Jeff Nichols finds poignancy in the rise and fall of a motorcycle gang
, there’s something charmingly old-fashioned about Jeff Nichols. Despite creating some of the best films of the 21st century, Nichols has – through both accident and intent – managed to avoid getting swept up in a major Hollywood franchise. And now he’s back with), but still working with some of the brightest stars of Hollywood. It’s nice to know the old ways still hold true for some of us.
In 1963, photojournalist Danny Lyon began interviewing fellow members of the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The resulting book – first published in 1968 – shined a light on American counterculture and serves as the inspiration for Nichols’ lightly fictionalized film of the same name.
We are first introduced to the Vandals through Kathy , the skeptical future wife of baby-faced gang member Benny . Benny is a particular favorite of Johnny , the leader who dreamed up the membership rules for the rest of the gang. But as the Vandals expand beyond the borders of Chicago and find themselves swept up in the changing economic landscape of 1960s America, Kathy’s misgivings about the future of the Vandals begins to take on a darker turn.
Until things go wrong. On the surface, the downfall of the Vandals seems to echo any number of film narratives about organized crime, including the untimely death of a key lieutenant and the links between narcotics and a brotherhood spiraling out of control. Dig beneath the surface, though, and it’s clear that Nichols has more on his mind than gangsters and motorcycles.
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