Ride with the Devil (1999)

A Civil War epic about the Missouri-Kansas conflict. Tobey Maguire stars as a Dutch immigrant who joins the guerrilla side of the Bushwhackers (Confederates) against the Jayhawkers (Union). This film is beautifully produced, but not very engaging for much of its run. Maguire in the lead doesn't help at all. He can be a decent actor in the right circumstances, but he doesn't fit into the Civil War that well. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon were both considered for the role, and Damon, in particular, would have been great in it (I think DiCaprio was still kind of a weak actor at the time, though he would have been better than Maguire). The film gets a bit better as it goes along, particularly when the main thrust of the story, the relationship between Maguire and a black man fighting on his side (Jeffrey Wright) emerges. Then there's the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, which is a fantastic and horrifying centerpiece. Wright gives a fine performance, but my favorite performance in the movie belongs to Simon Baker, who plays Wright's master. Yes, Jewel co-stars. She might be the reason that no one took this movie seriously when it first came out, but she's not half bad, really. The film is baity as Hell and even has a Jewel song during the end credits, over-ripe for Oscar glory.

Ride With the Devil is an intelligent film that follows more the way a great novel would, rather than a shoot'em'up blockbuster. That means total attention to detail, realistic dialogue and characterisation that makes one understand these people who are on the run for their lives.We've all known that Ang Lee could direct, for most that would start with his 'Sense & Sensibility', which shocked an awful lot of people, for a Taiwanese to turn in such a great film, his first film In English and about that elitist of film genres - the English period drama. For some of us others, who've tried to check out his earlier stuff, there's his excellent 'The Wedding Banquet'. I've yet to find a region 2 copy of his 'Eat Drink, Man Woman', though, unfortunately.After 'Ride With...' many many more found his favour with 'The Ice Storm' and then legions more with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.Anyways, 'Ride With the Devil' will always find more favour with the Sunday evening older population than the popcorn brigade as the film goes at its own pace, not ours. It's not hard to keep up with the measured pace but does require some concentration. For those that do can be rewarded with a textured story of depth, that is also beautifully filmed and well acted. There are no special effects, CGI or tricks of any kind. A rousing score by Mychael Danna adds musical dynamism.Old fashioned?, well, yes, but this is history and that in the hands of Ang Lee does not mean boring. An underrated film.

Ride with the Devil is directed by Ang Lee and adapted to screenplay by James Schamus (also producer) from the novel "Woe to Live On" written by Daniel Woodrell. It stars Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Simon Baker, James Caviezel and Jewel. Music is by Mychael Danna and cinematography by Frederick Elmes."On the Western Frontier of Missouri, the American Civil War was fought not by armies, but by neighbours. Informal gangs of local Southern Bushwhackers fought a bloody and desperate Guerrilla war against the occupying Union Army and pro-Union Jayhawkers. Allegiance to either side was dangerous. But it was more dangerous still to find oneself caught in the middle"Made for $38 million and intended to be a sweeping epic for the summer blockbuster crowd, Ride with the Devil was a considerable financial flop. With a limited release both in America and abroad, the financial figures are hardly surprising. More so considering it was given next to no promotion by the distributors. Factor in a little controversy about the events featured in the story, some cuts made by the studio (Lee didn't have final cut) and a delay in home release formats because the distributor incredibly wanted Jeffrey Wright's presence removed from the cover art! Well you would be forgiven for thinking that the film has to be something of a stinker. Not so say I.Part rites of passage drama, part reflective war movie, Ang Lee's film is a grand film viewing experience. Dealing as it does with the often forgotten part of the war down on the Missouri/Kansas border, where Lee also shoots on location, film manages to be both savage and lyrical in equal measure. The savagery comes with the fights, bloody, frenetic and high on potency, while the lyricism comes with the human relationships, internal conflicts and the political awareness of the men (boys) fighting for their cause. All given deft treatment by Schamus, whose screenplay contains crisp period dialogue and a narrative correctly showing that this part of the war was not just driven by racist Dixie's hell bent on revenge, violent lust and political allegiance, but often for family, land and rights. Picture is at pains to let us know the youth of the main characters, ramming home the point of boys forced to become men, killing machines, very quickly. Case in point, the culmination of the violence in the film that comes by way of the Lawrence Massacre, a tragic and upsetting slaughter that saw 180 people murdered under the leadership of a vengeful William Quantrill (John Ales). Lee and Schamus aren't interested in showing heroism in this particular war, they show it as futile, nasty and it leaves the taste of bile in the throat.From here the film slows considerably, as the lead characters withdraw from the action of war, to awakenings and friendships forming. It's here where Lee is at his best. No great director of action, as evidenced by the previously mentioned Lawrence Massacre; which lacks the cutting edge to really grab us by the throat and never let go, but for human interest aspects and bucolic scenes with characters framed within, Lee owes film fans absolutely nothing. The latter of which he is aided considerably by Elmes' widescreen photography. Ulrich and pop star Jewel nicely handle their parts, he puts a confident swagger into Jack Bull Chiles, she is tender and unassuming in the pivotal female role of Sue Lee Shelley. Caviezel gives Black John Ambrose a brooding menace, while Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is on overdrive as sadistic loony Pitt Mackeson. But it's with Maguire and Wright that the acting plaudits go. Maguire has arguably never been better, he gives Jake Roedel an effective sensitivity as a virginal boy receives a violent initiation into manhood. Wright is sublime, said to be one of his favourite performances, Wright as freed slave Daniel Holt is the heart beat of the film. Conveying most of the good traits available to man, Holt fights not just out of loyalty to his friend George Clyde (Baker), but to gain ultimate catharsis in is life. It's a beautiful measured turn from Wright, and it deserves more appreciative attention. The last third of it may be too talky for some, and a couple of dangling narrative threads left unanswered stop it from being a masterpiece. But it's close to being just that, a savage, beautiful and lyrical movie. The stupid studio execs had no idea: Putz's. 9/10

Hollywood gets its fact mostly right in this entertaining civil war film,what a shock, but unsurprisingly it was a box office flop and is hardly ever shown what a pity it really is a good film. the characters are a bit goody goody but the use of the black character 'hope' is loosely based on an actual black tracker that rode with quantrell's raiders.i think this movie ranks alongside films such as 'gods and generals' and the fantastic 'gettysburg' as a great civil war film.Toby Maguire might seem an unlikely choice as 'jake'the main character but he seems to pull it off but as an Englishman i cant comment on the accuracy of the accents.