BIKER BOYZ
US, 2003, 110 minutes, colour.
Lawrence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Orlando Jones, G man who Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Brendan Fehr, Larenz Tate, Kid Rock, Rick Gonzalez, Meagan Good, Sally Richardson- Whitfield, Vanessa Bell Calloway.
Directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood.
Biker Boys is a film about motorcycling and racing gangs.
Depending on interest, it is a narration with many racing interludes or, it is many racing sequences with some narrative interludes.
For fans, the filming of the races, editing and pace is adrenaline pumping.
As regards drama, there are a variety of persons in the gangs, the main character being Smoke, Laurence Fishburne, the long time champion. He has a great number of followers as well as enemies. When a young man, Kid, Derek Luke, wants to assert himself, wants to challenge Smoke, there are revelations from his concerned mother that Smoke is actually his father and she wants Smoke to stop her son racing. He forms a local group, with a white rider as well as a Hispanic rider. Ultimately, there is a race between the two rivals with Smoke conceding his son’s victory and the son allowing his father to keep the trophy for some time.
An African- American story, a biking story, which will be of interest mainly to bike riders.
1. A biking story, an African American story, the American city, the bikie gangs, racing, family story?
2. The city, the streets, the races and the venues, homes and apartments, shops? The city locations? The musical score?
3. The drama and the narrative, the intersecting of the bikes scenes?
4. The bikes scenes, editing, pace?
5. The narrative? Smoke and his story, champion in the past, his girlfriends, Anita being pregnant, her marrying, the husband’s loyalty, not telling Smoke? His leadership, his followers, the death of Anita’s husband? Attitude?
6. Kid’s story, 18, his father’s death, aggressive, against Smoke, his friends, the white man, the Mexican, the discussion about their forming a group, the board and acceptance, the recruits, multi-racial? Going into the white territory – and the leader coming, the confrontation, wanting double his money back? Kid and his plans?
7. Characters, Anita and her life, hold over her son, getting him to promise not to race? Kid and his girlfriend, tattooed, moving in with her?
8. Dogg, champion, rivalries, the races? Bitterness?
9. The role of the women with the gangs, relationships, Smoke and his girlfriend?
10. Rivalries, the revelation of the truth, the effect on Smoke, on Kid?
11. The buildup to the race, in the countryside, Kid winning, Smoke relinquishing his trophy, Kid allowing him to keep it for a while?
12. The overall impact of the racing story, of the human drama?
