Ride with the Devil (I) (1999)

Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are friends in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Women and Blacks have few rights. Jack Bull's dad is killed by Union soldiers, so the young men join the ... See full summary »

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

Daniel Woodrell (novel), James Schamus (screenplay)

Stars:

Tobey Maguire, Jeremy W. Auman, Skeet Ulrich

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tobey Maguire	...	Jake Roedel
Jeremy W. Auman	...	Guard
Scott Sener	...	Guard (as Scott C. Sener)
Skeet Ulrich	...	Jack Bull Chiles
Glenn Q. Pierce	...	Minister
Kathleen Warfel	...	Mrs. Chiles
David Darlow	...	Asa Chiles
Zan McLeod	...	Wedding Musician - Guitar
John Whelan	...	Wedding Musician - Accordion
Roger Landes	...	Wedding Musician - Mandolin
Jeffrey Dover	...	Wedding Musician - Drums
Tyler Johnson	...	Wedding Musician - Drums
Kelly Werts	...	Wedding Musician - Fiddle
Michael W. Nash	...	Horton Lee, Sr.
John Judd	...	Otto Roedel

Storyline

Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are friends in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Women and Blacks have few rights. Jack Bull's dad is killed by Union soldiers, so the young men join the Bushwhackers, irregulars loyal to the South. One is a Black man, Daniel Holt, beholden to the man who bought his freedom. They skirmish then spend long hours hiding. Sue Lee, a young widow, brings them food. She and Jack Bull become lovers, and when he's grievously wounded, Jake escorts her south to a safe farm. The Bushwhackers, led by men set on revenge, make a raid into Kansas. At 19, Jake is ill at ease with war. As his friends die one after another, he must decide where honor lies.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | bushwhacker | farm | union | civil war | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic war violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 November 1999 (UK)

Also Known As:

Civil War

Filming Locations:

Doniphan, Kansas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$64,159 (USA) (26 November 1999)

Gross:

SGD 9,103 (Singapore) (4 August 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Good Machine, Hollywood International Multimedia Group Inc., Maplewood Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 148 min (director's cut)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The looting and burning of Lawrence, Kansas actually occurred on 21 August 1863.

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Goofs

The revolver aimed by Jake Rudel does not display blank safety wads. It is a well-known fact that black powder filled chambers finished off with the tamped-down ball only, were not safe from cross firing of the adjacent chamber. So it was always minimized by finishing off the chamber with lard or other material that would isolate it thereby minimizing the danger of inadvertent adjacent chamber discharge.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: On the western frontier of Missouri, the American Civil War was fought not by armies, but by neighbors. Informal gangs of local southern Bushwhackers fought a bloody and desperate guerrilla war against the occupying Union Army and pro-Union Jayhawkers.
Title Card: Allegiance to either side was dangerous. But it was more dangerous still to find oneself caught in the middle.

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

User Reviews

wow...shockingly good

In anticipation of Ang Lee's new movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," I saw this at blockbuster and figured I'd give it a try. A civil war movie is not the typical movie I watch. Luckily though, I had a good feeling about this director. This movie was wonderfully written. The dialogue is in the old southern style, yet doesn't sound cornily out of place and outdated. The spectacular acting helped that aspect of the movie. Toby Maguire was awesome. I thought he was good (but nothing special) in Pleasantville, but here he shines. I have always thought of Skeet Ulrich as a good actor (but nothing special), but here he is excellent as well. The big shocker for me was Jewel. She was amazingly good. Jeffrey Wright, who I had never heard of before, is also excellent in this movie. It seems to me that great acting and great writing and directing go hand in hand. A movie with bad writing makes the actors look bad and visa versa. This movie had the perfect combination. The actors look brilliant and the character development is spectacular. This movie keeps you wishing and hoping good things for some and bad things for others. It lets you really get to know the characters, which are all very dynamic and interesting. The plot is complex, and keeps you on the edge of your seat, guessing, and ready for anything at any time. Literally dozens of times I was sure someone was going to get killed on silent parts in the movie that were "too quiet" (brilliant directing). This was also a beautifully shot movie. The scenery was not breath taking (It's in Missouri and Kansas for goodness sakez) but there was clearly much attention put into picking great nature settings. Has that rough and rugged feel, but keeps an elegance, which is very pleasant on the eyes. The movie was deep. It told a story and in doing so made you think. It had layers underneath that exterior civil war story. Specifically, it focused on two characters that were not quite sure what they were fighting for. There were many more deep issues dealt with in this movie, too many to pick out. It was like a beautifully written short story, filled with symbolism and artistic extras that leaves you thinking during and after the story is done. If you like great acting, writing, lots of action, and some of the best directing ever, see this movie! Take a chance on it.