Drama,War,Romance,Western
United States of America
The film is set in the years 1861 to 1865, during the American Civil War. It tells the story of Jake Roedel (Tobey Maguire), a young man from a wealthy Southern family in Missouri who joins a group of Confederate guerrillas, known as "bushwhackers", after his best friend Jack Bull Chiles (Skeet Ulrich) is killed by Union soldiers. Along with his new companions, including the immigrant's son Daniel Holt (Jeffrey Wright) and freed slave Holt Ross (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Jake embarks on a campaign of hit-and-run attacks against Union troops in the area.
As the war progresses and their missions become more dangerous, the group must confront the harsh realities of their situation. They face not only the ever-present threat of death or capture by Union soldiers, but also their own internal divisions and personal struggles. The tension between Jake and Holt Ross, for example, grows as they both fall in love with the same woman, Sue Lee (Jewel Kilcher), a young widow who becomes their ally.
The film explores themes of loyalty, duty, and moral ambiguity, as the characters find themselves caught between competing ideologies and conflicting loyalties. They must also confront the harsh realities of war, including the horrors of violence and the toll it takes on their bodies and souls.
Directed by Ang Lee and featuring a strong ensemble cast, including Jim Caviezel, Tom Wilkinson, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Ride with the Devil is a thoughtful and unsettling portrait of a turbulent time in American history. It challenges viewers to consider the complexities of war and the moral choices that people must make in times of extreme adversity.
