Jeff Nichols had dreamt of making a film about a 1960s motorcycle club for over 20 years.
The obsession started when he first cracked open Danny Lyon鈥檚 book 鈥淭he Bikeriders,鈥� a New Journalism-style account of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club in the mid-1960s. He saw it as a story about rebels, romantics, frauds and the end of an era.
But he didn鈥檛 quite realize just how terrifying it would be to film the motorcycles in motion.
The bikes were vintage. The actors, including and Tom Hardy, would be riding at high speeds. And there would be no helmets. At some point, one of his stunt coordinators just came out with it: 鈥淭here is no way to make this 100% safe.鈥�
They went for it. The danger was kind of the point. And everyone made it out unscathed.
鈥淭he Bikeriders鈥� ( ) is a rare summer gem: An original film with stars (including Jodie Comer, Michael Shannon, and Mike Faist), cool cred, pathos and a clear-eyed wistfulness for a brief moment and a type of guy.
鈥淭his is a film that鈥檚 really about nostalgia,鈥� Nichols said. There is a sadness that comes with that. But there鈥檚 also a joy in remembering it.鈥�
Catching a star on the rise
Nichols has always had luck with casting, getting movie stars in his films right as they鈥檙e about to break big (like Jessica Chastain in 鈥淭ake Shelter鈥�).
For 鈥淭he Bikeriders,鈥� it was Butler. 鈥� 鈥� had yet to come out, but when he met him, he was certain: This is a movie star.
鈥淚 read a lot of scripts and this one just felt different,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淚t felt full of humanity and these cinematic moments鈥 felt like I was being invited into this other world. And he was one of the coolest characters I鈥檝e ever read.鈥�
Butler's Benny is also the most enigmatic of the bunch: A guy whose face is never shown in Lyon鈥檚 book and who is never interviewed 鈥� just talked about.
鈥淚 love how Jeff talks about him as being this empty cup that everybody wants to fill with their own expectations and their own responsibilities. He doesn鈥檛 want any of that,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 when he wants to cut loose and be free.鈥�
Nichols wanted Benny to be bottled up until the end and remembered telling his star to 鈥減ull it back鈥� a few times.
鈥淟ike, stop smiling,鈥� Nichols laughed. 鈥淲hen that kid smiles the whole world smiles.鈥�
But he soon realized that was missing the point of casting someone like Butler 鈥� an emotive actor with a big heart.
鈥淭hat character got better because of him,鈥� Nichols said.
A different point of view
One of Nichols鈥� biggest breakthroughs was when he realized the narrator should be Kathy, who falls for Benny at first sight and gets wrapped up in the club.
鈥淪he just pops off the page,鈥� Nichols said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 witty, she鈥檚 introspective, she鈥檚 self-deprecating, she鈥檚 infuriating at times. She is a real person.鈥�
Comer saw in her a fascinating character, an 鈥渙rdinary鈥� but still extraordinary person that reminded her of women she knew growing up in Liverpool. She worked tirelessly to nail Kathy鈥檚 very specific working-class Chicago accent.
But on another level, she was just a better voice for what he wanted to say.
鈥淭he ultimate truth, and a subtext of the film, is that men are really bad at sharing their emotions,鈥� he said. 鈥淥bserving this group in the hands of a male narrator I think would be really boring.鈥�
Fact, fiction and telling a good story
鈥淭he Bikeriders鈥� is a work of fiction. Nichols didn鈥檛 want to be the historian of the Outlaws, a group which still exists. He mostly wanted to capture this time and culture and evoke the feeling he got when he opened that book so many years ago.
But he also draws heavily on Lyon鈥檚 images, some of which are recreated, and reporting. Much of Kathy鈥檚 dialogue are things the real Kathy, who was married to Benny, said. Hardy鈥檚 character Johnny was also apparently inspired by the Marlon Brando film 鈥淭he Wild One鈥� to start the club. He was the leader and also a bit of a fraud 鈥� a suburban dad with a real job on the side.
Nichols chose to make the film in color, instead of mimicking Lyon鈥檚 famous use of black-and-white photography.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e beautiful, but they are romanticized,鈥� Nichols said. 鈥淚 think when you put them in color, they become less affected. They become more realistic.鈥�
The joys and pains of riding those bikes
Like Butler, Hardy came into the film with some motorcycle know-how. But neither would describe it as a leg up 鈥� antique bikes are a different beast.
鈥淚t just happens to be a convenience because I can ride as opposed to lying about skiing,鈥� Hardy said.
Still, once they got it down it could be rather exciting.
鈥淚t was exhilarating riding in a giant group,鈥� Butler said. 鈥淵ou feel the energy of every motorcycle coming together.鈥�
Comer said riding on the back of Benny鈥檚 bike, in the Cincinnati night with engines roaring and street lights twinkling, was 鈥渁 really magical kind of movie moment.鈥�
And the danger was ever-present. But it also resulted in some real movie magic, like the near-impossible recreation of one of Lyon鈥檚 most famous photographs with a single rider speeding across the Ohio Bridge.
In the film, Butler is the rider. They had shut down a bridge. They couldn鈥檛 do it more than twice (both logistically and because they couldn鈥檛 risk anything with their star). They had a 35mm film camera mounted on a car with a moving crane, attempting to speed alongside Butler.
鈥淎ll of a sudden we lock in the cameras in the right spot, the bridge is in the right spot, Austin looks back, then he drives off,鈥� Nichols said. 鈥淎nd you鈥檙e like holy (expletive): 鈥榃e got it.鈥欌��
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
