Ride With the Devil (1999)

Review by All Movie Guide
This superb character study of Confederate guerilla raiders during the U.S. Civil War is yet another feather in the creative cap of director Ang Lee and his frequent collaborator, screenwriter/producer James Schamus. Lee's works may seem on the surface quite disparate, but just as in his previous films, themes recur here of societal divisions clashing until matriarchal forces triumph over the prevailing-but-crumbling patriarchy. In this case, it's the conflict between rich and poor, free and slave, violent and idealistic, as protagonist Jake (Tobey Maguire) wrestles with the feminine pull of home and family represented by Sue Lee (Jewel Kilcher) versus the male-dominated war he's fighting, one that's increasingly morally compromised and hopeless. As in all of Lee's work, even the supporting characters contain multiple shades of gray and complex nuances (it doesn't get much more intricate than Jeffrey Wright's slave fighting for the Confederacy). Performances are uniformly excellent with, surprisingly, folksinger Jewel a particularly luminous and compelling presence in her screen debut. Although Ride With the Devil (1999) did not receive the warm box-office reception Lee often enjoys, it's a successful, highly recommendable costume drama that serves as a stark, estimable companion to the director's earlier period piece, Sense and Sensibility (1995). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide