Motorbikes and bikers have long been iconic figures in movies, motorbikes have come to represent freedom and power, fitting well with the outsider role so popular in American movies especially. As well as romantic heroes in the cowboy tradition, some of the coolest motorcycle riders in movies or TV have also been bike gangs. In the 1970s and 1980s bike gangs appeared in all kinds of movies, usually terrorizing peaceful god-fearing American citizens.
The original motorbike anti-hero is perhaps Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of a rebellious leader of a biker gang who clashes with small town America in the movie The Wild One. His defiance of authority and middle American morality became a symbol both of inspiration and fear. Never bowing to anyone or letting rules stand in the way of his beliefs he remains cool to this very day.
Cool bikers don't have to be clean and tough though, a double act with designs on Brando's crown came along in the two Easy Riders Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in the 1967 classic Easy Rider where they play two filthy hippies travelling across America on massive motorbikes carrying not only drugs in their gas tanks, but the idealism and freedom of the rainbow generation. They die at the end.
The 70s saw the role of bikers in movies change, rather than peaceful warriors they more and more became menacing gangs. Although this role had always existed, the 70s love of movie excess saw bike gangs become more and more dangerous. This represented a turning point in America in many ways as old social mores began to disappear.
The ultimate movie about dangerous biker gangs would probably be Mad Max 2. The first Mad Max had depicted a future world where society had broken down and murderous biker gangs terrorized the countryside. Mad Max 2 ran with this and staged a full on war between a massive biker gang and a makeshift army of survivors. The bikers were a kind of tribal gang of killers.
An honorable mention should also go to Che Guevara, played by Gabriel Garcia Bernal in the 2007 adaptation of Guevara's novel 'The Motorcycle Diaries' which tells the true story of the revolutionaries travels around South America before meeting Castro. Although more about the man than the bike, he is still one of the coolest motorcyclists ever and the film is great.
The overall winner though has to be Marianne Faithful in the equally controversial and ridiculous art movie Girl on a Motorcycle where the star escapes from the eve of a wedding that she does not want to ride a powerful motorcycle around the highways of Europe while fantasizing about steamy sex scenes and wearing nothing but a leather jumpsuit. If you don't know why that is cool, no one can tell you.
The biggest problem when deciding on the coolest motorcycle riders in movies or TV is the fact that there are so many. Popular culture is loaded with cool people riding motorbikes and there is probably a book with all of them in, this is just the tip of the iceberg that you are seeing right here.
The original motorbike anti-hero is perhaps Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of a rebellious leader of a biker gang who clashes with small town America in the movie The Wild One. His defiance of authority and middle American morality became a symbol both of inspiration and fear. Never bowing to anyone or letting rules stand in the way of his beliefs he remains cool to this very day.
Cool bikers don't have to be clean and tough though, a double act with designs on Brando's crown came along in the two Easy Riders Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in the 1967 classic Easy Rider where they play two filthy hippies travelling across America on massive motorbikes carrying not only drugs in their gas tanks, but the idealism and freedom of the rainbow generation. They die at the end.
The 70s saw the role of bikers in movies change, rather than peaceful warriors they more and more became menacing gangs. Although this role had always existed, the 70s love of movie excess saw bike gangs become more and more dangerous. This represented a turning point in America in many ways as old social mores began to disappear.
The ultimate movie about dangerous biker gangs would probably be Mad Max 2. The first Mad Max had depicted a future world where society had broken down and murderous biker gangs terrorized the countryside. Mad Max 2 ran with this and staged a full on war between a massive biker gang and a makeshift army of survivors. The bikers were a kind of tribal gang of killers.
An honorable mention should also go to Che Guevara, played by Gabriel Garcia Bernal in the 2007 adaptation of Guevara's novel 'The Motorcycle Diaries' which tells the true story of the revolutionaries travels around South America before meeting Castro. Although more about the man than the bike, he is still one of the coolest motorcyclists ever and the film is great.
The overall winner though has to be Marianne Faithful in the equally controversial and ridiculous art movie Girl on a Motorcycle where the star escapes from the eve of a wedding that she does not want to ride a powerful motorcycle around the highways of Europe while fantasizing about steamy sex scenes and wearing nothing but a leather jumpsuit. If you don't know why that is cool, no one can tell you.
The biggest problem when deciding on the coolest motorcycle riders in movies or TV is the fact that there are so many. Popular culture is loaded with cool people riding motorbikes and there is probably a book with all of them in, this is just the tip of the iceberg that you are seeing right here.
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