The Big Picture

Austin Butler and Jodie Comerstar in
The Bikeriders
hitting theaters soon.
Jeff Nichols’ film draws inspiration from classics like
Goodfellas
and
Easy Rider
, exploring complex subcultures and themes.
Alamo Drafthouse will be offering screenings of
Easy Rider
, one of Nichols’ Guest Selects, next month.

It’s been a bumpy road to the big screen for The Bikeriders, but the star-studded period piece led by Austin Butler and Jodie Comer is finally bound for theaters in just under a month. Alamo Drafthouse is already revving its engines in anticipation, preparing to offer a top-of-the-line viewing and dining experience, with a strict ban on talking during the film, for everyone who wants to get immersed in the Chicago-based biker gang culture of the 1960s. Ahead of the film’s release, Collider is excited to partner with the artist-centric theater chain to offer a peek into writer-director Jeff Nichols’s mindset behind crafting the world of Benny, Kathy, and Vandals MC. In his Alamo Drafthouse Guest Selects, he offers six films that inspired his biker feature and explains exactly how they impacted his process.

Nichols’s selections range from classics of biker cinema to more unconventional picks. Leading off his list is Martin Scorsese’s stone-cold classic Goodfellas, the 1990s thriller following the rise and fall of Henry Hill and his fellow mob associates in the world of organized crime. Though they may seem unrelated, Nichols saw the film as a powerful companion to The Bikeriders because they each invite viewers into compelling subcultures filled with complex rules, relationships, and often violence. Fletch director Michael Ritchie’s made-for-TV movie The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom also made the cut because it directly translated real-life conversations discussing the murder of a teenager into dialogue for Holly Hunter and Beau Bridges. That matches Nichols’s creative process for The Bikeriders, where some of the dialogue was pulled verbatim from real interviews in Danny Lyon’s 1965 photo book of the same name.

Of course, Nichols couldn’t make a biker film without looking at two of the most different, yet iconic sides of the genre through the Marlon Brando-led classic The Wild One and Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda’s counterculture staple Easy Rider. While The Wild One has a more direct connection that the director discusses, Easy Rider inspired him to shoot for the simple joy of riding a bike. For pure vibes, however, he cites his fifth film, Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders, and, more specifically, a three-minute sequence of Matt Dillon walking around town that has forever impacted him. His honorable mention for the Guest Selects, The Loveless, starring a greased-up Willem Dafoe, further contributed to his vision for how The Bikeriders would look.

What Is ‘The Bikeriders’ About?

The Bikeriders follows the fictional Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals, over the course of a decade, sharing the perspectives of the members and their families as they become ingrained in the group. As time rolls on, the group that once stood as a found family for local outcasts is warped from its original vision, becoming a full-fledged gang involved in organized crime. At the heart of this evolution is the outlaw Benny (Butler), his wife Kathy (Comer), and the Vandals’ leader, Johnny (Tom Hardy). Benny is split between the two as his wife tries to steer him away from the violence and crime while Johnny pushes for him to become his protégé and continue riding.

Nichols assembled a massively star-studded group around his main trio, including Norman Reedus, Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook, Mike Faist, Damon Herriman, Toby Wallace, Emory Cohen, Beau Knapp, Karl Glusman, and Happy Anderson. Alamo Drafthouse will be the perfect place to see these stars ride together, as the theater chain will offer special “Motorcycle Club Screenings” complete with a limited edition, custom-designed whiskey glass and collectible enamel pin that are only available for attendees. Alamo also designed a custom, limited The Bikeriders t-shirt, which will be available exclusively at its online store and in-person at select theaters starting June 21, when the film goes wide in theaters. As is the case for all Guest Selects, the premium chain has also chosen one film from Nichols’s list, Easy Rider, to begin programming at select locations starting June 28.

Check out our guide to The Bikeriders here for everything to know heading into Nichols’s period piece as well as Emma Kiely’s review for Collider for her impression of the film. Watch Nichols walk through his inspirations in the exclusive Alamo Drafthouse video below.

The Bikeriders Follows the rise of a midwestern motorcycle club as it evolves over the course of a decade – from a gathering place for local outsiders into a more sinister gang, threatening the original group’s way of life.Release Date June 21, 2024 Director Jeff Nichols Runtime 116 minutes Main Genre Crime