Sons of Anarchy is one of the most popular biker TV shows of all time, running for seven seasons and making a significant impact on the genre. One of the most important pieces of the series is Charlie Hunnman’s performance as Jax Teller, a member of a fictionalized outlaw biker gang in California. Influenced by the real-life Hell’s Angels, Sons of Anarchy doesn’t rely on its action and inherent drama to propel the plot forward, as it grapples with the realities of rival gangs and the role the organization plays in larger social issues.
Katey Sagal’s turn as Gemma, Jax’s mother, is also notable. It’s hard to find other TV shows like Sons of Anarchy, as the series evolved so much across its many seasons. However, there are many movies like Sons of Anarchy that feature biker gangs and clearly serve as inspiration for the show. Biker films often combine elements of crime and action, as the motorcycle elements lend themselves to intricate chase scenes and beautiful landscape shots. Additionally, since biker gangs are such a large part of the genre, different legal issues crop up in most of these movies.
You are watching: 10 Great Biker Movies For Fans Of Sons Of Anarchy
10
Born To Ride (1991)
Directed by Graham Baker
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Born to Ride
PG
Action
Born to Ride is a 1991 film that follows Grady Westfall, a skilled motorcyclist who is enlisted into the US Army to help modernize a cavalry unit by replacing horses with motorcycles. His unconventional methods clash with traditional military discipline, culminating in a secret mission in Spain.
Release Date
May 3, 1991
Runtime
90 minutes
Cast
John Stamos
, Teri Polo
, John Stockwell
, Sandy McPeak
, Kris Kamm
, Keith Cooke
, Dean Yacalis
, Salvator Xuereb
, Justin Lazard
, Thom Mathews
, Garrick Hagon
, Matko Raguž
, Lisa Orgolini
, Ed Bishop
, Slavko Juraga
, Damir Saban
, Charles Kahlenberg
, Bob Sweeney
, Dale Swann
, Slobodan Dimitrijević
, Kieron Jecchinis
, Darko Janeš
, Eliza Gerner
, Leslie Herman
, Semka Sokolović-Bertok
Director
Graham Baker
Writers
Janice Hickey
Expand
Though John Stamos is best known for playing Jesse on Full House, the actor has a few exciting movie credits under his belt, including Born to Ride. The film came out during Stamos’ tenure on the family-friendly sitcom and showed a very different side of the actor. His character, Grady Westfall, is the unlikely hero of Born to Ride, as he’s a seasoned biker who avoids jail time by agreeing to teach a military unit how to ride.
The romance angle of Born to Ride is also comparable to the relationships that crop up in Sons of Anarchy.
While this premise is a little outlandish, Born to Ride takes this in stride and makes the drama feel as vivid as possible, with Grady eventually realizing his duty to join the unit. There are moments in Sons of Anarchy when Jax and the other characters have to make deals with law enforcement to avoid prison, and while Born to Ride brings this trope to a new level, it’s still an interesting facet of the genre. The romance angle of Born to Ride is also comparable to the relationships that crop up in Sons of Anarchy.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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|
Born to Ride (1991) |
N/A |
43% |
9
The Bikeriders (2024)
Directed by Jeff Nichols
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11
8.8/10
The Bikeriders
R
DramaCrime
The Bikeriders tells the story of a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club, the Vandals. Through the eyes of Kathy, played by Jodie Comer, the film explores the club’s evolution from a group of local outsiders to a dangerous gang.
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Release Date
June 21, 2024
Runtime
116 Minutes
Cast
Jodie Comer
, Austin Butler
, Tom Hardy
, Michael Shannon
, Mike Faist
, Norman Reedus
Director
Jeff Nichols
Writers
Jeff Nichols
One of the most recent additions to the biker genre, The Bikeriders, was a box office disappointment in 2024, but The Bikeriders’ streaming success has given the movie a second life. A period piece set in the 1960s, The Bikeriders is in conversation with the history of the genre, capitalizing off the interest that Sons of Anarchy cultivated in motorcycle gangs. Both The Bikeriders and Sons of Anarchy touch upon the violence and the high cost of being in a gang that the members face throughout the stories.
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10 Best Movies Like The Bikeriders
Since the 1950s, there have been some great motorcycle-themed, on-the-road films that pair perfectly with Austin Butler’s The Bikeriders.
