tieman64
"People know what they do; frequently they know why they do what they do; but what they don't know is what what they do does." ― Michel Foucault (Madness and Civilization) Offering an interesting perspective on the American Civil War, Ang Lee's "Ride with the Devil" stars Tobey Maguire as Jack Roedel, a young man who joins a Southern militia and subsequently launches a series of guerrilla attacks upon Northern soldiers and sympathisers.Lee's films often feature characters who rebel against assigned roles or who struggle to break free of social constrictions. In "Devil", Roedel's a soft-spoken, timid kid who seems to want no part in the erupting Civil War. Indeed, it is only in response to the violence committed by Unionists, and the peer-pressure exerted by fellow Southerners, that Roedel takes up a sixshooter and starts killing Bluecoats. Like the hero of Lee's "Hulk", Roedel essentially morphs from a man to a beast, a six-shooter equipped Bushwacker who kills without batting an eyelid. What's odd about "Devil", though, is the subtly at which these changes occur. As the film progresses, Roedel shifts from a genteel kid to a killer and then back to a genteel family man. Similarly, a character called Daniel Holt (Jeffrey Wright) shifts from an outright slave to a man bound to an unspoken life-bond and finally to a free African American. Throughout the first half of "Devil", Holt is virtually invisible. And when he is addressed, it is often indirectly or in the form of a racial slur. Gradually, however, Lee brings Holt to the forefront of his picture. Holt questions why he is fighting for segregationists, racists and observes first hand the hypocrisies of the Confederate cause. The film then ends with Holt and Roedel addressing one another by their full personal names. In affirming their identities, both are asserting a freedom or sense of "self" not bound by place, time or ideology. But Lee knows this is but a feeble affirmation; his film ultimately asserts that identity is always subservient to history. One seldom owns "who" he "is"."Devil" is bookended by a pair of weddings. During the first, Roedel likens marriage to slavery, and chastises any man who'd wed a woman. Through a bizarre sequence of events, however, Roedel finds himself forced to marry the pregnant lover of a close friend. Ironically, it is this "enslaving wedding" which emancipates Roedel from the war. As husband and father he's thrust into a new role, a role which carries with it a clear set of pre-packaged actions; flee the conflict and protect his new family. In countless similar scenes, the sheer arbitrariness of history, identity and so belief and behaviour, is highlighted. Take sequences, for example, in which Roedel's rejection of the "beliefs" of his German American father have little to do with Roedel's understanding of Unionist causes, and more to do with an unspoken loyalty to his neighbours. These neighbours' hatred of Roedel – he's seen to be a "traitorous immigrant" - is likewise capricious; Roedel fights for the South, IS a Southerner, but they nevertheless hate him because of the "identity" of Roedel's German father. Unsurprisingly for a film preoccupied with how roles and rituals are unconsciously play-acted, "Ride with the Devil" systematically undercuts and subverts the expectations typically brought to films set in the American Civil War. Such films typically revel in the splendour of antebellum Southern life, unironically celebrating and sentimentalising the luxury and civility made possible by the horrors of chattel slavery. But Lee, though he also ignores any overt depictions of slavery, never romanticises either the North or South. Both "sides" are brutal, horrible, but both are also humanised and shown to be swept up in movements they don't quite understand. In several scenes, for example, we watch as Confederate militiamen go to lengths to exhibit proper etiquette (directed at both blacks and women), and yet in others we witness bloody raids, like one sequence in which Confederates massacre 180 civilians in Lawrence, Kansas. Such juxtapositions make it spookily clear how easy it is for social animals to "ride with devils". Everyone's swept up in something, and humans are rarely strong enough or smart enough to break chains of complicity.For all its attempts at "revisionism", though, "Ride with the Devil" is still quite tame. Lee's Civil War ultimately boils down to "good Unionists" and "evil, racist, Confederates". That both sides were acting with profit, greed and the interests of land owners – which "happened" to coincide with the abolition of slavery - is ignored. For all his revisionism, Lee ultimately offers an idealistic portrait of the times. The great film about the American Civil War is still yet to be made.8/10 – Excellent, and one of the better "westerns" (though set in "eastern" Mississippi) of the 1990s. See "Shenandoah", Pontecorvo's "Burn", "Hombre" and "The Beguiled". Worth two viewings.
Wuchak
Released in 1999 "Ride with the Devil" is a Civil War tale focusing on Southern guerrilla fighters known as Bushwhackers, mostly young men who stage daring raids on Union forces and communities along the Missouri/Kansas border. The story includes Quantrill's infamous 1963 raid on Lawrence, Kansas, which he burned & pillaged and murdered over 150 unarmed men, women and children.The story shines the spotlight on the son of a German immigrant (Tobey Maguire aka Spider-man), a beautiful woman (Jewel) and an ex-slave (Jeffrey Wright), all of whom take up the Southern cause. I enjoyed how Tobey and Wright slowly develop a close friendship, as well as Wright's growing sense of freedom as the story progresses. Jewel makes an impressive acting debut and should do more films, she's a natural.One reviewer erroneously stated that the film ran 3 hours so I was surprised when the credits started rolling at the 2 hour and 13 minute mark. In fact, I was disappointed because I wanted the story to continue; this is a sign of a good film. The story takes its time and gradually pulls you in.Before viewing "Ride with the Devil" I caught the new Indiana Jones flick "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." The contrast couldn't be more different -- "Crystal Skull" is essentially a 2-hour Road Runner cartoon, whereas "Ride" is a totally realistic drama/Western. Although I enjoyed "Crystal Skull" for what it is, it can't be taken serious for even a second, not to mention they overdid it with the over-the-top action and fake cgi location enhancements & props (cliffs, waterfalls, jungles, monkeys, etc.). "Ride with the Devil" is the perfect antidote to such loony-toon drivel. It's totally realistic and takes its time so you get to know the characters and FEEL their experiences. For instance, what's it like spending the entire Winter in a dugout hut in the woods with three other guys and the only highlight is some cute blond stopping by to drop off food? What's it like when you have no other recourse but to saw a buddy's arm off? What's it like when a blood-thirsty "comrade" tries to kill you during battle? What do you do when you run into him two years later and you're not sure what his intentions are? The film was shot in Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas where the conflicts actually took place. Authentic locations are vital to this viewer. After all, how are we to accept the film's visualization of history if it wasn't shot where the actual events occurred? I encourage you to view the film with the subtitles on as the language is sometimes hard to understand due to accents and archaic phrasing; this will help you follow what's going on and who's who.FINAL ANALYSIS: "Ride with the Devil" is reminiscent in quality & style of films like "Cold Mountain," "Pharoah's Army" and "The Long Riders." If you appreciate those films you'll enjoy "Ride." It's leagues better than the generally aloof and soporific "Gettysburg." It's a class 'A' picture which brings to life Quantrill's raid on Lawrence, Kansas, including what leads up to it and what follows -- how can you go wrong?The DVD includes Jewel's music video for the song "What's Simple is True." GRADE: A
