Laurence Fishburne has always
been one of the best actors around, and I assure you that he
is the only reason why I went to see this flick. The
trailers looked like "Fast
and the Furious"
on two wheels, and I loathed Derek Luke from "Antwone
Fisher"; I certainly did not feel like
seeing him in a film again so soon. But, I went
nonetheless, and wasn't entertained very much, but more so
than I thought I would be.
Laurence Fishburne stars as Smoke, the undefeated champion of
street racing. Eriq LaSalle is his mechanic Slick Will,
whose son Kid (Derek Luke), is a rising star himself in the
world of bike racing. Kid Rock co-stars as Smoke's
long-time nemesis Dogg. The racing consists of two men
going at it on bikes; the winner receives up to $5,000 and the
loser has to forfeit his helmet to the winner. It's more
about pride than anything else, though the money also plays a
significant role. The majority of the film concerns the
rivalry between Smoke and Kid, especially when Kid assembles
his own group of riders and dubs them 'Biker Boyz'.
Later on in the film, it is revealed that--SPOILER--Smoke is
really Kid's father. This is when "Biker Boyz"
loses what little edge it had in the first place and becomes
too emotional and too sappy for a film that is suppose to look
so hardcore in the trailers.
This film boasts a somewhat impressive cast of former minor
stars and the occasional television 'where are they now'
celebrity. Djimon Hounsou pops up in a meaningless
supporting role, as do Lisa Bonet and Orlando Jones (looking
and sounding totally out of place).
This was directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood, who most people
have probably never heard of. Well, he penned the script
for the wonderful Spike Lee film "Get on the Bus",
and also penned the script for the forthcoming "Cradle 2
the Grave". He is more talented as a screenwriter
than a director, I must say, because someone like John
Singleton or The Hughes Brothers could have probably turned
"Biker Boyz" into a more successful picture.
Now, it is not all the director's fault, but a majority of the
blame should rest on his shoulders.
Laurence Fishburne gives a strong performance, as usual, and
even Kid Rock does a decent job of not seeming like such a
no-talent, but Derek Luke--as I have stated before--is not a
strong actor and does not command enough respect on screen for
me to continue watching him. I surely was not rooting
for him.
"Biker Boyz" is one of those films that will
probably barely meet budget at the box office and then slip
into a video shelf life for a long time. People will
forget it was even made in a couple years and it will be like
it had never even existed at all. Some of you will like
this film, probably the same ones who liked "Fast
and the Furious", and some of you
will hate this movie, probably the same ones who loathed
"Fast
and the Furious". I do not
recommend this picture and suggest you only stick to movies
than know how to spell their title.
