathy experiences the thrill of riding with a motorcycle club, cruising the expressway before looping back to the bar. She realizes these guys are just out for a good time on their bikes. Benny invites her for a drink, and she ends up staying until four in the morning.

When Benny drops Kathy home, her boyfriend David (Michael Abbott Jr.) is waiting on the front porch, visibly upset at seeing her with a stranger. Benny rides off, but circles back to park across the street. He lights a cigarette and settles in for a long wait, keeping watch through the night.

The next day, David returns from work to find Benny still there, perched on his bike. Furious, David storms inside and fights with Kathy. He grabs his things, declaring he’s had enough, and drives off in his truck, never to return. Sensing his chance, Benny knocks on Kathy’s door and asks if she wants to attend the club meeting. Just five weeks later, Kathy and Benny tie the knot.

Kathy continues her story, filling Danny in on the club’s origins. Johnny, she explains, founded the motorcycle club with just 12 members. He’s a truck driver by trade, living with his wife Betty (Rachel Lee Kolis) and their two young daughters. As Danny interviews the founding members, a colorful cast of characters emerges. There’s Wahoo (Beau Knapp), who hails from Chicago, and Corky, always ready with a joke.

Johnny’s right-hand man is Brucie (Damon Herriman) and his wife Gail (Phuong Kubacki). Cockroach juggles club life with being a family man.

Cal (Boyd Holbrook) rode all the way from California to join up. Zipco (Michael Shannon) from Latvia, rounds out the original crew.

Each member has their own story, their own reason for joining. As Kathy talks, it’s clear the club is more than just a group of guys who ride together – it’s a tight-knit brotherhood, forged on the open road.

The Vandals’ membership keeps growing as more people want to join the club, leading to the establishment of Vandals chapters in other cities. However, an incident at the Lakeside bar, where Benny is attacked and nearly gets his foot cut off, takes the club to the next level.

They become even more powerful as Johnny rounds up club members and rides to Lakeside to hunt down those responsible for Benny’s injury. Johnny orders his crew to burn down the entire bar and watches it burn while police officers and firemen are too scared to intervene.

I find the first half of the film more intriguing, as it presents a young perspective through Kathy’s narration, immersing us in the culture of the motorcycle club—an experience that outsiders may struggle to comprehend. In contrast, the second half shifts the focal point of the story to Johnny and the downfall of the Vandals, illustrating a vicious cycle of life.

The film also features a large cast, with each actor delivering believable performances. However, some characters could have benefited from more screen time, but I suppose the filmmaker had to work within the constraints of a feature film. It might have been more engaging as a limited series, but then it wouldn’t have the film’s grandeur.

Despite the film’s runtime exceeding 148 minutes, we never get a clear picture of what these club members do in their daily lives, aside from occasional glimpses through interviews.

Austin Butler commands the screen whenever he appears, as if it magically lights up and dims when he’s not on screen. Unfortunately, his character doesn’t seem to do much beyond the violence.

Jodie Comer shines in her role, bringing a natural charm that fits her character. Tom Hardy starts off playful, which works great, but as his character morphs into a crime boss, some of that initial charm fades away.

The film has a documentary-like feel, which grounds it in reality, but also means there aren’t any big twists or shocking moments to shake things up. It’s memorable, sure, but doesn’t quite live up to the promise of its strong first half.

Overall, while the performances are solid and the story has its moments, it feels like it doesn’t quite reach the heights it was aiming for. It’s a good watch, but leaves you wondering what could have been if it had maintained the energy and intrigue of its early scenes throughout.

The BIKERIDERS premiered at Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 21 June 2024.