Biker Boyz (2003) review

Dir. Reggie Rock Bythewood

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★½

In “Tough Little Boys,” a song released by Gary Allan the same year Biker Boyz came out, Allan opines “When tough little boys grow up to be dads, they turn into big babies again.” That line came to mind a couple times when watching Reggie Rock Bythewood’s somewhat unfairly maligned effort, which was dismissed as a Fast and the Furious clone and failed to recoup its budget.

On one hand, men’s perspective of the world, and of themselves, often wildly swings once their first child is born. For Smoke (Laurence Fishburne), the longtime undefeated motorcycle street-racing, who is known as the “King of Cali,” such a shift in mindset comes far later than he could’ve expected, when a bombshell is dropped on him. More on that later. On the other hand, housed inside the film is the ever-present them that men just want to become “Boyz,” a fleeting thought I had that proved to be on-base when I saw that Michael Gougis’ New Times LA article — on which Biker Boyz is based — harbors a headline pretty close to that musing.

Back to the story of this wacky little early-aughts oddity. Smoke earns the respect of everyone in the city. He challenges various motorcyclists to illegal races around the city (fear not, police in every precinct appear to be on strike and never show). His mechanic, Slick Will (Eriq La Salle), father of “Kid” (Derek Luke), is tragically killed while watching one of his races. Kid grows up to form a new biker club of his own, known as the “Biker Boyz,” alongside other characters with cartoon names like “Stuntman” (Brendan Fehr) and “Primo” (Rick Gonzalez). This is to the chagrin of his hawkish mother (Vanessa Bell Calloway), who hates the very thought of Kid ending up like his dad.

These races are no joke either. Thousands of dollars are on the line, but so is pride, in the form of helmets (also known as “lids” or “brain buckets”). The loser of any given race must hand over their helmet to the winner. One of the film’s most enjoyable sequences is when Dogg (Kid Rock of all people) loses a race to Smoke, and upon crossing the finish line, Smoke berates him as if he’s an actual dog. Boyz will be boyz.

Biker Boyz is more handsomely directed than I was led to believe. The racing choreography is well-captured, even if it goes on to feel a little derivative the longer the film goes. One of the biggest issues with the film is the pacing. It’s as if every few minutes, we have to pause for a sequence created for no other reason than second-tier hip-hop and R&B to rattle the bass. It wouldn’t be a problem if the soundtrack was filled with the likes of DMX, Tupac, Nelly, or even lesser-known artists with flare. Hell, even Kid Rock’s “Bawitdaba” would’ve banged if set to a white-knuckle race. But no, we’re subjected to a lot of slow, crooning ballads that feel too edgeless for Disney Channel.

Bythewood’s script (co-written with Craig Fernandez) has the faint echoes of a John Singleton story, as it tries to development the humans within this underground world as well as their personal plights. Father issues, coming-of-age, and the inner-battle of burning out before you’re catching fire is all very real. “Burn rubber, not your soul,” as Smoke would so eloquently state. The issue is even as it tries to penetrate deeper, the script can’t help but feel like an afterthought to the world in which it exists. The characters are archetypes, as if the fact that they’re all known by mostly monosyllabic nicknames didn’t give that away.

One other little amusing detail about Biker Boyz. Laurence Fishburne was 41-years-old at the time of filming. I had to laugh when I saw that he was the “King of Cali,” the elder statesman of the motorcycle racing world. 12 years prior, he was the concerned dad trying to sway his son from living the dangerous street-life in Boyz N The Hood. That’s a role in which Fishburne was born, regardless of age: the dad who deters his kids from riding motorcycles. At the very least, he always wears his “lid” and encourages ethical racing practices.

Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Orlando Jones, Brendan Fehr, Rick Gonzalez, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Kid Rock, Larenz Tate, Djimon Hounsou, and Lisa Bonet. Directed by: Reggie Rock Bythewood.