|
|
Biker Boyz
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
High-octane foray into the world of Southern California's underground motorcycle scene. Despite action-packed race sequences and a solid cast, director Reggie Rock Blythewood's contrived story about an aging street racer (Laurence Fishburne) and a brash contender (Derek Luke) gunning for his title, hits more than a few narrative speed bumps, never kicking into second gear. Brief violence, much peril, occasional sexist stereotypes and some crude expressions. A-III -- adults. (PG-13) 2003
Full Review
"Biker Boyz" (DreamWorks) is a high-octane foray into the world of Southern California's underground motorcycle scene. Despite action-packed race sequences and a solid cast, director Reggie Rock Blythewood's reinvented western on wheels hits more than a few narrative speed bumps, never kicking into second gear.
Smoke (Laurence Fishburne) is the undisputed "King of Cali," a biker whose reputation among street racers borders on legend. With more than 200 victories notched, his crew, the Black Knights, basks in their leader's imperial glow, standing taller than members of rival clubs.
As the film's starting flag drops, Slick Will (Eriq LaSalle), Smoke's trusted mechanic, is killed in an accident during one of Smoke's drag races. This tragedy fuels a simmering animus in Slick's son, Kid (Derek Luke), a plebe in Smoke's court. Kid, a brash racing prodigy, envious of the adulation showered on Smoke, sets his sights on dethroning the king.
In the eyes of the other biker clans, Kid, though undeniably talented, is an unproven commodity. Under their rigid code he must earn the right to take a shot at the title by climbing through the ranks of recognized contenders, including Dogg (Kid Rock), Smoke's nemesis and the only legit threat to his reign. Through a loophole in the bylaws, Kid circumvents protocol, starting his own motorcycle club -- the "Biker Boyz" -- a band of young guns who brazenly flaunt a disdain for the conventional, old-school attitude of the established racing set.
Further complicating the situation is Kid's mother, Anita (Vanessa Bell Calloway), a formidable lioness whose tangled past relations with Smoke afford her uncontested leeway when confronting him. Still grieving the untimely death of her husband, she pleads with Kid to abandon the recklessness which she fears will lead him down the same hazardous path. When her protests fall on deaf ears, she implores Smoke to dissuade her wayward son from his chosen course.
Like an aging gunslinger, Smoke must chose between his street reputation and gnawing paternal feelings he has for the cocky upstart gunning for his crown. Ultimately the two must face off, each playing the role of the teacher, as both learn a valuable lesson about the true nature of manhood.
The steel steeds are an apt metaphor for "Biker Boyz." Both are built for flash and speed, yet unlike the hot-rod bikes, there isn't much horsepower under this film's hood. The slick stylized editing and glossy veneer reveal the movie industry's all-too-familiar pandering to an MTV-mentality rather than any effort to create intelligent entertainment, let alone compelling drama.
Based on an article of the same name, "Biker Boyz," while exploring a rarely viewed substratum of American culture, is devoid of any complex characters. Far from the stereotypical tattooed Hell's Angels gang members, many of the personalities in the film are intriguing, but ultimately transparent and rarely distinguishable by anything other than their fraternal "colors." Why, for example, would Soul Train (Orlando Jones), an attorney by day, engage in such a risky lifestyle? Adrenaline rush? A sense of extended or surrogate family?
While the film is not without examples of strong female characters, much of the testosterone-driven action is played out against an overtly chauvinistic canvas. For all its positive portrayal of a harmonious, racially integrated social structure, women, such as Kid's love interest, Tina (Meagan Good), are relegated to peripheral roles, serving no purpose beyond scantily clad eye candy or hood ornaments. And one of the few women with moxie happens to be a lesbian, the biker-chick Half & Half (Salli Richardson Whitfield).
As with the deplorable, daredevil-stunt movie "Jackass," parents should be warned that many race sequences involve potentially dangerous stunts that kids on bikes or adolescents might want to imitate.
Fishburne and Luke (following up his acclaimed performance in Denzel Washington's "Antwone Fisher") do their best to inject genuine emotion into the contrived father-son relationship. Their presence revs up the level of respectability in a film that otherwise would have been road kill.
Because of brief violence, much peril, occasional sexist stereotypes and some crude expressions, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting classification is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
|