Ride with the Devil (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ride with the Devil |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Ang Lee |
| Produced by | Ted Hope Robert F. Colesberry James Schamus |
| Screenplay by | James Schamus |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Mychael Danna |
| Cinematography | Frederick Elmes |
| Editing by | Tim Squyres |
| Studio | Good Machine |
| Distributed by | USA Films |
| Release date(s) | September 9, 1999 (Deauville Film Festival) November 26, 1999 (U.S.) |
| Running time | 138 minutes (theatrical), 148 minutes (Director's Cut) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $38 million |
| Money made | $635,096 |
Ride with the Devil is a 1999 American Western movie directed by Ang Lee. It stars Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, and Jewel. This was Jewel's first big movie role. The film is based on the book Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell.
The story takes place during the American Civil War. It follows a group of young men who join a group called the First Missouri Irregulars. These fighters were also known as the Bushwhackers. They were like guerrilla fighters who supported the Southern states (Confederacy). They fought against Northern groups called Jayhawkers, who were on the side of the Union army.
The movie was made by Universal Studios and Good Machine. Filming started in March 1998. When it was released in theaters in November 1999, it only showed in a few places. The movie did not make much money compared to how much it cost to make.
Ride with the Devil explores important ideas like politics, violence, and war. In 2010, a special version of the movie was released for home viewing. This version was longer and had better picture quality.
Contents
Story of the Film
The movie begins in Missouri when the Civil War starts. Jake Roedel and Jack Bull Chiles are good friends. Jake's father is a German immigrant, and some Southerners don't trust him because many Germans in Missouri supported the Union. Jack is the son of a rich farmer.
One night, Jake sees Jack's father killed by a group of Jayhawkers. Jack escapes, and he and Jake decide to join the First Missouri Irregulars. This group is led by "Black" John Ambrose and supports the Southern states. Other fighters in the group include George Clyde and Daniel Holt. Most people think Holt is Clyde's slave, but Jake learns that Clyde actually bought Holt's freedom. Holt had helped Clyde after Union soldiers killed Clyde's family. Holt, however, was separated from his mother, who was sold to someone in Texas.
The Irregulars use guerrilla tactics, which means they use surprise attacks, against the Jayhawkers. People in Missouri who supported the South helped them. As winter gets close, Ambrose sends Jake, Jack, Holt, and Clyde to stay at the Evans family's farm. A young widow there, Sue Lee Shelley, and Jack start to like each other. While Jack is with Sue Lee and Clyde is visiting a friend, Jake and Holt become close friends.
Later, Jack gets badly hurt when the group fights the Jayhawkers who killed the Evans family's father. Union soldiers are nearby, and Clyde gets scared and leaves the group to go back to the Irregulars. Jake, Holt, and Sue Lee try to help Jack, but he dies from his injury. After burying Jack, Jake and Holt take Sue Lee to the Brown family's home. They leave her there and go to find Clyde. They also learn that many of their old friends have been caught by the Union army.
The Irregulars then join forces with another group of fighters led by a Confederate officer named William Quantrill. Quantrill plans to attack Lawrence, Kansas. The Southern fighters easily defeat the small number of Union soldiers in Lawrence. They burn and rob stores and homes, and kill people who supported the Union and black freedmen. Jake and Holt are disgusted by this.
As the fighters escape, Union troops chase them. Quantrill and Ambrose set up a plan to fight them off. During the fight, another fighter named Pitt Mackeson tries to shoot Jake. When Holt tries to shoot back, he gets shot. Clyde rushes to help Holt but is also shot and dies in Holt's arms. Jake manages to pull Holt to safety, and they escape on horses.
Jake and Holt return to the Brown family's home to recover. With Jack and Clyde gone, they think about their future. Jake doesn't want to go back to fighting because he feels the South is losing the war. Holt says that even though he wasn't Clyde's slave, he feels truly "free" now that his friend is gone. Sue Lee gives birth to Jack's daughter, Grace. The Browns think Jake is the baby's father and want him to marry Sue Lee. At first, Jake doesn't want to, but after spending time with Sue Lee and the baby, he starts to care for them.
