--- title: "The Bikeriders" year: 2024 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-bikeriders" fi1m_id: "the-bikeriders" imdb_id: "tt21454134" tmdb_id: 1008409 wikidata_id: "Q113668560" fi1m_score: 68 critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 21 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:59.092758+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Bikeriders (2024) Directed by Jeff Nichols · 1h 56m · MPA R · Crime, Drama ## Identity The Bikeriders - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-bikeriders - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-bikeriders - **IMDb ID:** tt21454134 - **TMDB ID:** 1008409 - **Wikidata ID:** Q113668560 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21454134/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1008409, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113668560 **Fi1m score: 68** · Critics 71 from 21 reviews *In a sentence:* Tom Hardy mumbles a whole civilisation into being and Austin Butler leans on a motorbike in front of it > Jeff Nichols’s biker film is beautifully dressed and lit, and Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy give it more life than the script does. But the man at its centre is a pose rather than a person, and the film keeps us at the length of a tape recorder’s cable. ## Synopsis Chicago, 1965. Kathy (Jodie Comer) walks into a bar to collect a friend and leaves with Benny (Austin Butler), a member of a motorcycle club called the Vandals who says almost nothing and rides everywhere. Within weeks they are married. The club is run by Johnny (Tom Hardy), who started it after watching Marlon Brando on television and keeps order with a quiet voice and his fists. Around them are Zipco (Michael Shannon), Cal (Boyd Holbrook), Brucie (Damon Herriman) and a dozen others in denim and grease. Kathy tells the whole story, over several years, to Danny (Mike Faist), a young photographer with a tape recorder. Jeff Nichols writes and directs, working from Danny Lyon’s 1968 photo book of the same name. ## Review Jeff Nichols has taken Danny Lyon’s 1968 book of photographs, *The Bikeriders*, and built a story around the men in them, renaming the club the Vandals. Kathy (Jodie Comer) walks into a Chicago bar in 1965 to fetch a friend, meets Benny (Austin Butler) and is married to him within weeks. Over the next several years she talks into the tape recorder of a photographer called Danny (Mike Faist) about what the club was, what it became, and what it did to her marriage. The film is handsome, it is well acted at the edges, and it has a hole where its leading man should be. The look is the first pleasure and it lasts. Adam Stone shoots in browns, ambers and cigarette smoke, and when the men line up on their bikes he holds the frame still so that the shot could be one of Lyon’s pictures. Erin Benach’s costumes do most of the character work the script skips: cut-off denim over leather, the Vandals patch on the back, dark with oil and never washed. Chad Keith’s bars are low and lit from behind the counter. David Wingo’s score stays out of the way and lets period songs carry the riding scenes. Julie Monroe cuts to the rhythm of Kathy’s talk, jumping a year when she does. Comer is the reason to watch. Her Kathy speaks fast and flat and through the nose, amused at herself and at the men, and she notices everything they miss. She is the only character who changes her mind on screen. Hardy plays Johnny small and soft, a man who invented a job for himself and lies awake afraid someone will take it. When he offers a challenger the choice of fists or knives, he says it like a man reading a menu he did not write. Michael Shannon’s Zipco gets one long speech, half grievance and half comedy, and Shannon plays both at once without tipping his hand. The trouble is Benny. He is written as the man everyone wants: Kathy wants a husband, Johnny wants an heir, the club wants a mascot. Benny wants to ride and will not say anything else. Butler plays this as stillness, a lowered chin and a cigarette. We need to know why Kathy stays, why Johnny bothers, and the film gives us a face and a jacket. Comer talks about him for two hours and we ended up knowing her far better than the man she was describing. We felt something once, and it was early. In the first scene two strangers in a bar tell Benny to take off his colours, he declines, and what they then do to his foot made us pull our own feet up onto the sofa. It is the only time the danger reaches us without Kathy standing between us and it. Every fight and funeral after that arrives with her voice already telling us how it turned out, and the effect is of watching a photograph album with a good guide. The second half follows the club’s change into something uglier, which we will not describe; anyone who has seen a rise-and-fall picture will know the shape of it. The comparison most critics reach for is [*Goodfellas*](https://film.one/film/goodfellas) (1990), and it is fair as far as structure goes, narration over a decade of a club going bad. Scorsese let Henry Hill talk and still put us at the table. Nichols keeps us at the kitchen table with Danny, and the tape recorder is always audibly running. Against Nichols’s own films this is the odd one out. *Take Shelter* (2011), *Mud* (2012) and *Loving* (2016) were each about one person and one fear, filmed close. This has the biggest cast he has handled and the least interior, and the men come and