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The 2023 film The Bikeriders is a fascinating film directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and others, it is set during the 60s and explores the fictional biking group—Vandals Motorcycle Club, which is based on the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The film is inspired by a photo book by Danny Lyon.
In the film, the story revolves around Kathy (Comer), who falls in love with the biking group member Benny (Butler), and the group’s chief, Johnny (Hardy). The movie is set around the Vietnam War and explores themes of rebellion, freedom, masculinity, and emerging subcultures.
If one has watched The Bikeriders and is searching for similar films, here’s a list of ten such movies that are alike in theme, tone, or story.
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From The Wild One and Akira to The Wild Angels and Mad Max, here are 10 more movies to watch if they liked The Bikeriders
- The Wild One
- Easy Rider
- Mad Max
- The Motorcycle Diaries
- Mean Streets
- The Wild Angels
- On Any Sunday
- The Loveless
- Akira
- 12 O'Clock Boys
1) The Wild One (Available on Apple TV+)
Directed by László Benedek and starring Marlon Brando, this 1953 film is a seminal work on the biking counterculture. The hero is the charismatic Johnny Strabler (Brando), leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club, who dashes into town creating trouble wherever he goes. This movie looks at his torrid affair with the sheriff’s daughter while also fighting off the competition with a rival biker gang. The film, therefore, explores themes of rebellion like The Bikeriders.
Not only is the movie one of the first films to depict biking gangs but the association of bikers with leather jackets was also solidified in this movie. Brando’s performance was praised and Tom Hardy’s moody character in The Bikeriders sees its origins in Strabler.
2) Easy Rider (Available on Netflix)
Directed by Dennis Hopper, Easy Rider is about two bikers, Billy (Hopper) and Wyatt (Peter Fonda), who are drug mules and are off on a road trip from Los Angeles to New Orleans. On the way, they encounter George Hanson (Jack Nicholson), who joins them for good.
The film was produced independently and therefore opened the doors for innovative filmmaking that was without the pressures of mammoth studios.
It is considered a part of the New Hollywood movement. Easy Rider was also released at a time when the '60s counterculture was on the rise and tensions amidst the Vietnam War were high. The Bikeriders and Easy Rider, both explore how motorcycle clubs fueled such anti-authoritarian feelings.
3) Mad Max (Available on Apple TV+)
Released in 1979, this Australian action film stars Mel Gibson and is set in a dystopian future where all semblance of law and order has broken down. The story follows Max Rockatansky (Gibson), a highway patrol officer, who is forced to change from a dutiful officer to a vengeful avenger after a ruthless motorcycle gang kills his family.
Mad Max has adrenaline-fueled chases and explores the dynamics of a biker gang just like The Bikeriders. And is an important film for Gibson, which skyrocketed him into stardom. The film has given rise to three sequels and a spin-off.
4) The Motorcycle Diaries (Available on Amazon Video)
A bit different from the other films on this list, The Motorcycle Diaries is a biographical and introspective movie about the life of the famous South American revolutionist, Che Guevara. Directed by Walter Salles and based on the memoirs of Guevara, the film incorporates elements of a road movie and a coming-of-age theme.
The movie follows his 1952 journey across South America with his friend Alberto Granado on a bike. It is through this trip, that Guevara sees the impoverished condition and oppression across South America. The film is a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of self-awareness and has beautiful cinematography throughout. A must-watch after The Bikeriders.
5) Mean Streets (Available on Amazon Video)
Directed by Martin Scorsese, this crime and action film is about Charlie Cappa, an Italian-American, who looks after his reckless friend John or ‘Johnny Boy’ (Robert De Niro) and also has an affair with his ostracized cousin. Charlie is also a devoted Catholic and is torn between his Mafia work, which he has to do for his uncle and his faith.
While his friend John, refuses to mend his ways, Charlie decides to redeem himself by saving his friend. The film has a gritty tone and is one of the first successful movies for both Scorsese and De Niro. The film popularized the gangster genre and has a pulsating soundtrack just like The Bikeriders.
6) The Wild Angels (Available on Amazon Video)
Another independent biker film, The Wild Angels is directed by Roger Corman and stars Peter Fonda. The film centers around the 60s counterculture and is an inspiration for many later biker gang films. Filled with depictions of drugs, rock and roll, Harley Davidsons, and fights, the film revolves around Heavenly Blues, leader of the Angels motorcycle gang. When his friend ‘Loser’ gets his bike stolen, the gang sets out to find his vehicle.
The film popularized the anti-hero character and the movie is noted for casting actual motorcycle club members from the Hells Angels and Coffin Cheaters. This movie makes for a good watch after The Bikeriders.
7) On Any Sunday (Available on Amazon Video)
A comprehensive documentary, On Any Sunday, is directed by Bruce Brown and helps the viewers meet the real people behind the motorsport. The movie was nominated at the Oscars for Best Documentary Feature and is unique for showing the various types of attitudes needed for different forms of racing.
For example, motocross riders are free-spirited people. The documentary changed the reckless and ‘bad guy’ persona of bike riders. Steve McQueen features in the movie and Brown was praised for using makeshift high-speed cameras and capturing stunning slow-motion shots. Give this one a shot after The Bikeriders.
8) The Loveless (Available on Apple TV+)
Released in 1981 by two debut directors, this biker film has been compared many times with The Wild One. Starring Willem Dafoe, the story is about the chaos that ensues when a motorcycle gang stops in a rural southern town, while on the way to Daytona.
The film portrays the stereotypical mindset of biking gangs being hooligans and disturbing the peace of a community. But uniquely, the movie also shows the rough side of the humble townsfolk, who see the bikers as an excuse to let out their violent natures. An important film in the biker genre like The Bikeriders.
9) Akira (Available on Amazon Video)
A landmark film, Akira brought Japanese anime to the west. Based on a popular manga, the film innovatively brought together the genres of cyberpunk and action in a dystopian setting. The film begins 31 years after World War 3 when a Neo-Tokyo has given rise. Amidst this setting, there are two friends, Shōtarō Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima.
While Kaneda is a biking gang leader, Shima mysteriously gains telekinetic abilities after an accident. Spurred by his new powers, Shima wreaks havoc on the city after believing himself to be the second ‘Akira’ (the one who destroyed Tokyo 31 years earlier). This leaves Kaneda to do everything to stop him.
The film has left a lasting influence on pop culture and has inspired scores of Western directors. Watch this one for a dose of anime after The Bikeriders.
10) 12 O’Clock Boys (Available on Amazon Video)
This documentary movie is about the dirt bike rider group 12 O’Clock Boyz. It is set in Baltimore, Maryland and is directed by Lofty Nathan. The movie follows the fascination of a young African-American boy, Pug, who wants to join this group as there are no other sources of inspiration for him.
While many people see the group’s antics as a disturbance, the documentary portrays the bikers as an essential fabric of the city and one that gives them identity. The movie, thus has themes of identity and community in it. Watch this one for a uniquely different take on the biking gangs of The Bikeriders.
Viewers are welcome to watch these biker-themed movies and relive the sense of rush that they experienced while watching The Bikeriders.
