Johnny (Tom Hardy) is married, has two kids and makes a living as a truck driver. He sees Marlon Brando's 1953 movie, “The Wild One,” and it becomes the spark that gets him to start a motorcycle club in Chicago.
Among the members of his club, the Vandals, are bike nerd and mechanic Cal (Boyd Holbrook), Zipco (Michael Shannon), who drinks, looks in disdain at “pinkos” and regrets not fighting Vietnam, and dependable lieutenant Brucie (Damon Herriman). Then there's the new kid, Benny (Austin Butler) — a man of few words; he's loyal yet has a wild recklessness about him.
One night, Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer) goes to meet a friend at the Vandals' biker bar. At the outset, she's wary of the crowd. The evening can't end soon enough. But then she lays eyes on Benny at one end of the pool table, and she's done for.
Butler as Benny is flatteringly lit. Shadows fall perfectly on his bare arms and cheekbones. He's wearing a rolled-up t-shirt and jeans, looking very much like a combination of his previous characters, Elvis and pilot Buck Cleven (from “Masters of the Air”).
Jeff Nichols' “The Bikeriders” is a cinematic transformation of a 1968 book of the same title by author and photographer Danny Lyon, who rode with and chronicled the lives of the Outlaws motorcycle club from 1963 to 1967, a journey that is beautifully brought to life on the screen.
Eventually, there's a tug-of-war between Kathy and Johnny over Benny. Jodie Comer as the lone female lead absolutely slays it. The real-life Kathy provided insightful interviews to Danny, here played by “Challengers” Mike Faist. The whole cast is excellent, with everyone delivering the goods. Tom Hardy captures a certain sadness that accompanies Johnny's toughness, a contrast that adds depth to the characters and the story.
“The Bikeriders” also shows how, towards the end of Lyon's book, things went from rebellion — fist fighting, drinking and biking together at all hours — to criminality with the gang.
Look out for Norman Reedus as a California transplant, “Funny Sonny.”
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Speaking of Norman Reedus, not everyone can be Daryl Dixon when the world faces an apocalyptic event. Not everyone can be Ripley when destructive aliens invade. Sometimes, you're a law student far from home or a cancer patient just wanting a slice of pizza from a nostalgic spot. “A Quiet Place: Day One” takes place on the first day the menacing aliens invade the earth. While thrills and monstrous creatures are wrecking everything in sight, this ultimately feels like a quiet story of human kindness and connection when the world is crumbling around you.
“A Quiet Place: Day One” stars Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong'o and “Stranger Things” actor Joseph Quinn, who won over audiences as Eddie Munson.
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If cowboys are more your thing, the first installment of Kevin Costner's epic, “Horizon: An American Saga” opens today. Costner is looking at making four films on the Old West. Part one is three hours long and stars Sam Worthington, Sienna Miller, Michael Rooker, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jenna Malone, Danny Huston and Luke Wilson.
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