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A black and white image of a man riding a motorcycle over a bridge. He looks at something behind him.

The Bikeriders

  Jeff Nichols

  United States     116 minutes

Synopsis

From writer-director Jeff Nichols (Loving, Midnight Special, Mud), 20th Century Studios, and New Regency, The Bikeriders is a furious drama following the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members, starring Jodie Comer (Killing Eve, The Last Duel), Austin Butler (Elvis), and Tom Hardy (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant).

Inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography, The Bikeriders immerses viewers in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders. Kathy (Comer), a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny (Butler), recounts the Vandals’ evolution over the course of a decade, beginning as a local club of outsiders united by good times, rumbling bikes, and respect for their strong, steady leader Johnny (Hardy). Over the years, Kathy tries her best to navigate her husband’s untamed nature and his allegiance to Johnny, with whom she feels she must compete for Benny’s attention. As life in the Vandals gets more dangerous, Kathy, Benny, and Johnny are forced to make choices about their loyalty to the club and to each other.

The cast, most of whom did their own riding on an array of period-correct bikes, also includes Michael Shannon (Bullet Train), Mike Faist (West Side Story), Boyd Holbrook (Logan), and Norman Reedus (The Walking Dead).

  

 English 

Filmmaker Jeff Nichols, a white man with short wavy light-colored hair looks over his shoulder.Tribute to Jeff Nichols

This screening includes an in-person tribute to writer-director Jeff Nichols and presentation of the Chicago International Film Festival’s Artistic Achievement Award.

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Film Credits

  •   Sarah Green, p.g.a.,Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, p.g.a., Arnon Milchan
  •   Jeff Nichols
  •   Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus
  •   Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Sam Hanson, David Kern, Fred Berger

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John and Jacolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation