‘Biker
Boyz’ revs up action
By Kristen Wooley
On-line Forty-Niner
Move
over “Fast and the Furious” because there
is a new ride in the box office. If you
thought you’d watched all the racing you
could stomach, now all that speed is moving
on two wheels, in “Biker Boyz.”
The film hosts a historical cast including
Laurence Fishburne of “The Matrix” and Lisa
Bonet from “The Cosby Show.” Another up
and coming actor tossed into the mix of
well known black actors, was rock star Kid
Rock.
The story was familiar, with a young man
named Kid (Derek Luke), losing his father
(Eriq La Salle) when a motorcycle escapes
its rider and smashes into him, to the dismay
of his son. In a not so original response
to his father’s death, Kid wants to beat
the odds and conquer the beloved machine
that killed his father, or better yet, the
individual.
That is where Laurence Fishburne comes in,
as Smoke, the “King of Cali,” the messiah
of motorcycle riding, and the leader of
the Black Knights, a motorcycle club. With
a personal vendetta against the man his
father idolized, but could never live up
to, Kid challenges Smoke and the big boys
by starting his own club, the Biker Boyz.
Kid’s club renders a lot of hype from the
adult biker community. They are a joke and
they’re kids. The audience loves them as
the heroes for the underdogs, but there
are definitely more hoots and hollers for
the special effects and stunts than for
the dialog.
The characters needed more development,
more of a background or a reason for their
way of life. They ride motorcycles, they
party and they rev their engines to wow
the crowds. It’s no surprise that there
is a lot of testosterone present during
the viewing of this film.
The flick has it all: romance, tragedy,
suspense and most of all, lots of speed.
The only problem is, everyone has seen it
before. In the midst of winning the race,
getting the girl and achieving the glory,
the twists in the story are fairly obvious.
The conflict is between Kid, and Smoke,
Kid and himself and Kid and his mother,
a perfect formula for yet another fight
-for-the-victory and glory-of-winning-the-race
type movie.
There are a lot of cliché moments
such as Kid challenging the best rider,
Smoke, and his bike is demolished. Dog played
by Kid Rock, lends his bike, although throughout
the movie he is the villain trying to wipe
out the biker boys.
As far as the action is concerned, the movie
does step up. There are plenty of wheelies,
spins and flips for the biker crazed and
the film does provide for a good sense of
brotherhood. It’s a fun film, but I don’t
see an Oscar in its future, and most definitely,
don’t take a date to see this one.
This film is in short far from a romantic
comedy, but that’s why the boys will love
it.
“Biker Boyz” is rated PG-13 for violence,
sexual content and language.
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