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Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and Mike Faist lead the all-star cast of The Bikeriders, which uses its ensemble format to demonstrate the breadth and reach of these gangs. The positive critical reception of The Bikeriders demonstrates that audiences and critics are still interested in these stories and that there will always be a place for them in cinema. Though The Bikeriders doesn’t strike out into new territory, it’s a faithful adaptation of a well-known formula.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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|
The Bikeriders (2024) |
80% |
74% |
8
Easy Rider (1969)
Directed by Dennis Hopper
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Easy Rider
R
DramaAdventureDocumentary
Easy Rider is an iconic 1969 road movie directed by Dennis Hopper, who also stars alongside Peter Fonda. The film follows two bikers, Wyatt and Billy, as they journey across the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom and escaping conventional society. Along the way, they encounter a range of characters that reflect the societal tensions and counterculture of the 1960s. Featuring a groundbreaking rock soundtrack and stunning cinematography, Easy Rider.captures the spirit of rebellion and the pursuit of personal freedom, becoming a seminal work in American film history.
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Release Date
May 7, 1969
Runtime
95 minutes
Cast
Peter Fonda
, Dennis Hopper
, Antonio Mendoza
, Phil Spector
, Mac Mashourian
, Warren Finnerty
Director
Dennis Hopper
Writers
Peter Fonda
, Dennis Hopper
, Terry Southern
Easy Rider is one of the many biker movies that features Peter Fonda in a leading role. The director, Dennis Hopper, stars alongside Fonda’s Wyatt as Billy, with Jack Nicholson as George. A road film, a crime movie, and an exploration of America in the late 1960s, Easy Rider is an incredible time capsule of a generation. Billy and Wyatt travel across the country, coming into contact with many of the different prominent cultural groups of the period, from people living in communes to less-than-welcoming locals who don’t approve of their wandering.
As time has progressed, it’s interesting to look back on Easy Rider and compare it to a contemporary work like Sons of Anarchy.
Easy Rider understands the connection between the ’60s counterculture movement and the reason so many young men were looking for community, connection, and freedom through these biker groups. As time has progressed, it’s interesting to look back on Easy Rider and compare it to a contemporary work like Sons of Anarchy. Though times have changed and the social and political movements have evolved, there’s still a connection to be found between them.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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|
Easy Rider (1969) |
84% |
82% |
7
Roadside Prophets (1992)
Directed by Abbe Wool
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Roadside Prophets
R
ActionAdventureComedyDrama
Roadside Prophets follows Joe, riding his 1957 Harley-Davidson from Los Angeles to Nevada to fulfill a friend’s last wish. Joined by Sam, an aspiring biker, their journey through the desert leads them to encounter an array of unique characters. Released in 1992, the film explores themes of friendship and adventure.
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Release Date
March 27, 1992
Runtime
96 minutes
Cast
Adam Horovitz
, John Doe
, Jennifer Balgobin
, David Anthony Marshall
, David Carradine
, Arlo Guthrie
, Don Cheadle
, John Cusack
, Timothy Leary
, Stephen Tobolowsky
, John Snyder
, Biff Yeager
, Lin Shaye
, Bill Cobbs
, Sonna Chavez
, Manny Chevrolet
, Dick Rude
, Tony Ruglio
, Billy Ferrick
, Flea
, Pete Weiss
Director
Abbe Wool
Expand
The comedic and offbeat road movie Roadside Prophets sees two young men brought together by death and circumstance as they ride their bikes across the West. John Doe plays Joe Mosely, and Adam Horovitz is Sam, the unlikely pair who form a bond as they meet interesting people on their travels. Clearly inspired by Easy Rider and the many chance encounters the characters in the iconic movie have, Roadside Prophets is a more outlandish version of the story set in the tumult of the early ’90s.
Roadside Prophets is a great movie set in the American West that isn’t a Western and features performances from John Cusack and a young Don Cheadle. While Roadside Prophets isn’t rooted in realism the way that Sons of Anarchy is, its use of the landscape of the Southwestern U.S. and its interest in contemporary issues are comparable. Deeply intertwined with the pop culture of its time, Roadside Prophets might feel dated today, but it’s undeniably interesting.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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|
Roadside Prophets (1992) |
86% |
63% |
6
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Directed by Walter Salles
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The Motorcycle Diaries
R
BiographyDocumentaryDrama
The Motorcycle Diaries is a poignant biographical film directed by Walter Salles, based on the memoirs of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara. In 1952, a young Guevara embarks on a transformative motorcycle journey across South America with his friend Alberto Granado. As they traverse diverse landscapes and encounter various indigenous communities, the experiences deeply affect Guevara’s worldview, shaping his future as a revolutionary leader. This film beautifully captures the essence of youthful adventure and the awakening of social consciousness, set against the stunning backdrop of the Latin American countryside. It’s a tale of friendship and self-discovery.
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Release Date
February 6, 2004
Runtime
126 minutes
Cast
Gael García Bernal
, Rodrigo De la Serna
, Mercedes Morán
, Jean Pierre Noher
, Lucas Oro
, Marina Glezer
Director
Walter Salles
Based on the memoir of Che Guevara, before he would go on to be a revolutionary, The Motorcycle Diaries follows his early life traveling across South America. His experiences during this period would inform many of his ideological assertions and define the leader he would become. Played by the brilliant Gael García Bernal, Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) travel across the continent and witness poverty, deprivation, and oppression, imbuing in them an awareness of the intense racial and class divides at work.
Though it isn’t the most rigorous historical portrait, The Motorcycle Diaries is a great addition to the genre.
The Motorcycle Diaries is a lot more political than Sons of Anarchy and focuses on a different part of the world, as so many biker narratives zero in on the U.S. because of the motorcycle’s connection to the myth of the West. The idealism, determination, and slow maturation of Guevara are reminiscent of the characters in Sons of Anarchy and their desire for freedom and an egalitarian state. Though it isn’t the most rigorous historical portrait, The Motorcycle Diaries is a great addition to the genre.
5
The Wild Angels (1966)
Directed by Roger Corman
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The Wild Angels
R
DramaAction
The Wild Angels is a 1966 American outlaw biker film directed by Roger Corman, starring Peter Fonda and Bruce Dern as two leaders of a motorcycle gang. The film follows the gang’s violent and destructive behavior, as well as their encounters with the law and rival gangs.
Release Date
July 20, 1966
Runtime
87 Minutes
Cast
Peter Fonda
, Nancy Sinatra
, Bruce Dern
, Diane Ladd
, Buck Taylor
Director
Roger Corman
Writers
Charles B. Griffith
Studio(s)
American International Pictures
Expand
One of the many movies inspired by the Hells Angels, The Wild Angels, is one of the most influential biker films, elevating the importance of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The movie intertwines the rise of the social and cultural movements of the 1960s with the increasing popularity of motorcycle gangs. Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra lead the film as the leader of a fictionalized chapter of the Angels in Southern California and his girlfriend.
The film also frankly grapples with the intolerance and dangerous symbolism that was a large part of the culture at the time. Bruce Dern plays Fonda’s best friend, who gets caught up in intense violence throughout the story, forcing the men to think about their roles in the gang and how this affects their relationships. As in Sons of Anarchy, the bonds between the bikers in The Wild Angels are of the utmost importance and define many of these young men’s lives.
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Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
See more : Who are Kevin Holland Parents? Meet Stacy Holland Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
The Wild Angels (1966) |
63% |
45% |
4
The Leather Boys (1964)
Directed by Sidney J. Furie
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The Leather Boys
Not Rated
Drama
The Leather Boys, released in 1964, explores the complexities of working-class marriage through the story of a brassy teenager and her young biker husband. As she becomes disillusioned, the focus shifts to his close bond with a best friend, reflecting on interpersonal relationships and societal expectations.
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Release Date
March 8, 1964
Runtime
108 minutes
Cast
Colin Campbell
, Rita Tushingham
, Dudley Sutton
, Gladys Henson
, Avice Landone
, Lockwood West
, Betty Marsden
, Martin Matthews
, Johnny Briggs
, James Chase
, Geoffrey Dunn
, Dandy Nichols
, Carmel McSharry
, Elizabeth Begley
, Valerie Varnam
, Jill Mai Meredith
, Brian Phelan
, Oliver MacGreevy
, Sylvia Kaye
, Sandra Caron
, Tracy Rogers
, Joyce Hemson
Director
Sidney J. Furie
Writers
Gillian Freeman
Expand
See more : Who are Clark Middleton Parents? Meet Mel Middleton
A landmark achievement in LGBTQ+ cinema and British realism in film, The Leather Boys is not the kind of biker film that audiences might be most familiar with. However, the aesthetics and themes of biker narratives have always been closely tied to queer cinema, and The Leather Boys is an early example of this exploration. The Leather Boys was also a huge step forward in grappling with the realities of class disparities and new social movements in 1960s Britain.
Though the subject matter of The Leather Boys wouldn’t be considered groundbreaking by today’s standards, it was an incredible step forward at the time.
The style of filmmaking that the director, Sidney J. Furie, uses in The Leather Boys is reminiscent of the French New Wave, leaning into the realism that defined this period. Though the subject matter of The Leather Boys wouldn’t be considered groundbreaking by today’s standards, it was an incredible step forward at the time. While Sons of Anarchy wasn’t boundary-pushing in terms of LGBQ+ representation, it had some queer characters who expanded the world of the show.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
See more : Who are Kevin Holland Parents? Meet Stacy Holland Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
The Leather Boys (1963) |
79% |
75% |
3
Hells Angels On Wheels (1967)
Directed by Richard Rush
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Hells Angels On Wheels
AdventureDramaActionThrillerCrime
Hells Angels On Wheels is a 1967 American biker film directed by Richard Rush, starring Adam Roarke as a young drifter who becomes involved with the Hells Angels motorcycle club.
