A still from 'The Bikeriders' (Image via Focus Features)

10 best movies to watch before The Bikeriders

Modified Jun 25, 2024 16:00 GMT

After almost six months of delay, Jeff Nichols' film The Bikeriders finally hit theaters on June 21, 2024. The film reimagines the early days of the Chicago Outlaws, fictionalized as the Vandals, chronicling their gritty transformation through the turbulent 1960s.

Nichols taps into the cultural allure of the leather-clad rebel, weaving a tale of raw defiance and brotherhood. Inspired by Danny Lyon's seminal photojournalism, the film portrays real-life bikers through characters like Benny, the wild charmer played by Austin Butler, Kathy, his devoted partner played by Jodie Comer, and Johnny, the steadfast leader portrayed by Tom Hardy.

The Bikeriders melds myth and reality, capturing the essence of biker culture and its enduring cinematic legacy. Here are 10 biker films that fans can enjoy and get a taste of the subgenre.

Easy Rider, Mad Max, and more — 10 movies to watch before The Bikeriders

1) The Wild One (1953)

Marlon Brando in 'The Wild One' (Image via Sony)

The Wild One, a 1953 László Benedek film, is perhaps one of the most influential films that deal with the rebellious youth culture of post-war America. At the center lies the story of Johnny Strabler, played by Marlon Brando, the headman of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club.

Wearing his iconic leather jacket and filled with a rebellious attitude, Johnny and his gang ride into a small town whose presence is at once heralded by both fear and fascination. Pitted against the brooding young man is the local lawman, played by Robert Keith, and a romance blossoms with Mary Murphy as Kathie, the sheriff's daughter.

The film, capturing angst with its rebellious appeal, has retained its position as a touchstone in popular culture today, making its mark on succeeding generations of youth and bike enthusiasts.

2) The Wild Angels (1966)

A still from 'The Wild Angels' (Image via MGM)

The 1966 Roger Corman directorial, The Wild Angels, best exemplifies the raw energy and chaos of the countercultural biker scene of the 1960s. The plot follows Heavenly Blues, aka Peter Fonda, in a position of leading the Hell's Angels into increasing lawlessness, testing the limits of his loyalty.

When one of their gang members, Loser, played by Bruce Dern, is hurt and taken into custody, the gang plans a wild rescue operation. The violence and anarchy lead to Blues being sucked into a whirlpool of troubles. Nancy Sinatra plays Mike, Blues' love interest torn between her emotions and the turmoil surrounding her.

The Wild Angels emerges as a gritty portrayal of freedom and insurrection, becoming one of the most noted cult classics in biker film lore.

3) Easy Rider (1969)

A still from 'Easy Rider' (Image via Sony)

A landmark of American cinema, the 1969 film Easy Rider by director Dennis Hopper carries the spirit of 1960s counterculture. Centered around the motorcycle travels of Wyatt, known as "Captain America" (Peter Fonda), and Billy (Dennis Hopper) across states trying to discover what America really is, the various visages of tension and dreams of that era march along their way.

Jack Nicholson also stars as the drunken lawyer George Hanson who decides to join them on the trip. Easy Rider is a great cinematic odyssey of freedom and rebellion, with its legacy still resonating within the genre of biker films. Following this tradition is Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders which continues to explore the motorcycle culture of the past.

4) Stone (1974)

A still from 'Stone' (Image via Umbrella Entertainment)

Sandy Harbutt's 1974 film Stone is a hard-nosed look at the Australian biker subculture. Following the mysterious murders of members of a gang known as the Gravediggers, an undercover cop, Stone, infiltrates them to find out what happened.

He assumes an alias and eventually wins the trust of the gang's Undertaker, who becomes a friend to Stone. It is in its raw expressions of loyalty, vengeance, and social rebellion that the film most deeply speaks to its audience.

Jeff Nichols' new feature, The Bikeriders, holds some thematic similarities with Stone: the intricacies of a biker gang and their progress across times of chaos. Loosely based on the real-life Chicago Outlaws, the film is set against the mythologized journey of a biker gang in the 1960s and reflects an appeal and subculture, much like Stone.

5) Mad Max (1979)

A still from 'Mad Max' (Image via Warner Bros.)

George Miller's 1979 action thriller, Mad Max, is set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic Australia without laws. The central plot revolves around Max Rockatansky, played by Mel Gibson, who is a hard-baked cop driven by his vengeful justice against the motorcycle gang that killed his family.