go without our learning what is between their ears. It is worth an evening, for Comer, for Hardy, for the clothes and the bikes and the light. Watch it at home, where Kathy’s voice sounds like someone talking across your own table. It runs 116 minutes and carries a 15. *Fi1m score 68, published 9 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like The Bikeriders, and the reviews sit in a fairly narrow band: warm to enthusiastic, with a few qualified threes and two outright dismissals. The praise gathers almost entirely around the cast. Jodie Comer’s Kathy is named again and again as the film’s spine, with Tom Hardy’s gruff charisma and Austin Butler’s Benny close behind, and several reviews credit the actors with putting flesh on familiar biker archetypes. The look draws steady approval too: the period detail, the photography, the sense of being let inside the club. The reservations gather around the story. Many find the rise-and-fall arc predictable, note the film loses energy in its final stretch, and dislike the interview framing device. Sight and Sound finds an emptiness at the centre in Butler’s Benny. The dissenters go further: Vulture thinks the framing mutes the film’s romance, and Collider calls it a misfire with a good cast and little underneath. ## Straight answers **Is The Bikeriders worth watching?** *The Bikeriders* is worth an evening for Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and the look of the thing, and we scored it 68. Adam Stone's browns and ambers and Erin Benach's oil-dark denim do most of the work, but Austin Butler's Benny is a face and a jacket rather than a man, so the story never lands as hard as it should. **How long is The Bikeriders, and what is it rated?** *The Bikeriders* runs 1h 56m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and drama film. **Where can I watch The Bikeriders in the US?** *The Bikeriders* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Bikeriders, and is it suitable for children?** *The Bikeriders* carries a 15 in the UK and an R in the US, and it is not for children. The violence is brutal when it comes: an early bar scene involving Benny's foot made us pull our own feet up onto the sofa, and there are fights and funerals throughout. Teenagers who can take a hard crime drama will manage; the squeamish should know that first scene is the worst of it. **How does The Bikeriders compare to GoodFellas?** *The Bikeriders* borrows the shape of [*GoodFellas*](https://film.one/film/goodfellas), narration over a decade of a club turning bad, but Scorsese's film is the better one by some distance. He puts you at the table with the gangsters; Nichols keeps you at a kitchen table with a tape recorder running, so the danger arrives second-hand. Watch *The Bikeriders* for Comer and the period clothes, *GoodFellas* for the crime film itself. **What should I watch after The Bikeriders?** After *The Bikeriders*, try [*Goodfellas*](https://film.one/film/goodfellas) (1990, Fi1m 93): The rise-and-fall with narration that Nichols is quoting; Scorsese puts you at the table. Then [*Mud*](https://film.one/film/mud) (2012, Fi1m 78): Nichols at his best, small and close, with Shannon on hand as usual; and [*Rumble Fish*](https://film.one/film/rumble-fish) (1983, Fi1m 77): Coppola’s black-and-white gang film about a younger brother who cannot see past the legend. ### Reviews we read (30) - **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (85/100, inferred): The film has a gorgeously lived-in retro sensibility and works as a pure-hearted homage to biker films past. It is fast-paced, compelling and the most fun you’ll have in the cinema all year if you have a taste for this vintage. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/the-bikeriders-review-3119625) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): Nichols invites audiences into the inner world of the club, humanizing figures long misrepresented on film while showing they can be dangerous. The critic singles out the cool personified performances and Scorsese-like structure for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/the-bikeriders-review-austin-butler-tom-hardy-jodie-comer-1235709201/) - **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells (80/100, inferred): Comer roars into her first Great American Film Role alongside Butler and Hardy in Nichols’s finest effort yet. The film is an effortless ride lifted by the top-of-their-game trio into something approaching unforgettable. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-bikeriders-movie-review-jodie-comer-austin-butler-tom-hardy-b1111700.html) - **Little White Lies**, Rógan Graham (4/4/3): Nichols returns with a wistful, contemplative portrait of a 1960s Chicago motorcycle club that is an enjoyable ride for his fans. The critic singles out the strong ensemble and gorgeous cinematography for praise but notes the tried-and-true story arc lacks enough rigour to become a classic. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-bikeriders) - **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4/5): Nichols traces the rise and fall of the Vandals with consummate skill in this stylish, absorbing chronicle. The critic singles out Tom Hardy’s gruff charisma and Austin Butler’s magnetic performance for praise while noting the film’s cool, classy Scorsese-influenced result. