Summary
- A former member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang awards The Bikeriders a 10 out of 10 for its realism.
- The film correctly portrays the importance of gang patches and the violent nature of outlaw motorcycle club life.
- The Bikeriders underperformed at the box office, but its realism and historical authenticity have helped endear it to critics and audiences.
A former motorcycle gang member rates scenes from The Bikeriders, explaining how the film gets everything right. Directed by Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders stars Austin Butler as Benny, a member of the Vandals Motorcycle Club who finds himself torn between loyalty to his increasingly violent gang and Kathy (Jodie Comer), the woman he loves. The film, which stars Tom Hardy in the role of the motorcycle gang leader, takes place in the 1960s and has been praised for, among other things, its authentic portrayal of biker gang life.
In a recent video for Insider, former Hells Angels chapter president Pat Matter analyzes The Bikeriders for its realism, revealing that the crime drama is highly accurate in a number of ways.
Matter breaks down the scenes of rivals attempting to take Benny's motorcycle jacket off in a bar and of Hardy's character, Johnny, subsequently burning the bar down as retaliation, explaining that both are very realistic. Check out Matter's comments about The Bikeriders below as well as his glowing score for the film out of 10:
“When he says, ‘You’ll have to kill me to get this patch off me,’ I’m sure that would have been a member’s reply. That’s what I call the cut. That jacket has the insignia on the back. As far as any outlaw club, especially a one percent club, it’s probably about the biggest insult you could possible have as an outlaw member, losing your patch.
“And if you’re going to join one of those one percent clubs, well, they say 99 percent of motorcycle riders are law-abiding, and one percent is not law-abiding… You lose your patch, that’s a pretty important thing. There’s going to be retaliation.
“A scene like this where the bar gets burned down could have very well happened. In 1994, we had a prospective chapter that the Minnesota Hells Angels was sponsoring, the Hells Henchmen, and they had a clubhouse in Chicago.
“Well, naturally, the Outlaws are from there and they didn’t like another club wanting to join Hells Angels. So there was a bomb placed in a car right outside the clubhouse, and I believe it was the third-biggest bomb in history on United States soil. One of my members from Minnesota was down there, and I was worried about him being… and I remember this very well. So I called down to find out if he was okay, and he was. And nobody got hurt on this, but it was quite a big deal.
“This one would be a 10 [out of 10], because it’s happened. I mean I’ve witnessed it personally.”
Did The Bikeriders' Accuracy Help The Movie Succeed?
How The Tom Hardy Crime Drama Fared Critically & Commercially
Despite featuring an impressive cast, including Butler, who was hot off the success of Dune: Part Two, The Bikeriders underwhelmed commercially. The movie was made on an estimated budget of between $30 million and $40 million and ended its box office run with a disappointing $35.5 million. While the film likely didn't turn a profit during its theatrical run, it's entirely possible that it has been a strong enough performer on VOD to offset some of these losses.
Clearly, then, an authentic portrayal of biker gang culture isn't something that holds a lot of weight for audiences in terms of getting them to theaters. Critically, though, this accuracy and authenticity were more significant factors. The Bikeriders' reviews were generally quite positive from critics, and the movie currently enjoys a respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score, too, is a solid 75%.
Related
The Bikeriders Ending Explained
The Bikeriders closes the chapter on the Vandals. We break down the biggest takeaways from the film's ending, major character deaths and more.
For most audiences, historical authenticity and realism aren't reasons enough to see a film, but they can enhance the viewing experience for those who do. The Bikeriders has been praised for its storytelling and performances, but its setting and its depiction of 1960s biker gang culture complement these other aspects and are ultimately crucial ingredients in creating a sense of time and place. While The Bikeriders may not have been a hit in theaters, it does seem like the kind of movie that will play well on home viewing platforms as more audiences get the chance to check it out.
Source: Insider
The Bikeriders
3.0
The Bikeriders tells the story of a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Through the eyes of Kathy, played by Jodie Comer, the film explores the club's evolution from a group of local outsiders to a dangerous gang.
