Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- gritty
- melancholic
- meditative
- historical film night
- serious movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly admired the film’s ambitious historical texture, luminous cinematography, and sensitive treatment of Civil War guerrilla violence, while finding its dialogue and plotting uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Jake, Jack Bull, Daniel, and the Bushwhackers fight Union forces through skirmishes and raids along the Missouri-Kansas border.
Jake’s friendship with the formerly enslaved Daniel Holt develops within a world where Black people have few rights and Daniel remains beholden to his former owner.
Critics specifically praised the rough-hewn textures of 19th-century life, luminous cinematography, and attention to historical detail.
Nineteen-year-old Jake grows increasingly ill at ease as revenge-driven Bushwhacker raids kill his friends and force him to decide where honor lies.
Films like Ride with the Devil, and why
The Outlaw Josey Wales
period war drama centered on divided loyalties, moral ambiguity, and brutal combat
Cold Mountain
historical western about frontier violence, shifting allegiances, and revenge
Glory
visceral Civil War drama combining guerrilla warfare, racial politics, and intimate relationships
The Last of the Mohicans
revisionist historical drama examining comradeship and the human cost of armed conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Ang Lee
- Release Date
- 1999-11-24
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (218)
Cast
- Skeet Ulrich
- Tobey Maguire
- Jewel
- Jeffrey Wright
- Simon Baker
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers
- Tom Wilkinson
- Jim Caviezel
- Tom Guiry
- Jonathan Brandis
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Ride with the Devil about?
- A young Missouri Bushwhacker confronts the collapse of friendship, honor, and humanity amid the Civil War’s intimate frontier violence.
- What is Ride with the Devil like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Ride with the Devil as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Ride with the Devil violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Ride with the Devil as graphic.
- What did critics think of Ride with the Devil?
- Critics broadly admired the film’s ambitious historical texture, luminous cinematography, and sensitive treatment of Civil War guerrilla violence, while finding its dialogue and plotting uneven.
- Which films are like Ride with the Devil?
- Films with a similar feel include The Outlaw Josey Wales, Cold Mountain, Glory, and The Last of the Mohicans.
- How long is Ride with the Devil?
- Ride with the Devil runs 138 minutes.
- Where can I watch Ride with the Devil?
- In United States, Ride with the Devil is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