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xe2pv9/the-bikeriders/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh (75/100, inferred): The film evokes ’60s cool in a romantic, impressionistic and dreamlike way, bringing Lyon’s photographs to life with strong performances. The critic singles out the sketchy narrative and underwritten characters for complaint while praising the hangout vibe and pathos. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-06-19/the-bikeriders-review-austin-butler-tom-hardy-jodie-comer-jeff-nichols) - **The Independent** (75/100, inferred): Nichols’s film rejects outright nostalgia but shows tender affection for those seeking freedom on the open road. It transforms a potentially romanticised ode into a true American tragedy focused on characters holding onto love. [Read](https://independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/the-bikeriders-review-tom-hardy-b2564920.html) - **Total Film**, Neil Smith (75/100, inferred): Nichols’s absorbing study of a Chicago motorcycle crew thrums with Scorsese-isms while lovingly crafting a fictional story around Danny Lyon’s photos. The material feels fresh thanks to the actors fleshing out the archetypes. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/the-bikeriders-review/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (70/100, inferred): Nichols’s view of the characters is sometimes swoony, but his dramatic sense is sharp in this adaptation structured around interviews that highlight camaraderie, divisions, and the club’s devolution into crime. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/the-bikeriders) - **The AV Club**, Matt Schimkowitz (C+): Nichols gives bikers a Goodfellas epic that's often left spinning its wheels, too conventional to be an outlaw despite lively moments and a strong cast. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-bikeriders-review-wannabe-outlaw-film-is-a-weekend-1851545658) - **Empire**, Beth Webb (60/100, inferred): The glacial study of oil-stained Americana is sumptuously crafted and exquisitely shot but proves a rebel with some flaws. It is more of a slow burn than a thrill-ride that only nicks the surface of its subjects’ spirit. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-bikeriders/) - **Sight and Sound** (60/100, inferred): Jeff Nichols delivers a superbly acted but tonally imbalanced film that replays outlaw biker movie tropes through the lens of Danny Lyon’s photographs. The critic praises the strong performances, especially Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy, while singling out the uncertainty of emphasis and the enigmatic void at the film’s heart in Austin Butler’s Benny. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/bikeriders-revved-replay-outlaw-biker-movie) - **Time Out**, Kambole Campbell (3/5): Nichols offers an intelligent and strikingly photographed journalistic snapshot of a lost moment in time. The critic praises the visual grammar and strong lead performances but complains that the film runs out of gas in a predictable final reel. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-bikeriders-2024) - **Vulture** (40/100, inferred): The film about being cool is emotionally constipated, muting its melodrama and innate romance through framing devices despite strong performances. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-bikeriders-shouldnt-be-this-uptight.html) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich: The vivid motorcycle drama starts strong like Goodfellas on Harleys but ultimately stalls out in its execution. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-bikeriders-review-jeff-nichols-1234901518/) - **Slant Magazine**, David Robb: Nichols delivers a shaggy, old-fashioned ode to 1960s biker culture whose sincere Americana aura is intoxicating and hard to resist, even if it stays on the surface. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-bikeriders-review-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-jeff-nichols/) - **The Guardian**: The critic finds the film a sharp and seductive drama about 1960s bikers, praising stellar performances especially Jodie Comer's superb Kathy, while noting the thin plot but highlighting the evocative, gritty filmmaking. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/22/the-bikeriders-review-jeff-nichols-jodie-comer-austin-butler-tom-hardy-danny-lyon) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Sheri Linden: Nichols crafts a striking memory piece with profound affection for the characters, particularly through Comer and Hardy's performances, despite the violence and macho elements. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-bikeriders-review-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-jeff-nichols-1235578612/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic’s Pick): The film is a romanticized ballad of tribal love, outlaw cool and the illusion of freedom that follows the rise and dissolution of a Midwestern motorcycle club. The critic singles out the beautiful people and bikes for praise in this drama flecked with absurdity and violence. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/20/movies/the-bikeriders-review-austin-butler.html) - **The Times** (★★★★☆): The critic highlights Austin Butler's star turn and grease-stained charm in this biker gang epic, noting it revs up the story but can feel like a studious recreation; praises the beating heart in Butler's performance. