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Great period pictures make you feel as if you've stepped into another era, heard its language, breathed its spirit, and come away with a fresh perspective on that time as well as your own. Ride with the Devil is one of those special films--why wasn't it more widely embraced by reviewers and filmgoers? Did it rely too much on our patience for slow accumulation of unforced rhythms and meanings (as opposed to The Patriot, which "moved" audiences with cattle-prod simplicity and manipulation)? Ride with the Devil--smart, handsome, tenderly awed by how individual lives get ambushed by history--is ripe for rediscovery.
The Civil War of battlefields and plantation houses is nowhere to be seen here. Instead we see the war as an improvised and largely blundering but very bloody feud among neighbors in the border state of Missouri. In this bucolic war zone--more than a little reminiscent of the Balkans in the late 1990s--the Taiwanese-born director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) traces the destinies of several young Southern bushwhackers (guerrilla fighters) as they experience violence, the seasons, and different kinds of love. Skeet Ulrich draws the aristocratic glamour role (and top billing), but he's overshadowed by Tobey Maguire as a first-generation American, the magnificent Jeffrey Wright (a shameful oversight at Oscar time) as a freed slave fighting beside his former master, and singer Jewel in a very natural acting debut as the young widow who graces all their lives. The title The Birth of a Nation was already taken, but by the end of this movie you feel it would have applied here. -- Richard T. Jameson
Product Description
Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jewel. From Ang Lee, the director of The Ice Storm , comes this superb Civil War epic about a group of Southern sympathizers in Missouri who decide to fight for their cause. 1999/color/139 min/R/widescreen.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
141 of 146 people found the following review helpful
By Theo Logos
Format:DVD
Thus reasoned young bushwhacker Jake Roedel, (Tobey Maguire) summing up the condition of his native Missouri, torn apart by savage guerilla warfare, as neighbor fought and killed neighbor during the Civil War. This outstanding movie manages to take much the same attitude as it tells the tale of this troubling period that has usually been handled in a much more partisan manner.
The Civil War in Missouri was particularly terrible, as the loyalties and interests of the population split between the Union and the Confederacy. Few regular troops were committed to Missouri, and most of the fighting was done by roving gangs of Irregulars; Secessionist Bushwhackers and Unionist Jayhawkers. These men more often made war on those who once had been their neighbors and friends than on uniformed troops, and terrible atrocities that were more murder than war were committed by each side.
`Ride with the Devil' is an incredibly thoughtful and nuanced telling of this sad story. All of the protagonists are bushwhackers, but the movie does not attempt to paint them as pure heroes fighting against evil for all that is good and right. Instead, it manages to show them as young men who had the misfortune to be caught up in the sweep of history and forced into a violent life by unavoidable circumstances. We see the struggle some of them had between the violent actions that had become their life and their own sense of decency, and we see others enthusiastically revel in the murderous mayhem - glad for the excuse the war had given them to be free of the constraints of civilized society. One scene in particular drives home the fact that these warriors were more boys than men. Jake (Maguire) faces his new bride, a young women already widowed by the war (Jewel) in the bedroom on their wedding night. When she asks him if he is a virgin, he blusters that "I've seen plenty" and when ask again if he has been with a woman, he seems frozen with terror, and only manages to say, "Girl, I've killed fifteen men." These were boys forced to become killers before many had the chance to be lovers.
Though there were no Unionist protagonists in this film, it used an effective device to put across the humanity of the bushwhacker's enemies. A captured mailbag was plundered, and letters were read aloud as the bushwhacker's searched for enemy secrets. The letters turned out to be mundane messages from mothers to sons and brother to brother. The young men heard and acknowledge how like their own mothers and brothers these people sounded, and how in other circumstances they might find them fine people, before someone reminded them that the sons of that mother would kill them, given the chance.
`Ride with the Devil' is filmed beautifully, and is as close to being cinematically perfect as could be desired. Its scenes of violence are quick, realistic, and brutal, but the film does not dwell on them. Indeed, there are long sequences that deal with nothing but the complex interpersonal relationships of the characters, and action war movie junkies are likely to find `Ride with the Devil' a disappointment despite its realism. Tobey Maguire is perfectly cast as a shy, decent young man trying to maintain his integrity in a violent life, and Jeffery Wright is outstanding as a freed slave who fights for the bushwhackers out of loyalty to his friend who freed him. All of the roles are well cast and acted, including Jewel in her film debut as a young Confederate widow.
