15 Biker Movies To Watch If You Like Sons Of Anarchy

The FX series Sons of Anarchy ended in 2014 and since then, there haven’t been any other notable biker movies or TV shows except for the spinoff Mayans MC. For everyone who enjoyed Sons of Anarchy, the hunger for something similar (that isn’t linked to the show) must be at an all-time high.

Those who love motorcycles as a whole might also be yearning for feature films that portray the love for bikes or the madness surrounding them. A number of biker movies have been made over the past few decades. Being aware of their existence is sometimes the challenge, however. Here are the ones that are the most likely entertain fans of Sons of Anarchy.

Updated on March 25th, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: Even though Sons of Anarchy has been off the air for years, it continues to be iconic as people discover the show on streaming services like Hulu and fans watch and rewatch the series. Although the most popular movies about bikers–and films that heavily featured motorcycles–were released in the 1960s and have a different feeling than the modernSons of Anarchy, they’re still popular today and are just as engaging as the series with their action-filled sequences, beautiful landscapes, and bikes. Often, the characters drift into violent criminal activity too.

The Wild Angels (1966)

The Wild Angels has a close-knit motorcycle gang called Heavenly Blues at its center that comes together when one of their own has his motorcycle stolen. Peter Fonda stars as the gang leader who gets everyone to go on a mission to find the bike and get revenge on the thieves.

There are several fights between motorcycle gangs and run-ins with the police with motorcycles being displayed and ridden in the movie constantly.

Run, Angel, Run! (1969)

Motorcycle gang with their bikes in Run Angel Run movie

Run, Angel, Run! follows an outlaw biker (William Smith) who tries to leave his biker gang with his partner (Valerie Starrett) but the gang decides to chase after them and try to force him back into their ranks instead of letting them go freely.

See also  Elden Ring: How To Get The Crucible Tree Armor

It turns into a cat and mouse chase as the ex-outlaw biker and his partner try to outrun the motorcycle gang members that were once his closest brothers.

Road To Paloma (2014)

Jason Momoa riding a bike in Road to Paloma

Although Road to Paloma isn’t about motorcycle gangs, it does feature a lone biker on a mission and on the run from the law. Jason Momoa stars as Robert Wolf who gets revenge by killing the man who raped and murdered his mother.

Wolf goes on the run after and flees the law hoping to be able to spread his mother’s ashes. He goes on a long bike ride searching for his sister’s property to spread the ashes while also avoiding the law.

Angel Unchained (1970)

Angel Unchained cropped movie poster

Angel Unchained has a somewhat similar plot to Run, Angel, Run! where the main character decides he wants to leave his biker gang. In Angel Unchained the main character, Angel, joins a commune to live a simpler and more peaceful life outside of the gang.

Though the gang doesn’t hunt him, a new group of cowboys decides to harass the commune and Angel has to fight back.

Hell’s Belles (1969)

Hells Belles cropped movie poster

Hell’s Belles is another movie that centers on a revenge plot after a bike is stolen, like The Wild Angels. Dan (Jeremy Slate) wins a new motorcycle and plans to sell it so he can have enough money to buy a ranch, but it’s stolen by a man.

Dan decides to hunt down the new owner of the bike, Tampa (Adam Roarke), and his partner Cathy (Jocelyn Lane) joins him in the violent revenge story.

Easy Rider (1969)

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper riding motorcycles in Easy Rider

Easy Rider follows two bikers named Billy (Dennis Hopper) and Wyatt (Peter Fonda) as they ride from Los Angeles to New Orleans to find clients and discover more of America. Dennis Hopper also directed the film and brought Jack Nicholson on board. Nicholson plays a free-spirited attorney who the bikers bond with along the way.

This is the role that is also credited for changing Jack Nicholson’s career trajectory, plucking him from B-list status into the A-list. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Aside from Nicholson’s standout performance, the film’s amazing score and beautiful motorcycles also add to its appeal.

Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man (1991)

A group of men dressed in leather jackets with guns in Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man

Here’s a movie where four characters are named after motorcycle brands. In it, two childhood friends, Harley Davidson (Mickey Rourke) and Marlboro (Don Jonhson) give themselves the mission to save their once-favorite hangout joint when they become aware that it’s facing closure over unpaid loans to a bank.

