The man who always says a bit too much, Segue Zagnut filed the following report on Ang Lee's RIDE WITH THE DEVIL.... Most all of the reviews on this film have been very positive... enthusiastic.... but falling short of calling it a great film... though we have had a pair of those. Seems like ol Ang is a genre-hopper... and personally... I'm all about his Kung Fu film that he has in the works... till then though... Here's Segue Zagnut with RIDE WITH THE DEVIL.....
Head Geek,
This is Segue Zagnut. Recently I ventured from my spot in the corner to the spotlight of a movie projector. I saw RIDE WITH THE DEVIL, Ang Lee's new film with Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, and Jewel. Simply put, this is a character drama set with in the civil war. It is a solid film with strong performances all around and not with out several surprises.
First of all, guess what, Jewel can act. She's great. Her character is subtle and straight forward. There is an earthy quality to her that grounds the film. She is the safe house in attitude. The calm center is demeanor. There is a pleasant charisma to her that makes her undeniably appealing.
Tobey Maguire is less of a surprise because of his outstanding performance in PLEASANTVILLE, but still he caught me off guard. Partially because he is almost unrecognizable with long hair and a beard. Tobey doesn't appear as yet to have the gambit of range, but with the right parts that is not necessary. I don't need to see him play a brand new character if he can keep the angles on the old one fresh and he does that here. Most importantly, he can hold the film on his own. I would not have guessed him as an honest leading man in a serious war drama. He passive aggressive self conflicted style is exactly what this film needed to portray the South in a politically conscious way, but without the preachy bullshit. With such a young cast, I was afraid that a YOUNG GUNS feel would be unavoidable. Between the directing and the performances, that fear was unfounded. Skeet Ulrich is quite good and surprisingly underplayed, also looking almost unrecognizable.
But the nicest surprise is Jeffrey Wright. I recently saw Jeffrey Wright in Stalone's new film DETOX (or is it THE OUTPOST) and now I know he was miserably underused. This film works best at it's core. Wright taps into the core and glows. This film is not about statements or politics, it is about people. It is about respect and understanding for personal beliefs. Nothing in this movie really defends the South even though Wright plays a black man fighting against the North. It is a hard job to make his decisions understandable and heartbreaking. Wright nails it. The inevitable decision of self discovery that brings Wright's character arch to a close is outstanding. Jeffrey Wright must be nominated for his supporting role, I can't image five better performance will come out this year.
I like Ang Lee's SENSE AND SENSIBILITY quite a bit, but it was more Hollywood then real. That makes this film's attention to authentic detail surprising. Too often period pieces that spend the time to get it right flaunt it to the detriment of the film. Lee chose not to emphasize the detail which is an important touch.
The most memorable scene is near the beginning of the film where a shoot out takes place in and surrounding a farm house. This scene is extremely gripping, crossing the realer-then-life qualities of gun fire that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and THREE KINGS had. The tension is high and it brings the viewer in close. In fact that is what works best with the directing, when Lee brings it down. Unfortunately, the grand scenes fall flat. The rest of the war scenes don't measure up and the tragic catastrophe of the Lawrence Massacre is boring and unengaging. Occasionally the film drags and ultimately took too long to close, which is why a film with so many great performances is only very good and not excellent. Fit this film into your fall schedule, it is well worth the time and money. I've said too much.
Consider This.. Segue Zagnut
