Film Review: Ride with the Devil (1999)

Violent dissolution of Yugoslavia brought plenty of misery of people at that part of the world while providing insight and inspiration for those fortunate to live elsewhere. Among the latter was Daniel Woodrell, American author who saw plenty of similarities of 1990s bloodshed in Balkans with what had been the darkest chapter of his country’s history – Civil War. Some of the darkest and least pleasant episodes from those times are subject to his novel Woe to Live On, which was in 1999 adapted into Ride with the Devil, film directed by Ang Lee.

The plot begins in Missouri in Spring 1861. It is a slave state, but it remained loyal to the Union mainly due to large number of German immigrants and their descendants. One of those is the protagonist Jake Roedel (played by Tobey Maguire), young man who, unlike most his fellow Germans, opts for Confederacy because of his lifelong friendship of Jack Bull Chiles (played by Skeet Ulrich), son of plantation owner killed by pro-Union “Jayhawker” militia. Jake and Jack join “Bushwachkers”, pro-Confederate irregulars who conduct guerilla campaign against Union forces and their sympathisers. One member of their band is Daniel Holt (played by Jeffrey Wright), former black slave of Chileses who was given freedom and now wants to express gratitude by serving as Jack’s bodyguard. After a year and half Missouri is devastated through brutal guerilla war in which both sides show little scruples and Jake and Jack often have to kill their former friends and neighbours. After escaping Union pursuit, their band finds shelter at farm where they meet beautiful widow Sue Ellen Shelley (played by Jewel) with whom Jack will start romanti relationship. The farm is attacked and Jack dies, so Jake escorts Sue Ellen to relative safety down south before joining large guerilla band that would raid pro-Union state of Kansas. Jake takes part in infamous attack on city of Lawrence, which would result in massacre of local inhabitants. Raiders are attacked by Union cavalry and both Jake and Holt get wounded. Jake recovers and later meets Sue Ellen who, in the meantime, bore his friend’s child. This makes him question his further participation in war.

Taiwanese film maker Ang Lee was somewhat unusual choice for directing this combination of western and war film, because his speciality at the time were romantic dramas. He nevertheless shows more than decent skill in depicting action scenes. Those scenes are relatively rare, but impressive, mainly due to being extremely bloody and violent. Lee is, however, more comfortable with scenes when characters, in long pauses between combat, discuss situation in which they have found themselves and find some sense in it. This, however, slightly prolongs this film. The cast is, like with most of Lee’s films, good, although Tobey Maguire is difficult to set apart from many other characters he had played at the time. Skeet Ulrich is, on the other hand, not particularly memorable as young Southern aristocrat, but this is compensate by Jeffrey Wright, one of the best character actors of his generation, playing very complex character of a black man fighting for his former master. Popular singer-songwriter Jewel is solid in one of her rare acting appearances and plays character of farm woman very convincingly. Ride with the Devil, however, shows some flaws in its second part in which pace becomes too slow, some of characters’ motivations aren’t properly explained, which all culminates in predictable Hollywood-like ending. Lee and his scriptwriter James Schamus, which made good job at the beginning showing dehumanising nature of war that turns people into bloodthirsty monsters at the end offer predictable old-fashioned romance as recipe for peace and solution of all world’s problems. Ride with the Devil was liked by critics, but turned into flop at the box office. Perhaps this was due to too much similarity with some unpleasant situations most people in 1990s didn’t like to be reminded of. People who watch Ride with the Devil now, if they can handle somewhat disturbing “deja vu”, might be rewarded with imperfect but well-made film.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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