Watch Ride with the Devil For Free

Best movie of this year hands down!

best movie i've ever seen.

Absolutely the worst movie.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This atmospheric Civil War saga about ferocious guerrilla warfare in the border states of Kansas and Missouri qualifies as another memorable epic from eclectic Asian director Ang Lee. Lee has helmed a variety of films in different settings and eras, among them "Sense and Sensibility," "Brokeback Mountain," "Hulk," "The Ice Storm," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and "Life of Pi." This complex, multi-gray shaded tale boasts a number of robush performances from a stellar cast featuring Tobey Maguire, Jim Caviezel, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Simon Baker, Jeffrey Wright, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson, Skeet Ulrich, and Jewel Kilcher. Jake 'Dutchy' Roedel (Tobey Maguire of "Spider-Man") and Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Ulrich of "Scream") are Missouri natives who ride with the First Missouri Irregulars, notoriously known as the pro-Confederate Bushwhackers. Leading this disheveled, unkempt bunch is sinister Black John (Jim Caviezel of "Person of Interest") and murderous Pitt Mackeson (Jonathan Rhys Meyers of "The Tudors") who hate the Unionists with a fervor. Riding alongside them too are George Clyde (Simon Baker of "Smith") and his African-American sidekick Daniel Holt (Jeffrey Wright of "Casino Royale"), and these combatants live off the land. The remote action transpires in anonymous woods, hills, valleys, and densely thatched woods. "Eat Drink Man Woman" scenarist James Schamus has adapted Daniel Woodrell's 1987 novel ''Woe to Live On." Lee and he go to extraordinary lengths to capture the dialects and eccentric linguistic manner of speech like a period western rather than an anachronistic Hollywood shoot'em up with popular dialogue. "Ride with the Devil" isn't just another Civil War tale. Lee and lenser Frederick Elmes make it look like the wood cut photography from the era. Myers makes a terrific villain, and our hero and he have a dramatic showdown at the end. Lee's gunfights are well staged but never obscenely bloody. The Lawrence raid is especially brutal but realistic unlike the one sanitary version in "Quantrill's Raiders." After the raiders have evacuated the town, a youngster finds a drunken raider passed out in a store. He takes his revolver and before the raider can brandish his own gun, the youngster shoots him. This is the kind of movie where realism is stressed, particularly in the scene when Jake has to amputate Jack Bull's arm in their hovel in the middle of the woods. The costuming is as authentic looking as it can be. Genuine Civil War buffs will enjoy this outstanding opus. "Ride with the Devil" ranks as the best border war adventure on film.

I saw parts of this on cable and thought, what are these young whippersnappers doing making a Civil War movie? Then I caught a few poignant scenes. This movie may be one of the most accurate movies in terms of dialog ever. If you have ever read 1700's-1900 books, you know, this is how they spoke. Stilted, wordy, over done, florid, yet with a touch of a Southern drawl to it. Some of the letters that are read you are sure they are real. Most important, what they say makes sense and the unusual way they phrase things is humorous and very entertaining, yet realistic. Not an easy thing to do. The young actors are brilliant. Tobey Maguire shows he is so much more than Spidey and Jewel is so natural you can't imagine she is acting. The whole cast is perfect.This movie has a few scenes in it that are all time greats. Not an easy thing to do as movies are now into their 100th year of being made. In fact, almost every scene is quotable. The authenticity of the dialog is matched by the battle scenes. It is guerrilla warfare, small scale and intensely close quartered. This movie doesn't miss on any level. The dialog scenes between the main characters is unforgettable and some of the best ever made in Hollywood's history. To mention one scene or another would be to disparage the other three dozen of them. If you want to see a lesser known movie, for no fault of it's own, that is perfect, see this movie. Great acting, action, dialog, and Ang Lee is one of the modern greats. He proves it with this jewel, total pun intended.

The title "Ride With The Devil" sounds like it would be a pretty scary movie eh? The only scary part was how brutally violent the flick was. The movie is able to find the right mix of action and emotion. Having said that, it is hard to classify what genre this is. Western? Drama? Action? Just as a scene is build-up with action, it switches to being dramatic. You may also feel a bit cheated at the end. The key words are "a bit." The constant changes are done so well with such good acting and such a good script, you really don't care. Hence the key words "a bit."During the Civil War, two lifelong friends (Maguire, Ulrich) bear witness to their family being killed by Union soldiers. They join a group of rebels known as the Bushwackers that fight then hide. A beautiful young woman (Jewel) comes to their aide and becomes lovers with Ulrich. When Ulrich dies, Maguire takes her to a home and has second thoughts about fighting for his life.Maguire leads a star-studded cast that sparks interest. The action makes the movie fun. The deep character development and dialogue make the movie unforgettable.

Ride With the Devil is an intelligent film that follows more the way a great novel would, rather than a shoot'em'up blockbuster. That means total attention to detail, realistic dialogue and characterisation that makes one understand these people who are on the run for their lives.We've all known that Ang Lee could direct, for most that would start with his 'Sense & Sensibility', which shocked an awful lot of people, for a Taiwanese to turn in such a great film, his first film In English and about that elitist of film genres - the English period drama. For some of us others, who've tried to check out his earlier stuff, there's his excellent 'The Wedding Banquet'. I've yet to find a region 2 copy of his 'Eat Drink, Man Woman', though, unfortunately.After 'Ride With...' many many more found his favour with 'The Ice Storm' and then legions more with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.Anyways, 'Ride With the Devil' will always find more favour with the Sunday evening older population than the popcorn brigade as the film goes at its own pace, not ours. It's not hard to keep up with the measured pace but does require some concentration. For those that do can be rewarded with a textured story of depth, that is also beautifully filmed and well acted. There are no special effects, CGI or tricks of any kind. A rousing score by Mychael Danna adds musical dynamism.Old fashioned?, well, yes, but this is history and that in the hands of Ang Lee does not mean boring. An underrated film.