`Ride with the Devil' is the best done of any Civil War film that I have yet seen. It is beautifully filmed, skillfully acted, intelligently written, and tells its story with fairness and perspective. Unfortunately, its virtues are exceeded by its obscurity, as so many have never heard of it. Now that you know of it, don't cheat yourself by missing this outstanding film.
Theo Logos
The Civil War in Missouri was particularly terrible, as the loyalties and interests of the population split between the Union and the Confederacy. Few regular troops were committed to Missouri, and most of the fighting was done by roving gangs of Irregulars; Secessionist Bushwhackers and Unionist Jayhawkers. These men more often made war on those who once had been their neighbors and friends than on uniformed troops, and terrible atrocities that were more murder than war were committed by each side.
`Ride with the Devil' is an incredibly thoughtful and nuanced telling of this sad story. All of the protagonists are bushwhackers, but the movie does not attempt to paint them as pure heroes fighting against evil for all that is good and right. Instead, it manages to show them as young men who had the misfortune to be caught up in the sweep of history and forced into a violent life by unavoidable circumstances. We see the struggle some of them had between the violent actions that had become their life and their own sense of decency, and we see others enthusiastically revel in the murderous mayhem - glad for the excuse the war had given them to be free of the constraints of civilized society. One scene in particular drives home the fact that these warriors were more boys than men. Jake (Maguire) faces his new bride, a young women already widowed by the war (Jewel) in the bedroom on their wedding night. When she asks him if he is a virgin, he blusters that "I've seen plenty" and when ask again if he has been with a woman, he seems frozen with terror, and only manages to say, "Girl, I've killed fifteen men." These were boys forced to become killers before many had the chance to be lovers.
Though there were no Unionist protagonists in this film, it used an effective device to put across the humanity of the bushwhacker's enemies. A captured mailbag was plundered, and letters were read aloud as the bushwhacker's searched for enemy secrets. The letters turned out to be mundane messages from mothers to sons and brother to brother. The young men heard and acknowledge how like their own mothers and brothers these people sounded, and how in other circumstances they might find them fine people, before someone reminded them that the sons of that mother would kill them, given the chance.
`Ride with the Devil' is filmed beautifully, and is as close to being cinematically perfect as could be desired. Its scenes of violence are quick, realistic, and brutal, but the film does not dwell on them. Indeed, there are long sequences that deal with nothing but the complex interpersonal relationships of the characters, and action war movie junkies are likely to find `Ride with the Devil' a disappointment despite its realism. Tobey Maguire is perfectly cast as a shy, decent young man trying to maintain his integrity in a violent life, and Jeffery Wright is outstanding as a freed slave who fights for the bushwhackers out of loyalty to his friend who freed him. All of the roles are well cast and acted, including Jewel in her film debut as a young Confederate widow.
`Ride with the Devil' is the best done of any Civil War film that I have yet seen. It is beautifully filmed, skillfully acted, intelligently written, and tells its story with fairness and perspective. Unfortunately, its virtues are exceeded by its obscurity, as so many have never heard of it. Now that you know of it, don't cheat yourself by missing this outstanding film.
Theo Logos
65 of 68 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
This is one of those rare movies where everybody got it right ---from the cinematography to the casting; from the musical score to film editing; from costume design to second unit directing this movie is nearly flawless. The directing by Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) and the performance by a wonderful ensemble cast put this movie in a league with the great modern frontier movies like The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Long Riders.
Set on the Missouri/Kansas border during the American Civil War, the movie faithfully recreates the story told by Daniel Woodrell in his wonderful novel, Woe To Live On. The book is worth reading for the dialogue alone and the movie is worth watching simply for James Schamus' magnificent screenplay: But there is much move to love about this movie.
The tapestry upon which the story of Ride With The Devil is painted is a violent one but, apart from some very graphic scenes, is more about human nature than anything else. Indeed, the depth of the violence only adds to the poignancy of the surprisingly frequent gentle scenes that occur in the movie. Tobey Macguire is perfect in the lead role, Jewel gives a surprisingly intuitive performance, and Jefrey Wright almost steals the show with his low-key, but passionate performance as a freed slave riding with a gang of white bushwhackers. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Macguire's nemesis, has a small part but is death himself. (His final confrontation with Macguire is brief and chilling --- and encapsulates the entire sense and sensibility of the movie.)
