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Biker Boyz |
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Director Reggie Rock Bythewood wants you to
believe that Biker Boyz is a Western on
wheels full of "cool, street-smart, modern-day
cowboys." What it really is, is a two-wheeled
takeoff on the success of The Fast and the
Furious. The idea for the film got started in
an article written by freelance journalist
Michael Gougis for the now-defunct Los
Angeles New Times. He wrote about the
hidden world of African American motorcycle
clubs in Southern California. The movie puts
pictures to his words. Instead of a penetrating
look at the inner workings of a world most of
us never see, though, all the movie gives us is
a series of haphazardly connected motorcycle
races and an overdose of heavily-tattooed
testosterone.
The leader of the pack is Smoke. He’s
been the "King of Cali" for a long, long time.
Too long for the likes of Kid, a brash young
upstart eager to claim the Black Knights
crown. Twenty-nine or 30 races later, Kid and
Smoke are squared off for the ultimate
skirmish for supremacy. Sounds wearily
familiar, doesn’t it? A patchwork of subplots
litter the track behind them, but there’s very
little that matters other than a young punk and
an old punk hammering away at each other’s
pride.
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positive elements: The bond between
a father and son. Rivalry and neglect can’t
sever the ties that bind. The thread is thin and
contrived (too many races and too much
showboating get in the way), but the message
emerges: Blood runs thicker than oil.
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spiritual content: One of the Black
Knights has a habit of putting the superiority of
his club’s "president" in spiritual terms. "Glory
be to God," he shouts at the gathered crowd
before a race. "Get down on your knees and
bow that a-- down." Later, he claims that
Smoke’s ability to focus on the finish line is a
gift from God.
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nudity and sexual content:
Microscopic miniskirts. Bikinis. Bare
backsides. Women play a dual role here, as
objects of desire when the party’s going good,
and as a sort of security blanket, or comforting
companion, when times are tough. Smoke is
legendary for lovin’ and leavin’. Yet because of
his status, the girls keep lining up for more.
Barely 18 years old, Kid is already living with
his girlfriend. The two of them are shown in
bed a couple of times (nothing explicit; just a
tangle of arms and legs). Smoke’s current
squeeze, Queenie, is seen getting a tattoo on
her rear. One of Kid’s buddies talks about
racing a woman rider for sex (he says she
handcuffed him to the bed and then had her
cronies beat him up and rob him). When he
relates the story to his pals, they laugh
uproariously. There are scenes of deep
kissing and several sly references to various
kinds of sex acts.
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violent content: Where there are
races, there are wrecks. Early in the film,
Smoke’s mechanic dies (blood pools around
his battered head). Another man is crippled.
Of course that does nothing to drain the
adrenaline from the rest of the riders. Instead,
it seems to accelerate their daredevil bravado.
A bar brawl rages out of control as fists and
elbows fly indiscriminately. Kid and Smoke
duke it out. A fight with a rival club ends with a
gun being shoved in Kid’s face.
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crude or profane language: One
f-word and nearly 20 s-words. "A--," "d--n," and
"b--ch" are uttered frequently (more than 50
times). God’s name is misused.
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drug and alcohol content: Alcohol is
the vice of choice. It’s downed at race
gatherings, in clubs and bars, and at picnics.
Dogg dangles a cigarette from his lips.
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other negative elements: Dangerous
motorcycle stunts get a significant amount of
screen time. Guys grandstand for the crowds.
They stand up on their bikes. They do full-tilt
rear and front wheelies. Sparks fly when they
strap metal pads to their feet and surf beside
their bikes on the freeway. And they race at
speeds up to 170 mph. For the record, street
racing isn’t just hazardous, it’s illegal. Racers
and "fans" wager on race outcomes.
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conclusion: "The difference between
men and boys are the lessons they learn," Kid
muses at the end of the film. "My father taught
me plenty." Sure, he taught you how to be
reckless, break laws and look out for numero
uno. "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I
thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.
When I became a man, I put childish ways
behind me." That’s how the Apostle Paul puts
it in 1 Corinthians 13:11. Kid says the right
words, but he never puts his childish ways
behind him. He never even tries. When he
promises his worried mom that he won’t race
again, everyone knows he’s lying. So is it
possible to trust him when he promises
Smoke he’ll shape up and run a clean club?
Biker Boyz isn’t about men and their
bikes. It’s about speed-addicted boys who
refuse to grow up. If your parents—like
mine—declined to buy you a motorbike for
your 13th birthday, this movie illustrates why.
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