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-bikeriders-review-film-austin-butler-jodie-comer-z38twgb78) - **Film Stories**, Simon Brew (80/100, inferred): The critic finds The Bikeriders an absorbing drama that wears its Goodfellas influences lightly while functioning more like a western character study. Jodie Comer's performance as Kathy is singled out as the strongest, holding the film together with its gravitas and substance. [Read](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/the-bikeriders-review-jeff-nichols-hits-the-road/) - **HeyUGuys**, Lisa Giles-Keddie (4/5): Nichols' film is praised as a rebellious yet romanticized triumph that captures a bygone era of male belonging. The assured cast, particularly standout performances, is highlighted as a key strength. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/the-bikeriders-review/) - **Polygon**, Oli Welsh (80/100, inferred): The Bikeriders is a familiar tale of brotherhood and violence that succeeds through old-fashioned pleasures like great tunes, costumes, and strong performances. Austin Butler's magnetic, iconic presence as Benny elevates the entire film. [Read](https://polygon.com/23906339/austin-butler-the-bikeriders) - **The Wrap** (80/100, inferred): The critic highlights the film's mood, atmosphere and captivating performances, especially Jodie Comer's as the moral and narrative spine. It is described as a Scorsese-esque rise-and-fall tale with strong sense of place and tone. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/bikeriders-review-austin-butler-tom-hardy-1960s-motorcycle-club/) - **The Playlist**, Gregory Ellwood (B): Nichols delivers a highly entertaining period piece filled with strong performances, especially from Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. The film captures the spirit of the era and the biker subculture effectively through its narrative. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/the-bikeriders-telluride-review-jodie-comer-tom-hardy-rule-the-road-in-jeff-nichols-new-drama-20230901/) - **/Film**, Mike Shutt (7.5/10): The film is a beautiful but sometimes conventional drama that explores male camaraderie and societal shifts in a 1960s motorcycle club. It singles out the compelling performances of the lead trio and the empathetic portrayal of the subculture for praise, while noting issues with the framing device. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1436877/the-bikeriders-review/) - **Collider**, Emma Kiely (4/10): The film is a chaotic misfire with a talented cast but no substance or meaningful character development. Jodie Comer stands out as the heart of the story, though the central relationship lacks chemistry and depth. [Read](https://collider.com/the-bikeriders-review/) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond: The critic praises the superb cast led by Jodie Comer, Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in this Scorsese-like portrait of biker culture. Nichols is commended for applying contemporary themes of identity, loyalty and belonging to the period story. [Read](https://deadline.com/2024/06/the-bikeriders-review-jeff-nichols-jodie-comer-austin-butler-and-tom-hardy-telluride-film-festival-1235533981/) - **Digital Spy**, Mireia Mullor: The critic calls it a captivating blend of asphalt Western and crime drama with a winning cast, praising its cool look and sympathetic portrayal of the characters while noting it slightly runs out of gas toward the end. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a61056735/the-bikeriders-review/) - **NME**, James Mottram: The critic finds it a stylish, episodic slow-burner with strong performances especially from Austin Butler, capturing the era's freewheeling spirit with humor and a focus on loyalty, though it may not deliver quick thrills. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-bikeriders-review-tom-hardy-austin-butler-3510621) ## Details - **Director:** Jeff Nichols - **Director:** Jeff Nichols - **Writer:** Jeff Nichols - **Cinematography:** Adam Stone - **Editor:** Julie Monroe - **Music:** David Wingo - **Production design:** Chad Keith - **Costume design:** Erin Benach - **Producer:** Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Sarah Green, Arnon Milchan - **Cast:** Austin Butler as Benny; Jodie Comer as Kathy; Tom Hardy as Johnny; Michael Shannon as Zipco; Mike Faist as Danny; Boyd Holbrook as Cal; Damon Herriman as Brucie; Beau Knapp as Wahoo - **Runtime:** 1h 56m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 21 June 2024 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama - **Budget:** $40 million - **Box office:** $36 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrSaVt5pvPk ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Wild One* (1953): Brando in the jacket that started it all, still sulking beautifully seventy years on - *Goodfellas* (1990), Fi1m 93: The rise-and-fall with narration that Nichols is quoting; Scorsese puts you at the table — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/goodfellas.md) - *Scorpio Rising* (1963): Kenneth Anger’s half-hour of bikers, leather and pop songs, made while Lyon was still shooting - *Mud* (2012), Fi1m 78: Nichols at his best, small and close, with Shannon on hand as usual — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mud.md) - *Rumble Fish* (1983), Fi1m 77: Coppola’s black-and-white gang film about a younger brother who cannot see past the legend — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/rumble-fish.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-bikeriders