After receiving critical acclaim at its premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in 2023, The Bikeriders was met with lofty expectations by audiences, who would have to wait until June 2024 to see it in theaters. Rounded out by a deep, star-studded ensemble cast that includes Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Norman Reedus, Mike Faist, and Michael Shannon, the film by Jeff Nichols failed to leave much of a dent at the box office, as is the case with most original, mid-budget films these days. Due to its hype as the next great crime saga akin to the films of Martin Scorsese, its positive but ultimately tepid response suggested that some critics and viewers were let down. Among the stellar cast of performers playing to the rafters with their accents and theatricality, it is Tom Hardy who walks away with The Bikeriders, reminding audiences of his special dramatic chops.
‘The Bikeriders’ Reminded Everyone of Tom Hardy’s Dramatic Chops
Image via Focus Features
The Bikeriders struggled to carry its festival momentum to awards season in 2023, as the film was unceremoniously dropped by Disney (through the 20th Century Studios label) right before it was set to release in December. The film was eventually acquired by Focus Features and given a June 21, 2024, release and grossed $36 million worldwide at the box office. A story of a gang of motorists in the wild and fast-paced 1960s drawn to the seedy criminal underworld as a family crumbles sounds like it’s in the Academy’s wheelhouse, but it garnered no attention come awards time.
In the film, Tom Hardy plays Johnny, the leader of the Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Feeling like an old timer, he eyes Benny (Butler) as his apprentice to take over the group, forcing him to choose between his family and the love of his life, Kathy (Comer), and his oath to the Vandals. One might be surprised just how few movies Hardy, a seminal star with instant name recognition, has made in the last decade. Outside his appearances as Eddie Brock/Venom, The Bikeriders is the only theatrically-released film starring Hardy since 2018, with Capone and Havoc being exclusive to streaming. Because the Venom movies are so goofy and generally looked down upon by critics, we fear that the public has forgotten about the version of Hardy that was Oscar-nominated for The Revenant and gave complex, emotionally resonant performances in films like Locke.
Not only was it a blessing to see Hardy work with such a rich cast and visionary director again, but he also gave perhaps his most revelatory performance since breaking out with American audiences in Inception. On the surface, Hardy could play the leader of a bike gang in his sleep, as the actor is known for his brutish tough guys. That’s how we’re first introduced to Johnny through the lens of Kathy, the audience avatar whose awe and fear of this underbelly of society mirrors that of Lorraine Bracco in Goodfellas. For the first time in his career, Hardy, now in his mid-40s, allows himself to age, with Johnny’s anxiety surrounding his fleeting sense of authority being the character’s main dramatic crux.
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“You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.”
Tom Hardy Is the Heart and Soul of ‘The Bikeriders’
Much of The Bikeriders’ mixed response stemmed from some of the performances, particularly by Austin Butler and Jodie Comer, who run wild with their thick Chicago accents. In certain cases, their work evokes a cheap impression, even if it does add to the charm and freewheeling spirit of a film about high-flying motorists constantly on the road. However, Tom Hardy’s performance is anything but a Saturday Night Live impersonation. He is by far the most comfortable in this setting, evident by his work being the least showing but most nuanced in the cast. While all the acts of violence and mayhem rattle Benny to the core, Johnny has seen it all, but he’s had enough of it.
Johnny is emblematic of the freedom and euphoria of being in a biker group, traveling across the country, and being immune to harassment thanks to the threatening nature of his tough posse. Once the Vandals engage in the criminal underworld, the roughneck attitude and endless brawls become an indictment of a culture of toxic masculinity. The film’s pressing themes that feel more urgent than ever are often clouded by Jeff Nichols’ sampling of Martin Scorsese’s greatest hits, from the expressive narration track to the stark contrast between the highs and lows of the criminal underworld.
Tom Hardy’s effortlessly menacing but sensitive performance in The Bikeriders, a film equally fascinating for its strengths and flaws, is the heart of its obvious but deeply felt ideas about violence and the American open country. Johnny’s face wears the plight of the classic American anti-hero, feeling the weight of the ever-changing times and his fleeting sense of toughness and authority. As his masculinity is slowly whittled away, it becomes easy to fall for these guys and their dangerous lifestyle.