‘The Bikeriders’ review round-up: Austin Butler ‘oozes more sex appeal than ever,’ but Jodie Comer ‘rides off with the movie’

Vincent Mandile
·3 min read
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Focus Films released “The Bikeriders” nationwide on June 21, 2024 — nearly one year after the movie’s premiere at the 50th Telluride Film Festival last August. With an all-star cast led by Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon and Mike Faist, the movie has earned positive reviews from critics, holding fresh at 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy (Comer) is drawn to Benny (Butler), member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club. The critics consensus reads, “Fueled by a charismatic cast and the gritty authenticity of writer-director Jeff Nichols‘ approach, ‘The Bikeriders’ offers a conventional yet impactful look at motorcycle culture.” Read our full review round-up below.

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SEE ‘The Bikeriders’ trailer: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy ride hard for Jeff Nichols [Watch]

Maureen Lee Lenker of Entertainment Weekly notes, “It’s Emmy and Tony winner Jodie Comer who handily rides off with the movie. As Kathy, she’s all puckered vowels and spritely sarcasm. From the moment she meets Benny, she’s got his number — but that doesn’t stop her from falling for him. Comer plays Kathy with internalized exasperation, as if she constantly can’t believe how stupid she is for loving Benny so much. But she’s also a force of nature, one willing to go toe to toe with any who would try to lay claim to Benny over her. Comer may have risen to prominence as a steely English rose, but here she masters Midwestern pluck, killing with kindness and a take-no-bulls— attitude. Johnny may be the gang leader, but in Comer’s hands, Kathy is the true boss.”

Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture says, “Hot off the heels of his Best Actor Oscar nomination for ‘Elvis’ last year, Austin Butler oozes more sex appeal than ever before. His introductory shot, wearing a sweaty sleeveless shirt with his biceps and triceps stretched out as he leans forward on a pool table, a cigarette in his mouth as the camera slowly pushes in on his face subliminally clues you in that this is a James Dean level movie star, and Nichols knows precisely how to frame him as such. Butler’s calm exterior is clearly fueled by a rough, volcanic interior that makes him an ever-compelling performer to watch, even if the screenplay sometimes lets him down by giving him too little to say in certain scenes.” 

SEE Telluride Film Festival: Jeff Nichols returns with a standout Jodie Comer for ‘The Bikeriders’

Gregory Ellwood of The Playlist writes, “The only puzzling aspect of the movie is Nichols’ development of Benny. A naturally quiet character, he is somehow still the film’s biggest question mark. Butler inhabits him with swag and sex appeal for miles, and that is exhilarating at the beginning of the film. But as the story progresses and Johnny takes center stage, Benny falls further into the background. At one point, Kathy remarks that Benny has been gone for a year, and as a viewer, it’s met with a collective shrug. When Benny does return, there really isn’t enough on the page to make us care and sadly, we’re supposed to.”

Emma Kiely of Collider was less impressed, stating, “While Comer makes a committed effort to carry the film, it falls flat in its excessive filler, undeveloped characters, and symphony of bonkers accents.” Continuing, “’The Bikeriders’ seems shiny on the surface. It has a talented ensemble — from Emmy winners to Oscar nominees to the King himself, Michael Shannon. It’s about a motorbike gang so we might expect some action, intrigue, and a good story. But it delivers on none of this. It jumps around from character to character, giving us various conversations that have no depth because none of the hard work has been done.”

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