'It was the golden age for motorcycles,' drawls Kathy, played by award-winning Brit actress Jodie Comer, at the beginning of the new Bikeriders film. Set in the Midwest in the late 1960s and early 1970s - a revolutionary decade of personal freedom and adventure that embraced motorcycling and worshipped the open road, a dynamic time for the motorcycle racing scene and an era that introduced a slew of iconic bikes - the movie tells the story 'based on true events' of a motorcycle club, the Vandals, which the real-life Outlaws Motorcycle Club of Chicago inspired. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders is a nostalgic, violent trip on two wheels back in time.
This stylish crime drama co-stars Austin Butler (best known for playing Elvis in the 2022 film) as Benny, the Vandals's newest recruit, and real-life motorcycle nut Tom Hardy as enigmatic club founder Johnny, who begins the club after being inspired by Marlon Brando's The Wild One. Over a decade, the club transforms from being a meeting place for local outsiders to becoming a sinister gang threatening the original group's way of life.
What inspired The Bikeriders?
The Bikeriders came from a classic 1968 photo book by American filmmaker and photographer Danny Lyon. It documented the lives and looks of the real-life Chicago Outlaws gang members, which still exists today and is one of the 'Big Four' outlaw motorcycle clubs (the others are Hells Angels, the Bandidos and the Pagans). Lyon completed the book after spending four years embedded in the gang during the 1960s - though the Outlaws rode Harleys, and he rode a Triumph, loaded down with two cameras and a tape recorder for good measure. The Bikeriders book candidly records a free but often brutal way of living.
Why the movie interested us from a professional level
The movie looks brilliantly authentic, which is largely down to LA-based costume designer Erin Benach. Taking the images from Lyon's book as inspiration, she evokes the mood of American biker counterculture through the clothing, from denim jeans, boots, chains, and cut-off T-shirts to the intricate, embroidered jacket patches that denote your club. Clothes are an essential part of the biker gang identity. Look out for the bar scene where Benny says: 'You'd have to kill me to get this jacket off' - you'll see he means it.
The team at Roadskin of course also watched the film from a professional level, looking at the differences in style of motorcycle riders jeans from then and now. Not much has really changed in terms of styling - today's single layer jeans are of course my tailored to be closer fitting, to keep the armour in place and help stop road rash.
Tom Hardy and his passion for motorbikes
The story goes that Tom Hardy always takes a prop home with him after finishing a movie, and when The Bikeriders wrapped, he took the motorbike - a Harley-Davidson Ironhead Sportster. In Tom's boots, we'd do the same! Tom is well known for his love of motorcycles and has been spotted on various bikes over the years, from the Ducati SuperSport to the Triumph Street Triple and the Sur-Ron Ultra Bee (check out his Instagram). For Venom, he rode a Ducati Scrambler Full Throttle with typical aplomb. Among Tom's collection is a custom-built Triumph Thruxton R.
What else do I need to know about The Bikeriders?
It's got an epic, absorbing soundtrack filled with blues, rock, and R&B songs, with an original score by David Wingo that takes you back in time. There's a heap of Chicago-based music (Muddy Water, Magic Sam) plus classic tracks by artists including Cream, The Animals, Bo Diddley and The Shangri-Las.
Motorcycle stunt coordinator Jeff Milburn sourced the 45 vintage motorbikes ridden in the movie. Three bikes were explicitly built for the film. All actors had to undergo a fortnight of motorcycle training, mainly to get used to handling the bikes of the era. Hey - it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!
