The Bikeriders (2023) review

Photojournalist Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) conducts a series of interviews with Kathy (Jodie Comer, with suspicious Midwestern accent) where she talks about getting involved with the Vandals Motorcycle Club out of Chicago by dating and marrying Benny (Austin Butler) and then goes over how founder Johnny (Tom Hardy, still doing his Al Capone impression) got the idea for starting the group (watching Marlon Brando in The Wild One), the way in which the Vandals "expanded" bringing in younger members and, finally, Johnny being "challenged" by ambitious upstart The Kid (Toby Wallace).  For a true story (based on Lyon's photobook) involving rough dudes who enjoy beating up people (and get pummeled themselves) they're a rather melancholy pack of fellas (chain-smoking and drinking in darkened rooms) and the picture lacks any sense of urgency - even when one of their own loses his life in an accident it's treated like an afterthought - and Nichols falsely believes that sporadic bursts of violence are enough to carry it along.  The few scenes with philosophical boozer (and anti-Commie) Zipco (Michael Shannon) are refreshing - he gives it an edge it so sorely needs, since Benny barely speaks and Johnny looks exhausted (the method in which he's 'executed' signals a "changing of the guard").  Essentially, it's the anti-Easy Rider: they didn't go looking for America, because they were too busy moping.