Reflecting on writer-director Jeff Nichols’ filmography (Mud, Midnight Special, Loving), one can’t help but think about his tendency for stories that naturally and slowly build their tensions up with fully realized characterizations that lead their stories, rather than the stories leading the characters. Nichols’ latest, The Bikeriders exceptionally continues this trend.

Inspired by a 1967 photo book of the same name, The Bikeriders is the story of the Vandals MC, an outlaw motorcycle club from Chicago as it evolves over a decade. Nichols’ story structure layers in its’ characters centered around Benny (Austin Butler), Johnny (Tom Hardy), and Kathy (Jodie Comer). Each actor’s performance stands on their prominence, yet when Nichols brings them together, their respective journeys explode off the screen.

Watching Butler, it was difficult not to think of James Dean or Elvis; as Benny, there’s a magnetism that draws you into his rogue character, with a sense that he’s a natural-born leader, who would rather be a lieutenant, able to bring calm to a calamity, or to break away if necessary. Comer’s Kathy is a firecracker on her own, frightened by the club’s rambunctiousness at first. Kathy’s attraction to Benny is electric, both actors and characters bond covalently, naturally. There’s little doubt that they needed each other.

Their nucleus is Hardy’s Johnny. The character of Johnny felt like it drew from Paul Sorvino’s Paulie Cicero; there’s a calmness behind Hardy’s brooding force that initially drew followers looking for a family to be a part of the crux of what the Vandals started out as. Nichols’ story, themes, and direction parallels Scorsese in unexpected and not unwelcome ways.

Nichols layers other characters to add to The Bikeriders’ nuance of what the Vandals were at their earliest stages; Michael Shannon’s Zipco is boisterous, Norman Reedus’ Funny Sonny is menacingly hilarious, both looking for a way of being in an era driven by a typical, suburban family unit. Both characters reinforce the need to belong, to be accepted for who they are.

Acceptance becomes a centralized theme as Johnny builds the original chapter of the Vandals. He attempts to avoid the entanglements of “franchising” the Vandals to other midwest regions, like Wisconsin, Ohio, or Indiana. Johnny’s leadership is a model to be appreciated and emulated, however, it isn’t immune to challenges from outside forces thinking they can take the Vandals in a different direction, namely by Toby Wallace’s The Kid.

Challenges come in the form of “knives or fists” leading to a series of well-staged brawls or contests. Nichols draws on wits and instincts when these events come to pass within the film, their intrigue drawing the audience further into the characters and the dynamic. Nichols devises a history for The Kid that makes him a natural, if inexperienced yet fearless leader. Wallace’s power-hungry struggle within himself is as intriguing as the character’s attempts to become a part of the collective family, becoming purely instinctual as The Bikeriders evolves.

The Bikeriders’ technical prowess is equally up to the challenges of depicting the Vandals MC’s evolution; Adam Stone’s gorgeous scope cinematography is meant to be seen on a big screen. The film can seem closed in from its family themes, yet is open enough for the open road, let alone the nature in the way that Nichols tells the story and for the general roguishness that the characters represent.

Similarly, events flow at an even pace with Julie Monroe’s editing. Monroe worked with Nichols on Mud, Midnight Special, and Loving in addition to getting her start with Oliver Stone on JFK (as an associate editor), World Trade Center, and W. This is her fourth collaboration with Nichols. In The Bikeriders, Monroe blends the action with the dramatic for a well-tuned experience drawing the audience even further into the story.

The film was originally set to be released by 20th Century Studios as a prime awards season release. That instinct was accurate and if nominations were due today, it’d be easy to nominate Comer, Butler, and Hardy in their respective categories, along with Nichols for adapted screenplay and direction, and the producers for picture. The release was delayed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes last fall and Focus Features picked the film up for a summer release.

The Bikeriders was worth the wait, and nominating the film in all categories mentioned is still easy. Yet the adjusted release date along with Universal’s (Focus Features’ parent) push toward an arty crowd, seems like a strategic move to get the word of mouth about the film out. That the press screening was held with modern bikers in the audience was a joy to experience the film with. It only enhanced the experience that the hope, with positive reviews, that general audiences will be willing to take this ride.