I’ve rarely come out of a film feeling like the story hadn’t even properly begun, but The Bikeriders leaves me with just that impression. After spending two hours with its road-bound rebels, I was left unsatisfied by the sudden, abrupt ending. But perhaps that’s the point—to capture the slow death of the golden age of biker culture.

The story starts humbly, with Johnny (Tom Hardy), a family man whose life revolves around trucking and watching movies with his wife and two kids. One day, Johnny realizes the pit of despair he’s been living in and makes a bold decision: he’s going to take to the road and start a biker club. What begins as a free-spirited escape for Johnny soon draws in a crowd of rebels and misfits—initially rejecting society, they evolve into a generation of disillusioned youths seeking not freedom, but power.

I came into this movie with low expectations and left feeling thankful for the gift that is Jodie Comer, who shines as Kathy. Kathy is the true anchor of the story. Eventually married to Benny (Austin Butler), Johnny’s right-hand man, Kathy watches as her relationship with Benny becomes increasingly distant, much like Benny’s relationship with the biker club—the Vandals MC.

Their romance holds the narrative together. It’s the epitome of society meeting outlaw, revealing that beneath their gruff exteriors, these men are simply misfits searching for a place to belong. Back then, instead of joining a right-wing fascist party or blaming immigrants for their problems, the “healthy” outlet for societal discontent was to beat each other senseless and ride the roads as if escaping the wrath of the gods.

Benny, deeply enamored with Johnny, looks to him as the father figure he never had and to the club as the family he’s always needed. Kathy, ever perceptive, sees the club for what it is—an escape from reality. But even the most restless wanderers must eventually stop running. You can’t outrun your problems forever.

The performances in The Bikeriders are stellar across the board, but Jodie Comer stands out, shining like a guiding star in the night—the beacon Benny needs to find his way back from the life he’s trapped in.

The Bikeriders explores the roots of a culture that has since swept across the globe. This is before drugs, before guns, before prostitution took over the scene. It’s a tale of a society that failed to extend a helping hand to a group of men who, despite their gruff exteriors and grizzly grunts, really just needed someone to hold them while they cried.