Ride

From the description, I was expecting some sort of crime drama. Yes, there is a crime late in the movie, but there are no shootouts, no car chases, no shootouts... This is mostly a family drama. C Thomas Howell is eight years younger than me, but looks about ten years older, possibly due to major health issues in his past. Whatever the reason, his grizzled looks and growly voice are picture perfect for his role as the father struggling to pay for his daughter's medical bills, as well as re-connect with an estranged son fresh out of prison.

He plays a salt-of-the-earth former champion bull rider, the middle of three generations. Interestingly, Howell's real-life father was a professional bull rider and he himself was a professional roper. So he has the street cred to play this role.

Jake Allyn as the estranged son is equally good. His stoic demeanour is a mask under which he hides his guilt for a past mistake, while trying to work his way into his family's good graces with the help of his caring grandfather.

The rest of the main cast are all equally strong.

It's filmed in a leisurely pseudo-documentary style with a grainy washed-out look, and lots of close ups and over-the-shoulder shots which helps to establish intimacy.

I really enjoyed this movie. I wouldn't quibble with anyone who gave it a six, but I'm at an age where I'm more interested in people stories rather than action movies so it gets one more star from me.

I realize this was meant to be a low budget cowboy movie which is why they cast mostly people you've never seen before.

However, I constantly found myself really enjoying the storyline but wishing there was a stronger cast to bring the story to life.

Think Josh Lucas, Luke Grimes, Post Malone, Gillian Anderson and maybe a few others you know as background characters in other more popular shows. With talents like these, and the current popularity of westerns, I think this could have been a much stronger movie.

As it is, it was an enjoyable watch for anyone who likes country/cowboy movies. I didn't have too high of expectations so the movie hit about as I expected it to.

I had no preconceptions, nor had I even read the plot summary, but this movie surprised me on all fronts. The actors portray characters that are real and believable. The situations they're in are believable. Sadly, all too real with regular people like me. Importance of Family, the prodigal son, drug addiction, a cancer diagnosis too close to home, and not enough money for medical bills. The characters sharpen their moral compass and find help from each other and display humility before God. This movie is not mushy or religious, but it is a feel-good movie with tragedy and hope in equal measure. Howell & Gish play it well and all of the actors did a fantastic job.

..maybe not interesting enough to want to follow. The music constantly playing was distracting to the point where many times I just wanted to shut the movie down.

The character played by Jake Allyn that I'm supposed to feel sorry for is unfortunately so unlikable that it too is distracting. Apologies if that's the way it's supposed to be, if so, good job. But it really didn't add too much to the experience of this movie either way, except to be annoying. So good job on being an annoying character.

It's almost like the movie is so distracting from itself that it's hard to watch. Too many scenes, too many cuts, too much motion, not really that much character development, and to be honest, boring.

Sorry.

This is a special, gritty story. It's very Texas. If you don't know what that means, you're in for a treat.

This is about a family who has been through hell, has run out of options, and unfortunately are faced with making some drastic choices. It's very honest and human, and doesn't hold back any punches to the gut.

The cinematography and pacing were very well done. A very fine editing job overall. The acting is grounded and truthful and I was locked in from the very beginning. I could also easily see this as a future series. Bravo to this team, the writers, and everyone involved. One can tell, it's in the blood...