The Bikeriders: Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy star in high-octane drama
Film inspired by 1968 book about notorious biker gang in Chicago

The American director Jeff Nichols went rather quiet after producing two "impressive" films in 2016, "Loving" and "Midnight Special". Now, he has come "roaring back onto the scene with 'The Bikeriders'", said Robbie Collin in The Telegraph.
Inspired by the photographer Danny Lyon's 1968 book about a notorious biker gang in Chicago, it delivers a "grubbily glamorous blast of underworld machismo" reminiscent of mid-career Scorsese: think wildly charismatic performances, "jabs of barbarous violence, and a skin-fizzingly sharp jukebox soundtrack".
Tom Hardy stars as Johnny, the leader of the fictional Vandals gang. The voice-over, though, comes from Kathy (a superb Jodie Comer), who is in love with Benny, Johnny's closest confidant, played by Austin Butler. "The plot, insofar as there is one, traces Hardy's rise and fall", as his club slips ever deeper into violent crime; but the film "is less interested in telling a story than pinning down a particular time, place and attitude – and does so with such pungent precision, you can all but smell it".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Butler's "vain performance, all scowl and hooded eyes, threatens to tip the film into pastiche", said Matthew Bond in The Mail on Sunday. And the story's episodic structure does rather drain it of "immediacy and narrative drive". But Comer disappears brilliantly into her character, "while Hardy quietly delivers one of the best performances of his career as the ageing tough guy who knows his time will soon pass".
This "well-crafted" film has much to recommend it, said Deborah Ross in The Spectator. But be warned: it's exceedingly violent. "If you are squeamish, I reckon you'll spend a good 30% of the two-hour running time looking down into your lap."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
At home with the Clooneys: is arguing with your partner healthy?
The actor and his wife claim to have never argued during their 10-year marriage
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK
-
Quiz of The Week: 19 - 25 April
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By The Week Staff
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why was Pope Francis controversial in Argentina?
Podcast Plus, could marriage increase your risk of dementia? And what is the true cost of that viral pistachio chocolate?
By The Week UK
-
Geri Halliwell-Horner shares her favourite books
The Week Recommends Former Spice Girl chooses works by Oscar Wilde, Maggie O'Farrell and Philippa Gregory
By The Week UK
-
6 peaceful homes in farm country
Feature Featuring a two-story solarium in California and a three-season screened porch in Wisconsin
By The Week US
-
5 'slow TV' shows for overstimulated kids
The Week Recommends In an era of fast-paced content and short attention spans, the slow TV movement can be a boon to parents
By Theara Coleman, The Week US
-
Ghosts: a 'scorching' retelling of Ibsen's scandalous tale
The Week Recommends Gary Owen's modern revamp of the classic play is a 'cracker'
By The Week UK
-
Holy Cow: a charming 'micro-budget' film about Comté
The Week Recommends First-time director Louise Courvoisier elicits 'brilliant performances' from her non-professional cast
By The Week UK
-
The Story of Murder: a 'thoughtful' fictional retelling of a true crime story
The Week Recommends Hallie Rubenhold novel delivers belated justice to the victim of a 1910 London murder
By The Week UK
-
Film reviews: Sinners and The King of Kings
Feature Vampires lay siege to a Mississippi juke joint and an animated retelling of Jesus' life
By The Week US
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US