Ride with the Devil (1999)

6.7R138 minDirector: Ang Lee

1999 American film

Ride with the Devil is a 1999 American revisionist Western film directed by Ang Lee and starring Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jewel in her feature film debut, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, James Caviezel, Thomas Guiry and Jonathan Brandis. Based on the novel Woe to Live On, by Daniel Woodrell, the film, set during the American Civil War, follows a group of men who join the First Missouri Irregulars, also known as the Bushwhackers—guerrilla units loyal to pro-Confederacy units of the state—and their war against Northern Jayhawkers allied with the Union army.

The film was a co-production between Universal Studios (the successor to Polygram Filmed Entertainment) and Good Machine. Principal photography began on March 25, 1998. Theatrically, it was commercially distributed by the USA Films division of USA Networks and premiered in only six theaters nationwide in the United States on November 26, 1999, and for only three days, grossing a total of $635,096 (~$1.12 million in 2024).

Ride with the Devil has been noted for its thematic exploration of politics, violence and war. In 2010, The Criterion Collection released a restored high-definition digital transfer for the home media market, featuring an extended 148-minute director's cut of the film.

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is Ride with the Devil about?
Ride with the Devil (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 Bushwhackers, irregulars loyal to the South. One is a Black man, Daniel Holt, beholden to t
Is Ride with the Devil based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is Ride with the Devil scary?
Content rating: R. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.
What is Ride with the Devil (1999) about? Plot, synopsis and ending explained — Screencodex