Sadly, this movie will probably go unnoticed by the general public since it seems to have had a limited release in the US and gone almost immediately from the theater to the rental market. Hopefully word-of-mouth will build interest in this truly remarkable American classic. Watch it --- but read the book too.
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:DVD
Civil War epic involving the confused guerilla warfare that happened along the Missouri-Kansas border. We learn that this region wasn't exactly teeming with regular armies, but rather was the scene of isolated groups waging local war: Confederate sympathizers were "Bushwackers"; Unionists were "Jayhawkers". *Ride with the Devil* is another brilliant example of the seemingly endless fund of storytelling material about the Civil War that has yet to be fully tapped. With such an advantage, the movie is bound to excite attention. What keeps that attention is the brilliant pacing of the narrative and Ang Lee's deft direction. These young men on the run, hardened beyond their years, enjoined with a very bad cause to start with, experience loss after loss and yet grow immeasurably within, particularly Tobey Maguire's Rodell and Jeffrey Wright's magnificent renegade slave, Holt. (Both Maguire and Wright perform superbly.) I don't know how Ang Lee pulls it off, but we watch Maguire's character harden, toughen, and mature most subtly, without fanfare-of-trumpets setpieces that beat us over the head (e.g., Gibson's *Patriot*.) It's a shock when, late in the film, Rodell gets a haircut that reveals how young he actually is. Quite simply, I cannot praise this movie enough. How on earth *Ride with the Devil* got so thoroughly snubbed by the industry, audiences, and critics is beyond me. The critics, in particular, took a total bath on this one. Perhaps the world wasn't quite ready for Ang Lee's brand of intelligent action pictures. Hopefully, with the groundbreaking success of *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, folks will see Mr. Lee's name on this movie's DVD box and give it a rent. Hopefully, so will you -- you won't regret it. This movie's great.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Movie
As a student of the Civil War, this film does a terrific job of showing the heartbreak and hardships endured by border state people, swept up in the tide of war. Read more
Published 6 days ago by William R. Breland
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Historical Movie
I liked this movie as it told of the history of the part of the country my ancestors were from and it told the story well.
Published 13 days ago by USKiwi
5.0 out of 5 stars
Border Warfire As The Civil War Was Ending
I was interested in this film because I was born in Missouri and spent many summers there. The town where my relatives lived was called Slater, which was just about 100 miles east... Read more
Published 25 days ago by Zarathustra
2.0 out of 5 stars
Dissapointing and slow
I am at fault for expecting a quick paced action western, but in all fairness the backdrop is the end of the civil war and Quantrills raiders... Read more
Published 25 days ago by H. Garry Stromdahl
4.0 out of 5 stars
ANG LEE'S MASTERPIECE IN A MODEST RELEASE.
ANG LEE'S MISUNDERESTIMATED MASTERPIECE SHOULD BE RELEASED IN A HIGHER-QUALITY EDITION. WISHING FOR A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITION OR FUTURE ENHANCEMENT.
Published 1 month ago by HAN XIAO
1.0 out of 5 stars
No subtitle and audio is not very clear
I had to give up watching this movie. There is no subtitle. What kind of criterion collection is this? Read more
Published 2 months ago by iBang
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must see for WBTS enthusiasts and fans
A great cast and fairly accurate scenes make this adaptation of Daniel Wordrell's book "Woe to live on" (also available from Amazon) something you'll watch over and over. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Quaestor
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Gift
This item was purchased as a gift for a friend who lived nearby where the movie was filmed. It arrived on time and in excellent condition. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Connie Stenner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Critirion BLu Ray
This company has really out done it self , with their Hi Definition titles , the only criticism is , that for years cater for the international market , for Die Hard fim buffs ,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Andrew Zindilis
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good flick
Of course, I grew up in that part of the country, so take that fwiw.
Excellent early effort from Ang Lee and the cast. Even Jewel is mostly watchable. Read more
Excellent early effort from Ang Lee and the cast. Even Jewel is mostly watchable. Read more
Published 5 months ago by D. Salkil
