Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Bikeriders
Summary
The Bikeridersends with a bit less seriousness than that of the rest of the film. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols,The Bikeridersis based on a true storyand serves as an adaptation of Danny Lyon’s book of the same name. The film itself has receivedmostly positive reviews from criticsand has been slowly gaining momentum since premiering at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. The film ends with Benny and Kathy having moved to Florida after the original Vandals motorcycle club was dismantled.
The Kid, angry he wasn’t included in the Vandals, shoots and killsJohnny (Tom Hardy)in a parking lot. For a long while afterMike Faist’s Dannyleft, it was a fight between the old and new members of the Vandals. With Johnny dead, the rest of the original motorcyclists disbursed and moved away or joined up with the new version of the Vandals. And while Johnny and Kathy agreed that neither of them got Benny, he at least returned to Kathy after some time away, having ridden off into the sunset after Johnny asked him to step up.
The Bikeriders Review: For A Few Glorious Minutes, I Loved This Throwback Crime Drama
Butler is pure magnetism in The Bikeriders, and though the movie matches his energy for a while, everything gradually becomes burdened by story.
Why Benny & Kathy Smile At The End Of The Bikeriders
Benny doesn’t smile at all until the very end
Benny was a man of very few words. Kathy was the chatty one, feeding Danny information about the Vandals, their rules and their way of life. Benny didn’t smile at all throughoutThe Bikeriders, but his smile at the end of the film is for a much different reason than Kathy’s.Kathy explains to Danny that she and Benny are finally happy, and this happiness leaves a smile on her face, a secret smile that indicates Kathy’s joy at leaving the Vandals behind and starting fresh. She’s finally got the idyllic life she always dreamed of having.
Benny’s smile, on the other hand, comes at a very distinct time.The Bikeriderssuggests that his smile is in reply to Kathy’s and the line about being happy. However, it’s likelyBenny’s smile is due to hearing motorcycle engines revving in the background. Nichols doesn’t show the motorcycles driving by or anything, but simply hearing them, especially after so long, would make Benny happy. Kathy may think his smile is thanks to their new life, but just the sound of motorcycles — his first love — is the only thing in the world that would bring him that much joy.
Johnny’s Death In The Bikeriders Explained & What Happens To The Vandals
Johnny is killed by The Kid, a ruthless 20-year-old
Johnny was the tough leader of the Vandals, and he believed in camaraderie above all else. Unfortunately, the new members of the club didn’t feel the same way. The Kid was keen on joining the Vandals — so much so that he returned again despite being embarrassed by Johnny the first time he asked to join.
Once the Milwaukee chapter opened,Johnny didn’t really have that much control over membership, or in what the new Vandals did. The Kid wanted nothing more than to retaliate, killing Johnny out of anger and to assert his power over him and the club. In some way, Johnny died because there was no one else there (like Benny) to defend him, and he was losing his grip on the Vandals’ purpose.Johnny’s death and The Kid becoming the Vandals’ leader created a shift between the way things used to be doneand the amoral path of the new guard.
The Kid was no Johnny, and despite local townspeople being scared of the original Vandals, the new version of the club was far more disobedient and brutal than Johnny and his friends ever were.
The Kid killing Johnny altered the Vandals forever. Instead of a motorcycle club built on friendship and shared interests, the Vandals Chicago turned to violence, killing people when they didn’t get what they wanted, and trafficking drugs and weapons, among other things.The motorcycle club turned into a stereotypical gang that ran on fear and crimeabove all else. The Kid was no Johnny, and despite local townspeople being scared of the original Vandals, the new version of the club was far more disobedient and brutal than Johnny and his friends ever were.
Johnny was growing tired of leading the Vandals and knew there would come a day when he could no longer do it. The founder wanted someone who cared about the Vandals as much as he did, and who had a commanding presence — the leader needed to be someone the other guys respected and trusted. Johnny knew no one could do a better job than Benny. But Benny wasn’t so sure. He likely refused Johnny’s offer because he wasn’t ready to shoulder such an immense responsibility. Benny told Johnny that he didn’t ask anything from anyone, and he probably expected the same.
Crucially, Benny witnessed the lengths Johnny went to protect the Vandals, including burning down a bar where Benny was beaten up and shooting Cockroach in the leg to give him an out. It’s possibleBenny wasn’t willing to go that far to protect his friends; it always seemed he was more interested in the freedom of riding a motorcycle over the interpersonal relationships it offered. The level of accountability would be immense, and Benny was more of a free spirit who rejected any order. This could be why Benny fled — to return to the simple joy of riding.
The Bikeriders' Post-Credits Photos Explained
The Bikeriders includes special images after the film’s ending, and the post-credits photos have a direct connection to the movie’s true story.
What Happens To The Original Members Of The Vandals Chicago
After Johnny is killed by The Kid, the rest of the original Vandals go their separate ways. Wahoo and Corky, who witnessed Johnny’s murder, stay on with the Vandals under The Kid’s leadership, likely because they were too scared to give up their colors. Cal fell down a ladder and broke his neck; Cockroach, after being shot in the leg by Johnny to escape the new members, became a motorcycle cop; Funny Sonny was paid to sit outside a movie theater; andZipco moved to Texas to work on a shrimping boat.
Hit by a car while on his motorcycle
Killed from a gunshot wound to the head
Fell down the stairs and broke his neck
Became a motorcycle cop
Moved to Texas to work on a shrimping boat
Moved to Florida and became a mechanic
Everything The Bikeriders Changes From Danny Lyon’s Book
Lyon’s photo book is the reality, but The Bikeriders fictionalizes some things for the story
ThoughThe Bikeridersis based on Lyon’s book,the film changes the name of the motorcycle club the photographer followed. Instead of the Vandals,they were called the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Every character in the film is a fictional version of the real-life members. And whileThe Bikeriderspurported the Vandals were founded by Johnny after he got the idea for it from a James Dean movie, the Outlaws were started in 1935 (viaBiography) in McCook, Illinois.
Lyon himself became a member of the motorcycle club to document them, and that only lasted through the late 1960s, since Lyon’s photo book was published. In the film adaptation, Lyon returned to interview Kathy in 1973 to find out what he had missed in the years he was away, but after his book was published, Lyon moved on to other things. But just like in the film, the motorcycle club expanded to include many more members than it started with, though the events that transpired inThe Bikeridersare fictionalized for the sake of its story.
The Bikeridersbook was first published in 1968, and featured many photos of the Chicago Outlaws, some of which have been translated verbatim in the film.
The Real Meaning Of The Bikeriders’ Ending
The Bikeriderscaptures a very specific time and place, one that is born out of circumstances. Butthe film’s ending implies that, though things can change, the core of them may not. Take Benny, as an example, who decided to leave the life of a motorcycle rider behind for a more conventional lifestyle. Despite becoming a mechanic, though, the sound of the motorcycle still makes him feel at home.
The Vandals, too, changed over time, including its very ethos, but it didn’t remove the bikeriding aspect, or the tendency to live outside of societal norms and rules. What’s more,The Bikeridersshowcases that, though Benny can leave his environment behind, one can’t take his love of motorcycles and riding from him. It lives within him no matter where he goes or what he does next in his life.
The Bikeriders
Cast
The Bikeriders is a 2024 drama exploring the turbulent relationship between Kathy and Benny, a member of the Vandals motorcycle club. As the club delves into violence, Benny faces a critical choice between staying with Kathy and his allegiance to the club.
