Ride with the Devil (1999/I)

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Woodrell (novel)
James Schamus (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 November 1999 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War | Western

Plot:

Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are friends in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Women and Blacks have few rights...

Plot Keywords:

Widow | Farm | Civil War | Missouri | Union

Awards:

1 win

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Jan. 5

12:30 PM

AMC

Cast

Tobey Maguire	...	Jake Roedel
Jeremy W. Auman	...	Guard
Scott Sener	...	Guard (as Scott C. Sener)
Skeet Ulrich	...	Jack Bull Chiles
Glenn Q. Pierce	...	Minister
Kathleen Warfel	...	Mrs. Chiles
David Darlow	...	Asa Chiles
Zan McLeod	...	Wedding Musician - Guitar
John Whelan	...	Wedding Musician - Accordion
Roger Landes	...	Wedding Musician - Mandolin
Jeffrey Dover	...	Wedding Musician - Drums
Tyler Johnson	...	Wedding Musician - Drums
Kelly Werts	...	Wedding Musician - Fiddle
Michael W. Nash	...	Horton Lee, Sr.
John Judd	...	Otto Roedel

Also Known As:

Civil War (USA) (working title)
To Live On (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic war violence.

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Germany:12 (f) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Norway:15 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Doniphan, Kansas, USA

Company:

Good Machine

Trivia:

The looting and burning of Lawrence, Kansas actually occurred on 21 August 1863.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the very last scene, as Holt is riding away you can see three flashes of light in the sky - landing lights from planes circling a nearby airport.

Quotes:

Jake: I say what is the good side to this amputation and there is one.
Jack Bull Chiles: Name it, Jake.
Jake: Well, you say one day some Federals catch up to me in a thicket. They would riddle me and hang me and no Southern man would find me for weeks or months and when they did I'd be bad meat pretty well rotted to a glob.
Jack Bull Chiles: That's scientifically accurate, I'm afraid. I've seen it.
Jake: I'd be a mysterious gob of rot. And people would say, "Who was that?" Then surely someone would look up and say, "Why it's nubbin fingered Jake Roedel." Then you could go and tell my father that I was clearly murdered and he wouldn't be tortured by uncertain wonders.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Probably only a non-American could make this movie

I've watched this movie twice now on DVD, and both times it didn't fail to impress me with its unique impartial attitude. It seems more like a depiction of reality than most other Hollywood fare, especially on a topic that is still hotly discussed. Even though it sticks closely with the southern viewpoint, it doesn't fail to question it, and in the end the only sentence passed is that the war is lost, not matter what, and cruelty is a common denominator.

What really makes this movie outstanding is the refusal to over-dramatize. Nowadays truly good movies (in a nutshell) are few and far apart, with mainstream fare being enjoyable (if you don't have high expectations), but terribly commercially spirited. I think this movie comes off as a truly good movie (without being a masterpiece), because it sticks to itself, and gives the viewer a chance to watch and analyze it, instead of wanting to bombard him with effect and emotion to blot out his intelligence. This movie is cool, observant, and generally light-handed in its judgement, which is GOOD.

The story has its flaws, especially Jewel's Character comes off doubtfully, but then again the situation at the time was so chaotic, that for a young widow it might have been only logical to somehow get back into a normal life, even by liberally taking each next guy. Still she doesn't come off as weak, in fact I think she's one of the stronger characters, she's always in control of the relationships, with the men just tagging. And I take it very gratefully that she's not a weeping widow. I believe in the 19th century death of a loved one was something a lot more normal than now. You could die so easily of even minor illnesses and injuries, so the prospect of of someone dying, while surely causing grief, didn't traumatise people like it does now. People didn't seem to build shrines about their lost ones like they do now, and I like that attitude.

My recommendation is for intelligent people to watch this movie, if they are in the mood for something different than the usual hollywood fare. Don't watch if if you want non-stop action or heart-renting emotion.