Thursday, January 30, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film: Biker Boyz is a kick in the crotch rocket

By Gregory Crosby

How the once-mighty motorcycle flick has fallen. A genre that, for good or bad, has defined itself as one of American cinema's perennial symbols of rebellion and individual freedom is pretty much brought to heel, like every other once-badass pursuit in the culture, in the new picture Biker Boyz. Whereas being in a bike gang used to mean being an outlaw on some level, the motorcycle clubs depicted in Boyz are as rowdy as competing suburban softball leagues. Sure, there's all that illegal and dangerous racing, but no substance stronger than a Budweiser is imbibed at their rallies, and the clubs hold hip-hop parties and bikini bike washes for charity that have all the sensuous menace of an MTV special.

Motorcycle enthusiasts will rejoice at their portrayal as just another subculture out for clean, good fun, and why not? The film is, after all, based on articles about actual Southern California bike clubs (and why, one wonders, isn't this simply a documentary about those real upstanding bike clubs?). But putting the stereotype of the Hell's Angel to rest, while good for bikers, turns the film's conflicts into just another Oedipal drama about the quest for R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Smoke (Laurence Fishburne) is the "King of Cali," unbeaten in dozens of races, and his best friend's son Kid (Derek Luke) is determined to take his crown. Halfway through the film, Kid discovers that Smoke is in fact his real father, and his pursuit takes on a whole new, rage-filled dimension. But the motorcycle action is so secondary, so indifferently filmed by director Reggie Rock Bythewood, that Kid could be trying to take away Smoke's crown in badminton and the interesting parts of the film would still survive.

Thanks to some deft performing (particularly by Fishburne and Luke) and decent writing, Biker Boyz is just compelling enough to warrant one's attention, along with some amusing "There They Are Now" moments (Lisa Bonet appears in a small role as a biker mama). But those expecting an immersion in the thrills of the motorcycle lifestyle will likely come away disappointed.