
Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are friends in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Women and Blacks have few rights. Jack Bull's dad is killed by Union soldiers, so the young men join the Bushwhackers, irregulars loyal to the South. One is a Black man, Daniel Holt, beholden to the man who bought his freedom. They skirmish then spend long hours hiding. Sue Lee, a young widow, brings them food. She and Jack Bull become lovers, and when he's grievously wounded, Jake escorts her... (Full plot summary below)
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Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are friends in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Women and Blacks have few rights. Jack Bull's dad is killed by Union soldiers, so the young men join the Bushwhackers, irregulars loyal to the South. One is a Black man, Daniel Holt, beholden to the man who bought his freedom. They skirmish then spend long hours hiding. Sue Lee, a young widow, brings them food. She and Jack Bull become lovers, and when he's grievously wounded, Jake escorts her south to a safe farm. The Bushwhackers, led by men set on revenge, make a raid into Kansas. At nineteen, Jake is ill at ease with war. As his friends die one after another, he must decide where honor lies.
Leave your thoughts about Ride with the Devil.
| Sight and SoundPeter MatthewsWhile the movie intermittently revs up for some showy combat scenes, its real métier is a texture of fine-grained observation that brings history to life on the molecular level. |
| Matinee MagazineChuck RudolphAmbitions only get you so far, and then it's a matter of dynamics--dynamics of story, character, plot, which failed Lee in The Ice Storm and fail him again here. |
| Washington PostStephen HunterIn its quiet way, Ride With the Devil is terrific. |
| rec.arts.movies.reviewsDavid N. ButterworthFine performances -- including one from Jewel -- highlight this Ang Lee western. |
| Internet ReviewsSteve RhodesRide With the Devil moves with its own methodical rhythms. |
| culturevulture.netGary MairsAng Lee's Ride With the Devil is a film of monumental ambition. |
| San Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisNever has this war been filmed with such ragged glory. |
| Salon.comAndrew O'HehirAng Lee's dark and sober fable might be the most interesting and least dogmatic view of the Civil War to wend its way into the multiplexes. |
| ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFrom a technical perspective, Ride With the Devil is nearly perfect. |
| Globe and MailRick GroenThe intriguing (if not always successful) result is an oddly contemplative picture about a horribly bellicose time. |