Review of Ride with the Devil (1999) by Walt H — 06 Mar 2005

Another movie that gets the old reliable 8/10. I didn't have any expectations about Ride with the Devil. I knew it was about the Civil War in Kansas/Missouri, a particularly nasty and vengeance-filled episode, but thats about it.

The story is a little flat and ponderous at times, and I felt that the movie was longer than the story it had to tell. It is fortunately not a formula movie where the audience is spoonfed atrocities so they'll hate and lust for vengeance on the evildoers, but instead gets into the war on a personal level, just as it was personal for the common folk who fought it or tried to duck out of its way. The slow attrition of civilians and comrades-in-arms over the course of the war were framed as poignant or horrific moments very well. This was the 2nd or 3rd major role for Tobey Maguire and there is already a strength to him. Cinematography is excellent with some lush settings for backdrops.

The DVD is pretty barebones, and I noticed some blurring of the image in closeups. It wasn't awful but it reminded me of how some TV series look when transferred to DVD. Maybe my player didn't like the DVD. I could've tried it on another drive but what the hell. It gets a 6/10.