Jeff Nichols will bring The Bikeriders to the big screen on June 19, 2024 . Inspired by the story of American photographer Danny Lyon , who documented the life of a Midwestern motorcycle club between 1965 and 1967, even becoming part of their gang and living with them, the film chronicles the creation and rise of the fictional Chicago Vandals . Inevitably influenced by Easy Rider and Sons of Anarchy , the film perfectly captures the sense of freedom that permeated 1960s American society, buoyed by a soulful rock'n'roll soundtrack . The United States had not yet participated massively in the Vietnam War , and the emancipation of society involved culture and interest in hitherto clandestine leisure activities .
From its beginnings as a simple racing car (created out of admiration for Marlon Brando in L'Équipée sauvage ) to the fall - moral - of the Vandals , overtaken by a new generation, traumatized by war, who does not share their values, Jeff Nichols brilliantly captures a time when everything still seemed possible. The American filmmaker chooses a female point of view to tell this epic, that of Kathy (Jodie Comer , excellent as always), who enters this world loaded with testosterone at her whim.
The presentation of the different members of the band takes the form of fixed camera shots, with a strong nod to the portraits of Danny Lyon. Under the direction of Johnny (Tom Hardy , especially committed to the role), the Chicago Vandals are played by a select cast, including Michael Shannon , who signs his sixth collaboration with Take Shelter director Norman Reedus ( The Walking Dead ) in the role of a joker biker from a rival club, and Austin Butler , with the face of a dark blonde and mute angel, Johnny's right hand man.
They all do well, that's clear, and their thick Midwestern accents have something to do with it, but the film also highlights the cracks in the lives of these rejected outcasts, who question their masculinity and their need for belong to a group . Because the Vandals weren't always tough guys. In fact, The Bikeriders tells the story of some kids in need of love who, to recreate the family they never had, surround themselves with roaring engines.
