The Bikeriders

Jodie Comer and Austin Butler in “The Bikeriders.”  Kyle Kaplan/@Focus Features photo via IMDB

“The Bikeriders” is a Roger Corman-style biker flick that got lost in time between its roots in the '60s and the revisionist now. 

It's not the kind of movie that draws crowds to theaters, so the studio sent screeners to critics in the lead-up to awards season. They're hoping it might be a contender with previous Oscar nominees Austin Butler and Tom Hardy starring, along with a movie-stealing performance by Jodie Comer.

Not likely. Freebies for critics will probably count for most of its audience.

Based on Danny Lyon's photo book about Chicago's Vandals motorcycle gang, writer-director Jeff Nichols' adaptation arrives on the big screen with lots of vroom-vroom from a parking lot's worth of meticulously preserved vehicles. Its characters have nicknames like Zipco, Brucie, Wahoo and Cockroach.

The soundtrack is a do-wop jukebox treasure trove, and the period settings strike familiar chords for those of us who were around for the real thing the first time around.

Fueled with a mix of testosterone, motor oil and bloody knuckles, it's a period piece that gives its cast plenty of scenery to chew on. Versatile co-star Michael Shannon reports that the project was a labor of love for filmmaker Nichols, who spent a decade trying to get it made. 

But while it might have had a message for its own times – Tom Hardy's character Johnny got the idea for starting a motorcycle club after seeing Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” on TV – it feels more like an afterthought now.

Mike Faist plays the young photojournalist Danny Lyon, a college kid riding with the gang, his camera and tape recorder always at hand. The script is structured around his interviews with Kathy (Jodie Comer), girlfriend of the gang's brooding rebel Benny (Austin Butler). Just as he channeled Elvis his last time out, Butler does a pretty good James Dean this time. When you've got such a pretty face, you've gotta be pretty tough to keep it undamaged. The laconic intensity is included for free.

Comer's Kathy is the film's unexpected treat. With a great accent and perky, resilient spirit, she is as bright as the gearheads around her are dull, even if she's relegated to – or chooses – the thankless role of biker mama. She lights up the screen whenever she's on it, stealing the heart of her interviewer, and the audience along with him.

Tom Hardy as Johnny. Kyle Kaplan/@Focus Features photo via IMDB

Tom Hardy plays the gang's head, Johnny, with unquestioned authority. Publicity for the film points out that his marble-mouthed portrayal recalls Marlon Brando at both ends of his career – “The Wild One” and “The Godfather.” Less leader of the pack than beleaguered father figure, he is scary when called for, and always compelling.

Unfortunately, none of this is enough to hang a movie on.

My old pal, the late Ron Youngblood, was a Maui motorcyclist who got lots of material for his weekly newspaper column riding his bike around the island. He loved his Harley and other motorcycles, but didn't go hog wild. He always wore a helmet, differentiating himself from the bare-headed riders in their club colors, their hair blowing defiantly in the wind.

It was Ron who pointed out to me that whenever they parked their bikes, bikers always kept on eye on them. Their bikes were all they had, all they were.

“The Bikeriders” makes the same point.

Unfortunately, the message had more horsepower and relevance – like so many things – in the urgency of our youth than in the fog of a rearview mirror.