See also  Why Jonathan Kent Was Recast In Superman & Lois Season 3

They go ahead hijack the bank’s armored vehicle. However, shock lands on them when they discover that the vehicle contains a new street drug called the Crystal Dream and not money. It turns out the bank’s owners are corrupt drug leaders and now they want their product back.

Hells Angels On Wheels (1967)

Two couples riding on motorcycles together in Hells Angels On Wheels

Before Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson also starred in this biker film that is actually the most similar to Sons of Anarchy. Nicholson plays a gas station attendant named Poet who impresses the Hells Angels biker gang and ends up being absorbed into their circle.

Since Poet has spent most of his life in solitude, he is initially glad to be part of a group of tough guys. However, his conscience soon kicks in when he witnesses the gang’s brutal crimes, including robbery and murder. The motorcycles are a joy to watch and so is the often worried young Nicholson as Poet.

The Wild One (1953)

Black and white photo of Mary Murphy and Marlon Brando looking at each other in The Wild One

Marlon Brando already looked too cool by just standing and The Wild One upped the cool factor by adding a motorcycle. This movie is often credited for popularizing the idea of motorcycle gangs in Hollywood movies. Soon after it came out, many more followed.

Brando plays Johnny Strabler, the cop-hating leader of the Black Rebels biker gang. The British Board of Film Classification banned the movie for its glorification of crime and violence. Later on, some local councils in the UK overturned the ban.

The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

Two guys ride a motorcyle in Motorcycle Diaries

Directed by popular Brazilian director Walter Salles, The Motorcycle Diaries is a movie about Che Guevera but it isn’t a movie about revolution. Based on the revolutionary leader’s own memoirs, the movie is about his experiences traveling through South America in the 1950s as a medical student.

The adrenaline of most biker films lacks here but the movie slowly takes you through the little events that shaped the iconic leader’s mind. When his bike breaks down, he interacts with people, thus realizing how much they are suffering from poverty and political oppression.

Eye Of The Tiger (1986)

Gary Busey injured with a gun in Eye of the Tiger

Imagine Rambo: First Blood with biker gang members substituting the cops and fans can get an idea of what this movie is about. Eye Of The Tiger stars a badass Gary Busey, back when his characters didn’t die in every movie. He is Buck, a military veteran who comes back home from Vietnam to find that his town is being colonized by a biker gang.

See also  How to Get Straw in Skyrim (& What It’s For)

Buck becomes Super Buck and decides to fight the bikers and drive them away. There’s no shortage of action, with fistfights and motorcycle chases happening every few minutes. And what would a movie called Eye Of The Tiger be without the classic song by the band Survivor?

Hell Ride (2008)

A scene from the Tarantino-produced biker movie, Hell Ride

Hell Ride was directed by Larry Bishop who also stars as Prez, the leader of a South California gang knows as the Victors.

The plot revolves around the gang’s efforts to avenge the killing of a fellow gang member and how motorcycle gang members stand up for each other and take revenge is something that Sons of Anarchy fans are very familiar with.

Stone Cold (1991)

Actor about to jump onto a car in Stone Cold movie

Stone Cold is a movie packed with 90s action movie tropes about a cop from Alabama who takes an undercover gig for the FBI. The gig involves infiltrating a murderous biker gang in the south of Mississippi.

The gang is not only involved in drugs but also plans to murder the District Attorney and free a member who has been arrested. William Forsythe plays Ice, the most psychotic member of the gang while Lance Henriksen plays Chains Cooper, the gang’s leader.

The Loveless (1981)

Willem Dafoe in The Loveless

In one of Willem Dafoe’s first-ever roles, he starred as the motorcycle gang member Vance. The movie sees a group of bikers congregating in a roadside diner on their way to the Daytona race. The diner’s management starts getting nervous and a customer even becomes hostile towards them.

The hostility soon leads to an endless string of violence. The movie was filmed on a tight budget and when it came out, it fast became a cult favorite, becoming one of the highest-rated biker films of all time among critics.

The World’s Fastest Indian (2001)

Burt Monro in The Worlds Fastest Indian.

This movie revolves around bike racer Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) and his obsession with making his old Indian Scout motorcycle, the fastest bike in the world. He spends a lot of time modifying the bike.

Initially, the bike has a top speed of 58 mph but after the modifications, the speed shoots to 201 mph. Munro ends up winning a race with the bike and setting a world speed record.

Leave a Comment