Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Ang Lee
Written by: James Schamus (novel by Daniel Woodrell)
Starring: Skeet Ulrich, Tobey Maguire, Jewel Kilcher, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Baker-Denny
Produced by: Robert F. Colesberry, Ted Hope, James Schamus

The Nutshell

Young men from Missouri join a gang of vigilantes who fight for the South in The Civil War.

The Review

    It is a rare film that can capture the heart and soul of a moment in time. Ride With The Devil does just that; telling the tale of two young men who get caught up in something larger than themselves (The Civil War), it offers its audience a fun but emotional look at how a war of such unheard of scope could corrupt the lives of everyone around it. The film focuses on Jack Bull Chiles (Ulrich) and his friend Jake Roedel (Maguire). The war has not even made it to their native Missouri, yet they can see its diseased touch in the attitudes of their neighbours. This quiet taking of sides leads them to join the Bushwhackers, a Southern vigilante group weeding out Northern sympathizers while living off the land. This is the basic plot, yet Ride With The Devil is about much, much more.

    Jack Bull and Jake fight for the South, though the film does not give them time to explain their reasons. They never come out in favour of slavery, but seem to see it as their duty to defend the land against an attacking army. Jake in particular goes through much consternation about the virtues and problems with slavery due to a slow-growing friendship with Daniel Holt, the former slave of his friend George Clyde. Holt presents him with an interesting dilemma; how can one fight for a cause that puts people of colour at a lower social level when Holt is obviously not a lesser person? Making matters worse is the baffling fact that Holt fights for the South, alongside his former master. Jake's angst is written on his face in an incredible performance by Tobey Maguire, an actor set for stardom. Jake's emotional turmoil is heightened when he meets Sue Lee Shelley, the daughter of a landowner giving the Bushwhackers shelter for the winter. Sue Lee, played by singer/songwriter Jewel, falls in love with Jack Bull, but winds up becoming an important part of Jake's life. The job of keeping Sue Lee safe further strains the soul of a young man already stretched in multiple directions.

    This is a beautiful film. Cinematographer Frederick Elmes captures the untapped wilderness that was America back then in gorgeous sunsets, lush forests, harsh winter snowfalls, and wide open valleys. Combined with the emotional score by Mychael Danna which at times rivals the music from Dances With Wolves, Ride With The Devil is wondrous and grand, letting us in on director Ang Lee's personal vision of what it must have been like back then. These winning aspects of the film complement the impressive acting of the ensemble. Maguire in particular is astonishing in the depth of emotion he finds as Jake. When some people who assist the Bushwhackers are gunned down, Jake's rallying cry of "Well, come on!" to get everyone to chase after the perpetrators is filled with so much desperation and adrenaline that you are blown away. Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright and Jewel each contribute winning performances as well, most impressive from Jewel as this is her first acting role ever.

    Writer James Schamus does such a good job in creating his characters that many of his scenes are not even needed, and could be trimmed, though this in no way harms the film. A menacing sub-plot involves Jake and a psychopathic Bushwhacker named Pitt. Pitt hates Jake for his German heritage, and considers him to be not much better than a black man. Their eventual climax is intelligent and subdued, worlds better than the big showdown that most Hollywood directors would have preferred. Ride With The Devil tells the story of the trials and tribulations of two young men, their friend and his former slave, yet on a larger scale, tells the story of a nation. While there were strong pro-Unionists and adamant Confederates, the majority of Americans from Kansas and Missouri did not have a strong opinion one way or the other. They were a people not quite ready to make the leap out of "the way things have always been", fighting for one side or the other for a plethora of personal reasons.

    This is a film that takes time to sink in, and is not for everyone. It is long, quite often slow, and its protagonists offer almost no reasons for their actions, but in their conversations are hidden the answers we seek as audience members. We have to simply listen harder than we are used to, dulled as we are by the more mainstream, easily-accessible Hollywood fare out there. Ang Lee continues his run of great films (Sense & Sensibility, The Ice Storm, Eat Drink Man Woman) with this lush, beautiful stirring film about the bonds of friendship and the power of loyalty.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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