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The Bikeriders (2023)

The Bikeriders is a film that proves that whilst Biker gangs might seem fun and cool, in reality that isn’t the case. It suffers from having a trailer that makes it appear to be something that its not. The trailer seemed to suggest (to me at least) that it was going to be a Sons of Anarchy type film. I don’t know if its just because both feature bikes but that is what the trailer suggested which is one of the many reasons why I don’t watch trailers (except at the cinema).

The film is based on a true story about a motorcycle club lead by Johnny (played by Tom Hardy) and Benny (Austin Butler) as the biker gang goes from a few guys on bikes having fun to a Sons of Anarchy type group with drug runs, prostitution etc. The action takes place over the course of about 10 years with Jodie Comer’s Kathy doing a voice over narration that reminded me of Goodfellas or Casino. I think that with this being based on a true story meant that a potential rivalry sub-plot between Benny and Johnny didn’t happen when I think it would have immediately added some tension to the film which I think it desperately needed.

The thing is that when Austin Butler with anyone else but Tom Hardy then he comes across rather well. Whenever he has a scene with Hardy though then he kinds of becomes forgotten about and bearing in mind he is one of the three main leads it makes it more surprising. I don’t think that Butler is the leading man that most people seem to think he is. I know he won awards for playing Elvis but bearing in mind he was the best thing in that film, its not surprising that his performance stood out. He even gets outshone by Jodie Comer in some scenes. Comer has on the face of it a rather one dimensional character but manages to make a lot of it and show some personality to the wife of a biker. Hardy is doing the same accent that he does in pretty much every film where is he is playing an American that isn’t Bane but he does it so well that I don’t mind.

The Bikeriders is OK. It’s not the film that I thought it would be and so that was disappointing but it told a rather ordinary story and made it seem interesting and the performances from Comer and Hardy elevate it to something above average. One thing that i will say is a big plus point is that I was never bored. It didn’t drag on for longer that it needed to which bearing in mind is just short of two hours long is quite an achievement.

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