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Rating:  - Near Masterpiece
This movie directed by Ang Lee is powerful and historic. I like almost everything about it except the guerilla who so irrationally hates the lead character apparently for no better reason than xenophobia. Our lead character is "Dutch" i.e. German, and this " bad guy" hates him for it. It's overdone and not even well-acted.
Otherwise the film is terrific drama and carefully researched history. These are no hardbitten, tough Confederate Bushwhackers. They're just a bunch of boys with southern sympathies. There's even a sense of fun in their depredations against the hated Yankees but it is, at times, desperately unfunny fun. The Yankees burn out farmsteads, murder civilians and execute rebels. The boys fight for revenge.
They invade Kansas with Bill Quantrell. In an effort of kill Jim Lane, leader of the rebel-murdering Red Legs, they attack the town of Lawrence which is his "capital." Our boys kill almost every man in town. This is the famous "Rape of Lawrence", a misnomer because not a single woman was touched...physically. Boys who haven't achieved full size; boys whose revolvers almost drag the ground, happily participate in the massacre.
The rebels--including a Yankee-killing black man fighting alongside his friend--retreat to Missouri. There is a scene in which our boys have gone to winter quarters, a cave dug into the ground--that is especially memorable. The white boys and the black fighter are there together when they are visited by a lovely young white woman who is providing them with food. The girl is brilliant. I can't catch it in writing. She glaces at the black man, "WHAT is He doing here?" She's perfect. Her words and actions are those of bygone attitudes and a bygone era.
"He's my friend...," his white friend says, "...and he stays." Later we learn that the white and black boy have been friends since childhood and the white boy, as soon as he could raise the money, purchased his friend's freedom. Later the white friend is killed in battle and, from the lips of his black friend, we learn something truly insightful--something about the power and grief that comes along with obligation and friendship. "Being that man's friend was harder than being his slave." Potent. It's not a statement about slavery but about smothering obligation.
Anyway, if you can look through its imperfections, this is a great movie. You might even learn something from it.
Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Conquest of Mexico
Rating: - Ride With the Devil Won Me Over
This movie of one of the darkest periods in our history is very moving and shows the personal tribulation that the average person endured. I have watched over and again. I highly recommend!
Rating: - A Future Classic
This is an extraordinarily good historical film, one in which the characters truly speak as did the people living during the era depicted, one in which the scenery and setting, clothing, weapons, hairstyles, equipment and minutia of everyday life were close to perfect. At times violent, though I'm certain less violent than were the actual sights of the war itself, Ride with the Devil surprised me with its depth and its understanding of the subject matter. There isn't a single scene in this long production which does not hold the attention, and the performances are excellent. I believe this film will one day be a classic. It's worth owning, watching, and re-watching.
Rating:  - All I have to say
Really surprised to see Toby Mequire (Spider Man) in this: But I'm sure he's more than all tired of that scene by now. Good to see him in a total breakawy role and mode!
I saw a portion of this movie on the Bravo Channel and I was quite impressed at the battle and fighting scenes. Good performances by all except I still even to this day could never figure out why we would be fighting ourselves over our own lands and towns and I still don't understand Civil War/s - if you're fighting in the so called land that you love then why can't you all get along? we still dislike and hate the very people that we're supposed to be getting along with. I was always with the 'Southern Rebels' mindset anyway because they were and are the underdogs and I thought that speech about the schools etc. in the movie about the Yankees trying to make everyone think and act the same way as they did was very 'right on' and why I always agreed with the Southern Way of living the way you feel that you want too instead of trying to be forced to live the way others want you too (because that line of thinking smacks of a form of Communism).
But we ought to invalidate the elections because none of the current
crop of candidates are worthy of the roles or jobs.
Rating: - Ride with the Devil
Loved this movie for its great dialog and friendship between the men.A very sad time in our history made human.
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