Ang Lee's 1999 film Ride With The Devil came and went at the US box office. Actually, to say that it even arrived is close to an overstatement -- made on a 35 million dollar budget, the film grossed less than a million in the United States and althought it was released in order to get Oscar attention, it was completely ignored. Frankly, it's easy to see why: Ride With The Devil has a very peculiar rhythm and only occasionally goes where you expect it to and these things are both to its advantage and its fault.
Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich play lifelong friends who are drawn into the ragtag skirmishes and battles that made up the Civil War in Missouri/Kansas. Both young men are Confederate sympathizers, but politically speaking it's tough to know why until a man putting the fighters up for the winter explains it: Basically it's about being able to do your own thing in your own time, as Peter Fonda explained it in Easy Rider. It's about being able to live your way of life and not being forced into another even if it happens to be obviously more fair. To which one can only say, "OK."
But as war films go, Ride With the Devil is plot-light and character-heavy. At times the script (by frequent Lee collaborator James Schamus) seems slow and clunky (largely in the film's first act), but at other times the dialogue falls in to a uniquely relaxed pace and the film becomes structurally quite impressive. Basically, there's little going on at the surface that you haven't seen before. In war, some people are innocents, stunned by the brutality of the endeavor, but still bound to fight for honor, dignity, or some code. We've got Toby Maguire to fill that roll. Then there are some people who fight with a passion bred of revenge. James (or "Jim") Caviezel there for that. And sometimes people just fight because they're more than a little bonkers. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers fits that bill.
You also know that since the film's leads take the side that we're raised to believe was wrong, there'll be a character inserted so that our heroes can show dignity and tolerance. Jeffery Wright, as a freed slave who may not really be so free, takes that job.
Ride With The Devil's greatest virtue is an amazingly assembled cast. Somewhere down the road this film will be rediscovered (or perhaps simply discovered) when it becomes clear how many amazing actors are on display. Toby Maguire has already established himself as a leading man capable of carrying a film. His talent at playing man-children has been used to great effect in excellent films like Wonder Boys and Cider House Rules. James Caviezel is a star waiting to happen. While I would view him as a less quirky (and also slightly less talented) Billy Crudup, he holds the screen well and knows how to deliver a line with emotional gravity. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers may be an actor designed for British costume dramas, but trust me, the guy can act. And Jeffrey Wright, who broke out with Shaft, but has a Tony and several fine performances in indie films, is simply a fine actor. For reasons discussed above, his character is crucial to any success the film can have and he ably carries the burden as much as he's able. Oh and Skeet Ulrich isn't bad. The fact that he looks like Johnny Depp, but doesn't act as well is a bit of a drawback, but the movie does not fall when he's on screen. In smaller appearances, Mark Ruffalo (currently breaking out onscreen in You Can Count On Me) and Jonathan Brandis give solid support.
As for Jewel, there are two ways of looking at her performance in this film. The first: Does she damage the film in any way at all? Answer: Nope. She's perfectly serviceable and sometimes even very good. The second question: Since she inevitably got the part because she's Jewel, could the part have been better played by a more experience actor? Answer: Of course the part could have been better played by a more experienced actor. The question of who comes to mind, but whatever... It can only be said that she is fine.
Ride With The Devil rises to no obvious military climax, so all of the weight of the film must be on a series of emotional high points in the final act. It's worth noting that the film improves as it goes along, ending on a number of satisfying notes.
It's of course a little tempting to wonder why Ang Lee, a Taiwanese director best known for intimate family dramas, would want to make a movie about the US Civil War and if it was a good decision on his part. In the early going
that question seems valid. The brief preamble centering on the split in the Missouri community between Union and Confederate supporters is supposed to pack a punch that carries the movie. It fails, as do the first few encounters involving the band that Ulrich and Maguire run with. Around 30 minutes in, though, things start getting interesting. Of course this occurs around the time Wright's character begins to be foregrounded. Anyway, Lee produces an ample epic sweep and is very comfortable with the slow build of the various relationships. The cinematography by Frederick Elmes is beautiful even if all of the actors he's shooting seem to have designer dirty faces with designer scruffy beards and designer hair extensions.