News arrives that Quantrill has left for Kentucky. Mackeson and the remaining Irregulars are now outlaws, robbing both Union supporters and people who supported the South. Jake is warned that Mackeson wants to get revenge on him. Mr. Brown secretly arranges for a minister to marry Jake and Sue Lee, and they spend the night together. Jake shaves and cuts his hair, something he had promised not to do until the war was over. He then gets a wagon ready to take his new family to California.
While camping, Jake and Holt meet Mackeson, who is on the run. Mackeson says he will ride into the nearest Union town, even though it means he will likely be killed. His strange behavior makes Jake and Holt get their guns ready. But after drinking a cup of coffee offered by Jake, Mackeson just rides away.
Holt tells Jake that his fighting is done. He plans to go to Texas to try and free his mother from slavery. The two friends shake hands and say goodbye. Holt tips his hat to Jake and rides off.
Cast
- Tobey Maguire as Jake Roedel
- Skeet Ulrich as Jack Bull Chiles
- Jewel as Sue Lee Shelley
- Jeffrey Wright as Daniel Holt
- Simon Baker as George Clyde
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Pitt Mackeson
- Jim Caviezel as Black John Ambrose
- Tom Guiry as Riley Crawford
- Jonathan Brandis as Cave Wyatt
- Mark Ruffalo as Alf Bowden
- Tom Wilkinson as Orton Brown
- Margo Martindale as Wilma Brown
- John Ales as William Quantrill
- Matthew Faber as Turner Rawls
- Celia Weston as Mrs. Clark
- John Judd as Otto Roedel
- Don Shanks as George
- John Durbin as Skaggs
- Zach Grenier as Mr. Evans
Making the Film
Actors and Sets
The main actors had to go through three weeks of "boot camp" to get ready for their roles. This helped them learn how to act like soldiers from that time. During filming, Tobey Maguire found the hot weather and long workdays tough, but he kept going. The actors first practiced with fake bullets, then with real ones for the action scenes. More than 250 Civil War-era pistols were used. Over 140 extra actors played people from Lawrence, and more than 200 Civil War re-enactors helped show how people lived back then.
Filming started on March 25, 1998. Most of the movie was filmed in Sibley, Missouri, and in Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri. Pattonsburg, Missouri, was also used as a main filming spot. The team that designed the sets removed telephone poles and used lots of dirt to cover modern roads. The production designer, Mark Friedberg, created many indoor and outdoor sets to make sure everything looked historically accurate.
Music
The music for Ride with the Devil was released on November 23, 1999. Mychael Danna created the main music for the film. The singer Jewel, who also acts in the movie, sang a song called "What's Simple Is True" for the soundtrack. This song was from her 1998 album Spirit.
About the Book
The movie is based on a book called Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell. This book was first published in 1987. When the movie came out, the book was re-released with the movie's title, Ride With the Devil, in November 1999. The book tells the story of the American Civil War in the 1860s, just like the movie. It shows the fighting between the Bushwhackers and the Union Jayhawkers, and how regular people were caught in the middle. The story also shows Jake Roedel growing up and dealing with losing his best friend, his father, and his fellow fighters. He also falls in love with his best friend's widow and learns about being accepting from a black fighter in his group.
Release of the Film
Ride with the Devil was first shown at the 25th Deauville American Film Festival in France on September 9, 1999. The next day, it was shown in North America at the Toronto Film Festival in Canada. The movie's UK premiere was at the London Film Festival on November 3, 1999.
Box Office
Ride with the Devil first opened in cinemas on November 26, 1999, in a few cities in the United States. It was shown in a limited number of theaters, usually between 11 and 60. The movie did not earn much money at the box office. Over its six weeks in theaters, it made a total of $635,096. This was much less than the $38 million it cost to make, so it was considered a major box office flop.
Watching at Home
After its time in theaters, the movie was released on DVD in the United States on July 18, 2000. This DVD included special features like Jewel's music video for "What's Simple Is True" and the movie's trailer.
The Criterion Collection later released a special, improved version on DVD and Blu-ray on April 27, 2010. This version included a longer, 148-minute cut of the film. It also had special features like comments from the director and other crew members, and an interview with actor Jeffrey Wright. The movie can also be watched through video on demand services.
See also
In Spanish: Ride With the Devil para niños