The struggle for justice evolves into an unrelenting struggle to survive when civilization is torn apart cruelly by a marauding, murdering gang led by Toecutter, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne. The raw energy of this film and the visceral action sequences are simply unmatched within its genre, spawning a successful franchise and inspiring many filmmakers.

In a similar vein, The Bikeriders explores the intense bonds and brutal conflicts within motorcycle gangs. However, the film is deeply contextualized in history while Mad Max is a dystopian fictional story.

6) The Loveless (1981)

Willem Dafoe in 'The Loveless' (Image via MGM)

The Loveless is a 1981 film by Kathryn Bigelow and Monty Montgomery. It is an incredibly stylish and noir-inflected portrait of 1950s bike culture. Willem Dafoe makes his debut as the lead in a film with Vance, a brooding biker whose gang causes a ruckus in a small southern town en route to Daytona.

The tension and unease begin to simmer, leading to a bloody confrontation. The moodiness of this film, and all the demurring and rebellion it surveys, flashes the undercurrents of the period and pays homage to The Wild One.

Jeff Nichols' new film, The Bikeriders, mirrors The Loveless in its earnest portrayal of biker gangs. If The Loveless represents alienation during the 1950s, The Bikeriders is firmly fixed within the tumultuousness of the 1960s.

7) The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

A still from 'The Motorcycle Diaries' (Image via Focus Features)

The 2004 film The Motorcycle Diaries by Walter Salles is a touching road movie based on the cathartic journey of young Ernesto "Che" Guevara, played by Gael García Bernal. Together with his friend Alberto Granado, he embarks on a motorcycle ride across South America.

In the process, they experience some of the deep social injustices and varied cultures that characterize the continent, thereby shaping Ernesto's revolutionary consciousness.

The Bikeriders shares thematic similarities with The Motorcycle Diaries because they both tell stories of deeply life-altering journeys that impact personal identity and raise much social awareness as a consequence.

8) The World's Fastest Indian (2005)

Anthony Hopkins in 'The World's Fastest Indian' (Image via Magnolia Pictures)

The World's Fastest Indian is a biographical film from 2005 by director Roger Donaldson about the life story of Burt Munro, played by Anthony Hopkins. For years, the New Zealander has been deeply involved in drastically redesigning a 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle.

In 1967, he finally received an opportunity to fulfill his lifelong ambition: he traveled to Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats to set a new world speed record. Against all odds, Burt never lets go of his passion and warms up the hearts of the people.

Like The World's Fastest Indian, The Bikeriders celebrates motorcycle culture. If the former is a film showing what the spirit of an individual can do, the new film, on the other hand, is a portrayal of the spirit of the Chicago Outlaws in the 1960s, presented in a fictionalized story.

9) One Week (2008)

A still from 'One Week' (Image via Mongrel Media)

One Week is a Canadian film that was released in the year 2008 and directed by Michael McGowan. A standout on this list due to its serious tone, the movie explores the issues of personal fulfillment and mortality.

Joshua Jacksons plays Ben Tyler, a young man diagnosed with terminal cancer who, in a rash moment of defiance, goes on a cross-Canada motorcycle trek. On his journey, he traverses various terrains and meets enigmatic people who make him contemplate his life, passion, and relationships. This transformative journey brings a point of hope and solace in his life amidst his diagnosis.

The Bikeriders may be more action-oriented and leans towards the crime thriller genre, but it nevertheless shares the same idea of self-identity and transformation against a biker environment.

10) Road to Paloma (2014)

A still from 'Road to Paloma' (Image via WWE Studios)

The 2014 film Road to Paloma is a brooding tale of justice and redemption, directed by and starring Jason Momoa. The plot centers around the main protagonist, Wolf, a Native American on the run for killing a man who r*ped and murdered his mother.

Wolf rides his motorcycle across the American West, where he encounters the harsh truths of life and forms close ties with other drifters, including Cash, played by Robert Homer Mollohan. The poignant narrative and breathtaking landscapes of the film underline Wolf's quest for peace and closure.

The Bikeriders shares with Road to Paloma an analogy of the motorcycle as the icon for freedom and rebellion.

These are some of the films that you can watch in preparation for The Bikeriders. Fans of biker films and motorcycles are sure to enjoy these classics, as well as the upcoming movie starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy. The Jeff Nichols film is currently available to watch in theaters.