Ride With The Devil requires a little work. It's not the obviously crowd-pleaser that, say, Glory is. And probably it's not as good a movie as that Civil War effort. If you can make it through the bumpy parts at the beginning, though, the rewards are there.
I'd probably give it a 7 out of 10.
Tobey Maguire and Skeet Ulrich play lifelong friends who are drawn into the ragtag skirmishes and battles that made up the Civil War in Missouri/Kansas. Both young men are Confederate sympathizers, but politically speaking it's tough to know why until a man putting the fighters up for the winter explains it: Basically it's about being able to do your own thing in your own time, as Peter Fonda explained it in Easy Rider. It's about being able to live your way of life and not being forced into another even if it happens to be obviously more fair. To which one can only say, "OK."
But as war films go, Ride With the Devil is plot-light and character-heavy. At times the script (by frequent Lee collaborator James Schamus) seems slow and clunky (largely in the film's first act), but at other times the dialogue falls in to a uniquely relaxed pace and the film becomes structurally quite impressive. Basically, there's little going on at the surface that you haven't seen before. In war, some people are innocents, stunned by the brutality of the endeavor, but still bound to fight for honor, dignity, or some code. We've got Toby Maguire to fill that roll. Then there are some people who fight with a passion bred of revenge. James (or "Jim") Caviezel there for that. And sometimes people just fight because they're more than a little bonkers. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers fits that bill.
You also know that since the film's leads take the side that we're raised to believe was wrong, there'll be a character inserted so that our heroes can show dignity and tolerance. Jeffery Wright, as a freed slave who may not really be so free, takes that job.
Ride With The Devil's greatest virtue is an amazingly assembled cast. Somewhere down the road this film will be rediscovered (or perhaps simply discovered) when it becomes clear how many amazing actors are on display. Toby Maguire has already established himself as a leading man capable of carrying a film. His talent at playing man-children has been used to great effect in excellent films like Wonder Boys and Cider House Rules. James Caviezel is a star waiting to happen. While I would view him as a less quirky (and also slightly less talented) Billy Crudup, he holds the screen well and knows how to deliver a line with emotional gravity. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers may be an actor designed for British costume dramas, but trust me, the guy can act. And Jeffrey Wright, who broke out with Shaft, but has a Tony and several fine performances in indie films, is simply a fine actor. For reasons discussed above, his character is crucial to any success the film can have and he ably carries the burden as much as he's able. Oh and Skeet Ulrich isn't bad. The fact that he looks like Johnny Depp, but doesn't act as well is a bit of a drawback, but the movie does not fall when he's on screen. In smaller appearances, Mark Ruffalo (currently breaking out onscreen in You Can Count On Me) and Jonathan Brandis give solid support.
As for Jewel, there are two ways of looking at her performance in this film. The first: Does she damage the film in any way at all? Answer: Nope. She's perfectly serviceable and sometimes even very good. The second question: Since she inevitably got the part because she's Jewel, could the part have been better played by a more experience actor? Answer: Of course the part could have been better played by a more experienced actor. The question of who comes to mind, but whatever... It can only be said that she is fine.
Ride With The Devil rises to no obvious military climax, so all of the weight of the film must be on a series of emotional high points in the final act. It's worth noting that the film improves as it goes along, ending on a number of satisfying notes.
It's of course a little tempting to wonder why Ang Lee, a Taiwanese director best known for intimate family dramas, would want to make a movie about the US Civil War and if it was a good decision on his part. In the early going
that question seems valid. The brief preamble centering on the split in the Missouri community between Union and Confederate supporters is supposed to pack a punch that carries the movie. It fails, as do the first few encounters involving the band that Ulrich and Maguire run with. Around 30 minutes in, though, things start getting interesting. Of course this occurs around the time Wright's character begins to be foregrounded. Anyway, Lee produces an ample epic sweep and is very comfortable with the slow build of the various relationships. The cinematography by Frederick Elmes is beautiful even if all of the actors he's shooting seem to have designer dirty faces with designer scruffy beards and designer hair extensions.
Ride With The Devil requires a little work. It's not the obviously crowd-pleaser that, say, Glory is. And probably it's not as good a movie as that Civil War effort. If you can make it through the bumpy parts at the beginning, though, the rewards are there.
I'd probably give it a 7 out of 10.