Ride Blu-ray Review

 

• Director ‏ : ‎ Jake Allyn
• Actors ‏ : ‎ C. Thomas Howell, Annabeth Gish, Jake Allyn, Forrie J. Smith
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (DTS 5.1 Surround)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Well Go Usa
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ R (Restricted)
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Blu-ray
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 54 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ August 27, 2024

        The concept of independent cinema has become increasingly muddled in Hollywood, with star-studded movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once winning the highest awards and big-budget releases like Civil War costing more than many studio releases ($50 million). And yet, there still exists a mostly unseen world of independent cinema, which often must survive without name actors and massive budgets. These films follow the tradition of independent cinema before the Sundance Film Festival made it just another offshoot of Hollywood, and Ride is a prime example of this type of filmmaking, for better or worse.

 

        The plot of Ride begins with a third-generation bull rider named Peter (Jake Allyn) being released from prison after serving time for manslaughter after a DUI incident, hoping to return to the world of rodeos despite still struggling with an addiction to alcohol and pills. Peter has the support of his grandfather (Forrie J. Smith), though his relationship with the rest of the family is complicated by his youngest sister’s battle against cancer. While Peter’s father John (C. Thomas Howell) struggles to raise money to get his daughter the best treatment, his mother (Annabeth Gish) is the local sheriff in the small town of Stephenville TX, who is forced to investigate a crime that her son may be involved in.

 

        Despite the limited budget, Ride ambitiously attempts to blend a number of genre elements, presenting a fairly realistic look at the world of rodeo bull riding alongside a family drama involving struggles with the health care system and an unrelated battle with addiction, before devolving into a highly improbable crime narrative. While the film never feels overstuffed despite the various elements and an ensemble cast of characters that also includes a younger brother and his country singer girlfriend, each storyline and theme is slightly underdeveloped by the efforts to include them all. With a lead actor also serving as screenwriter and director, it is often clear why the film is more concerned with melodramatic performance moments than an effective plot. While independent cinema can be great for artistic expression, it can also be a pitfall for vanity projects.

 

        While not all of Ride works the way Allyn may have intended, it is not difficult to admire the ambitious spirit that went into making the film. Creative filmmaking choices help work around the budgetary constraints, and the cast all gives committed performances, even if none are quite as effective as Howell at creating a character that feels as though he might exist in the real world. The Blu-ray release comes with interviews from many of these cast members in the bonus features. The only other extra is the film’s theatrical trailer.

 

Entertainment Value: 5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 4.5/10

Historical Significance:  3/10

Special Features: 3.5/10