This eclectic entry in the "extreme sports" genre takes a close, fictionalized look at the world of California motorcycle clubs. (It is based on an L.A. New Times article.) The great Laurence Fishburne appears as Smoke, the unbeaten "king of Cali" motorcycle racing, and president of The Black Knights. When Smoke's ace mechanic (Eriq La Salle) is killed by a flying bike, his furious son Kid (Derek Luke), starts his own club, the Biker Boyz, to gain respect and challenge Smoke for the coveted crown. Bronx-born director Reggie Rock Blythewood keeps the action flowing from drag race to party and back again, steeping the audience in the ritual of the subculture, allowing it to serve as more than a mere backdrop to the coming-of-age mythos and adrenaline pumping, kinetically edited race and stunt sequences. A great soundtrack helps the narrative roll smoothly over some of the film's dramatically bumpy stretches, and music icon Kid Rock has a memorable turn as Dogg, Smoke's rough riding chief rival. Larenz Tate, Orlando Jones, and Djimon Honsou also lend strength as their fellow bikers. The very cool Lisa Bonet and the very fine Meagan Good play Smoke's and Kid's respective love interests.
