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 Upcoming actors Skeet Ulrich (The Craft) and Tobey Maguire (Pleasantville) give strong performances as teenage boys forced to become men overnight in the face of war. In addition, this period film features Jewel in her first major motion picture performanace. When I first heard that she was going to be in this movie, I was a bit skeptical not knowing whether she could act or not. Well, she certainly shines in this movie. Jewel portrays a young widow who is caught up in the madness of the War Between The States. Not only does she look "period" but she pulls off a convincing performance of a young woman in 1860's society. A difficult part for any young actress to portray. And this is her first movie! The DVD also includes a haunting music video with Jewel singing the song from the movie's closing credits. She is so beautiful. Although not historically accurate in every aspect, this movie is still interesting to watch in that the speech, wardrobe, social customs and mannerisms of the 1860's were carefully researched.
And even though the scenes in and around Lawrence are gross exaggerations and pure hollywood fiction (especially the engagement after the guerillas left Lawrence which did not occur as well as the portrayal of wagon loads of loot being removed), I enjoyed the movie in the theater and look forward to enjoying it at home.
The DVD version of this epic piece of filmmaking by Taiwan-born director Ang Lee focuses on a little-known aspect of the Civil War: the bloody and relentless border skirmishes along the Kansas and Missouri border that began in the 1850s and continued into the 1870s for almost a decade before and a decade after the five-year Civil War ended in 1865. The fighting in these border skirmishes was more like a continuous everyday version of the the modern conflicts in Ireland and the Middle East and even in some US streets ruled by urban gangs. The movie's main characters are unusual choices to depict this bloody, hatred-fueled "battle to the knife, and knife to the hilt" conflict: They are teenaged boys, southern-sympathizing "Bushwhackers." They took turns with pro-Union, Kansas-based "Jayhawkers" to stage retaliatory raids. Such a conflict was no place for middle ground, and yet that is just where lead character Tobey Maguire finds himself, as the son of a German immigrant. Such immigrants were distrusted because many of them favored an almost fascist-strong central government. Maguire's character, Jake "Dutchy" Roedel, is barely tolerated because he is the best friend ("near-brother") of loyal good old boy and former rich old boy, Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Ulrich). The two grew up together, so when Jack Bull's father is killed by Jayhawkers, Jake ignores his own father and joins with Jack Bull. Jake's father's words warning him that he would never be accepted among the Bushwhackers often comes to haunt him as he is singled out for suspicion, especially by a viscious fellow Bushwhacker, Pitt Mackeson, chillingly portrayed by Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers. His gorgeous smile appears in this movie only when Pitt Mackeson is shooting someone. In the movie's best performance, Jeffrey Wright portrays another outsider in the Bushwhacker camp: a freed slave who remains loyal to fight alongside the man who freed him. As the war goes on, this quiet fighter begins to realize that even loyalty has its limits in the face of overwhelming wrongdoing. In the DVD version of the story, you get to see more wide-shots of the Bushwhackers in camp and feel the boredom and lonliness that must have been part of camp life. In one scene, the men are transfixed by the reading of a Wisconsin mother's captured letter to her sons. The spectacular chase scenes, with their unusual perspectives and sense of urgency, are heart-thumping action. Viewers may gain an appreciation for how the landscape of the early 1860s so vastly differed from anything we recognize today, and how it was possible for hundreds of armed soldiers on horses to travel 45 miles across enemy territory to execute one of the most brutal terrorist acts of the 19th century: The slaughter by Bushwhackers of 150 old men and young boys on an August morning in Lawrence, Kansas. The movie has its flaws. Still, if you enjoy Jewel's singing, you will love the video extra of her singing her song, "Simple is True," based on a brief love affair. The worst thing about this DVD is the total lack of any other bonus material of any note. Some production notes provide interesting insights into how the raid on Lawrence and other scenes were staged, and some of the filming difficulties, but again...no real interviews. Still, if you want to see some rousing story-telling about a pivotal time in American history, this DVD is well worth it.
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This film was a fairly decent account of the first years of the war on the western border of Missouri....it gave the perspective of Germans siding on the side of the Confederacy (many Germans in fact did side with the south, contrary to popular belief but that's another topic)....focused entirely on guerilla warfare (as it was intended to do) the movie still left the uninformed to continue thinking this was the only warfare in MO....the movie portrays Missourians as Southern which was a relief as 140 years of Reconstruction have lead many to think otherwise. Though there were several historical inaccuracies and portrayals (many out of the necessity of making an interesting movie), as a fanatic for historical accuracy, this will be as close as it will get in today's politically correct society. The one aspect that did rub me raw though was the fact that, whether intentionally or unintentionally I don't know, the movie seemed to indicate that Jake Roedel was the only partisan ranger who could read and write....nothing good be farther from the truth - they were in general a very educated group which included preachers and school teachers (Quantrill was a school teacher).
Ride With the Devil may not have found its audience in theaters, but it's a great movie, and it was meant to be seen on DVD format!
