First Impression: “The Bikeriders” is a rip-roaring good time. We get the compelling story of the strong-willed and charming Kathy who is drawn to the elusive and mysterious Benny who belongs to a Chicago-based biker gang in mid-century America. The movie shows the gang’s transformation from blue collar social club to a haven for criminality and violence.

If you’ve gone to the movies in the last two to three years, the name Austin Butler may be a name you’ve become familiar with. He’s starred in big budget and critically acclaimed blockbusters, from a Charles Manson cult member in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” to the king of rock ‘n’ roll in the biographical film “Elvis,” to the villain in the science fiction behemoth “Dune: Part 2.”

With Leonardo DiCaprio getting a little long in the tooth it appears that Hollywood has found its next leading man in Austin Butler, so don’t be surprised if you see him in many more prestigious and blockbuster films in the future. So, it’s a bit of a surprise that he’s appearing in this indie film, “The Bikeriders,” because it was not heavily promoted and didn’t have a big budget nor a famous director at the helm.

“The Bikeriders” is a character-driven drama. The performances are very well delivered by some veteran character actors, like Michael Shannon, who plays a character named Zipco, who’s a complete mystery and is supposedly from Latvia.

We also get the talented and beautiful Jodie Comer (who delivers a great Chicago-land accent), mostly known for the AMC show, “Killing Eve.” She immerses herself into the character of Kathy, a young woman who is drawn to Benny (played by Butler) and later marries him after only knowing him for a month and thereby gets herself into the inner circle of the biker gang called The Vandals. The Vandals was started by another big-name star, Tom Hardy of “Venom” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” fame. He plays the character Johnny, who’s a regular truck driver and got the idea of starting a motorcycle gang from—of all things—a television show starring Marlon Brando.

I really enjoyed the pacing of the film. We move from each segment of the film seamlessly with no wasted time of dialogue or unnecessary scenes or action. Everything has a point, and everything is related in the film. The film worked so well in keeping me interested because it’s told in partly a documentary style by Kathy, as throughout the film she’s interviewed by a student journalist who’s looking to make a book or a movie about the rise of motorcycle gangs and counterculture in the United States. She’s the emotional core of the movie; she really humanizes the bikers and makes them much more likable than what they really are. “The Bikeriders” is the type of movie that will keep you entertained and you’ll want to watch again.

Final Verdict: 4.5 stars