A dodgy title doesn't mean the quality of the film itself has to follow suit. Sadly though, this is the case here, with Jeff Nichols' bog-standard, diet-Scorsese effort. The story is based on a coffee table book about bikies in the USA, put together by Danny Lyon, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Nichols. It follows three main protagonists - Jodie Comer's garrulous Kathy; Austin Butler's dull Benny; and Tom Hardy's intense Johnny - as they witness the expansion of the motorcycle gangs of the 60s and early 70s.
The film plays with ideas of obsession, loyalty and redundancy but the lack of direction or energy is a concern. It reminded me of Goodfellas, but without the gravitas, with Comer in the Lorraine Bracco role and Butler as a mono-syllabic Ray Liotta. To stretch the comparison, I guess Hardy must be De Niro. Honestly, Hardy's the best thing about the film. He inhabits characters, and much has been made of his voices, but it's not just that. Physically, he nails it here, all bunched and moody, fair but capable of extreme moments.
Part of the trouble is the timeline of the story. There's a long build up from Kathy's first meeting with the motorcycle club to its evolution into a gang many years later, but the interesting stuff isn't explored until very near the end. By this, I mean the threats from dangerous whipper-snappers looking to challenge the old order, as well as the depressing drift into organised crime. The scenes of the experienced heads coming up against the new crowd, or 'the beer drinkers against the pot smokers' are some of the best of the film, but they come way too late to salvage much credit.
Lots of plot points were questionable. Benny's decision to up stumps for a year seemed overly dramatic - was it evidence of his 'free spirit' or cowardice at being offered leadership and/or asked to leave by Kathy? Can't face either mentor or wife, so do a runner? I'm sure it happens, but it did seem to marginalise his character while things were getting tasty at the club. And Benny's tears at the end weren't the only example of telegraphing. The Kid (Toby Wallace) was pegged with the old 'stamp of reckoning' when he coldly smashed a driver's headlight early on. See Carlito's Way and Layer Cake for examples of this character.
Apart from Hardy, a few of the sidebar bikies were well portrayed. Boyd Holbrook added some normal humanity, Norman Reedus, fun doing just the opposite, and Aussie Damon Herriman is solid as Johnny's deputy. It's a shame that Comer was so annoying - it's her film really, she's the heart of the matter, but she just grated (maybe it was the accent). And it seems like Butler was told to brood, look like James Dean and not say much - he must have had about 20 lines in total, I reckon.
The only other Jeff Nichols film I've seen is Midnight Special and that flattered to deceive also. Maybe I'll check out Mud or Loving some time but it's just one more chance I'm giving him.
See also:
Avoiding the obvious Goodfellas connection, I'll point towards the Brando film that inspired Johnny to start the bike club, The Wild One (1953), directed by Laslo Benedek. I recall enjoying Abbe Wool's Roadside Prophets (1992) when I picked it up for a dollar or two on VHS, but apart from a motorbike, I can't remember much about it. Oh, and a Beastie Boy is in it, too.
(Film stills and trailer ©Universal, 2024)
