Ride With the Devil (1999)

Ride With The Devil

By redman  Mar 11, 2007 | 1 out of 1 found this Ride With the Devil (1999) review helpful

Pros: Acting, cinematography,realistic

Cons: Graphic violence may not appeal to some

Ang Lee directs this highly rated movie about one of the most bloodiest times in our nation's history, The Civil War. There are few movies that touch upon the individual toll the war had on individuals. The film is based on the the book by Danie...l Woodrell. (Spoiler Warning) The story follows a young man, Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves his home in Missouri to fight with the Southern guerrillas know as the Bushwackers. These young men did not fight a formal army, most often they were in opposition to the northern sympathizers know as the Jayhawks. Jake was the son of a German immigrant whose father, like most Germans, favored the Unionist. Along with his best friend Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Urich) Jake soon finds himself constantly on the run, killing the Jayhawks and those that supported them. One winter while hiding from the Unionist, Jack Bull and Jake are cared for by a Southern family, which includes a young widow Sue Lee (Singer Jewel Kilcher). Having lost her husband of only three weeks. She needs a man to care for and to care for her. While this may be very politically incorrect now it was a matter of fact back then. The men needed women and in order to survive a woman needed a husband. The film is not short of violence. There are many scenes that show the utter waste of lives this war produced. Aside from all it's good points, "Ride With The Devil" wasn't very popular. It didn't make any money in the box office which was a shame. Wonderful cinematography from Frederick Elmes, excellent performances from its (then mostly) young, up-and-coming cast of actors, and the acting debut of pop star Jewel should have brought new, younger viewers to this old genre. The film deserved a better commercial fate because it is as brilliant as the writing from which it is derived, and making such a fine film also “required some genius”. Still, it's a movie worth watching. You definatly will not forget it. Read more Less