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Release Date
June 1, 1967
Runtime
95 Minutes
Cast
Adam Roarke
, Jack Nicholson
, Sabrina Scharf
, Jana Taylor
, Richard Anders
Director
Richard Rush
Writers
R. Wright Campbell
Studio(s)
Fanfare Films
Expand
Though the critical and audience reception of Hells Angels on Wheels wasn’t overwhelmingly positive after the movie first premiered in 1967, it’s been reevaluated in recent years. Starring a young Jack Nicholson as the Poet, a young man who gets swept up with the Hells Angels, Hells Angels on Wheels is an over-the-top look at how joining a biker gang changes the Poet and seduces him into a world of violence. It’s important to go into Hells Angels on Wheels without taking the movie too seriously, as it’s meant to be a wild ride.
It’s a fun, action-oriented film that doesn’t shy away from leaning into the high drama of the subject matter and letting the actors have fun. While Sons of Anarchy takes itself much more seriously than Hells Angels on Wheels, the series is in conversation with the long history of the Hells Angels, and cultural representations of the group play into this as well. For a biker movie that isn’t meant to provoke any serious questions about the genre, Hells Angels on Wheels is perfect.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
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|
Hells Angels On Wheels (1967) |
33% |
38% |
2
Beyond The Law (1993)
Directed by Larry Ferguson
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Beyond The Law
R
Action
Beyond The Law is a 1993 action-drama film that follows Dan Saxon, a cop who goes undercover to take down a drug cartel. Starring Charlie Sheen, Linda Fiorentino, and Michael Madsen, the film directed by Larry Ferguson explores the dangers of undercover work and the blurred lines between good and evil.
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Release Date
April 22, 1993
Runtime
108 Minutes
Cast
Charlie Sheen
, Linda Fiorentino
, Michael Madsen
, Courtney B. Vance
, Leon Rippy
Director
Larry Ferguson
Writers
Larry Ferguson
Studio(s)
Polar Entertainment Corporation
, Capitole Films
Expand
Charlie Sheen stars in Beyond the Law, a lesser-known addition to his filmography, as Dan Saxon, a police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate a biker gang. Though Beyond the Law is as much a crime film as much as it is a biker movie, it’s also an intense character study of Dan, who finds himself increasingly split between his two personas, forgetting who’s the real Dan and who’s the character he presents to the gang. Though there are some campy aspects of Beyond the Law, it’s an interesting look into the evolution of the genre.
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The duality of man and the realities of how far someone has to go for the greater good are major themes in Beyond the Law and Sons of Anarchy. One of the major pieces of Sons of Anarchy is Jax’s concern about the direction the club is going and what it means to live outside the law. Dan experiences this firsthand in Beyond the Law, finding himself sucked into the attractive elements of being part of the gang and having so much freedom.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
See more : Who are Kevin Holland Parents? Meet Stacy Holland Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
Beyond the Law (1993) |
N/A |
72% |
1
The Wild One (1953)
Directed by László Benedek
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The Wild One
NR
Drama
The Wild One is a drama film directed by László Benedek, starring Marlon Brando as Johnny Strabler, the leader of a rebellious motorcycle gang that invades a small California town, causing tension and chaos among the residents.
Release Date
December 30, 1953
Runtime
79 Minutes
Cast
Marlon Brando
, Mary Murphy
, Robert Keith
, Lee Marvin
, Jay C. Flippen
Director
László Benedek
Writers
John Paxton
Studio(s)
Stanley Kramer Productions
Expand
One of the movies that defined Marlon Brando’s career, The Wild One, presented a different side of Brando and cemented an image of him as the eternal bad boy in many audience’s minds. This archetype has been highly influential in the history of cinema, especially in movies that touch on bikers. The look and feel of The Wild One and the surprisingly deep subject matter are the baseline for how motorcycle films go about broaching the material.
Like Jax, Johnny feels torn about his role in his gang and must grapple with the part he plays in the violence done to others. There’s no question that Sons of Anarchy wouldn’t exist without early movies like The Wild One that first portrayed biker gangs and their intricate dynamics on screen. Though there are dated elements in The Wild One, it holds up today thanks to the performances and the groundbreaking subject matter that’s still so relevant today.
|
Title |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
See more : Who are Kevin Holland Parents? Meet Stacy Holland Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|
The Wild One (1953) |
75% |
71% |
Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment