Ride with the Devil

As Civil War dramas go, this unromanticized anti-epic is the polar opposite of Gone With the Wind. Bleak, deceptively simple and realistic, the battles are dirty, bloody and unwieldy, and the "heroes" are reluctant young soldiers, fighting only because they feel compelled to. Starring Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright and Jewel, the story follows a handful of provisional Southern soldiers fighting on the Western frontier of Missouri where, in the absence of official battalions from the North or the South, neighbors have taken up arms against each other in hit-and-run guerrilla skirmishes that will ultimately decide nothing. Based on Daniel Woodrell's novel Woe to Live On and directed by Ang Lee, Ride with the Devil is not about the greater political or humanitarian issues of the war, it's about individual tragedies and personal triumphs in the face of horrible bloodshed. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Apr. 13, 2010—Criterion, 148 min., R, $39.95—Making its second appearance on DVD and first appearance on Blu-ray, 1999's Ride with the Devil features a stunning transfer and a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack on DVD and 5.1 DTS-HD soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras on this new director's cut include two audio commentaries (the first with director Ang Lee and producer/screenwriter James Schamus; the second with cinematographer Frederick Elmes, sound designer Drew Kunin, and production designer Mark Friedberg), a new interview with costar Jeffrey Wright (15 min.), and a booklet featuring essays by critic Godfrey Cheshire and Edward E. Leslie. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid film.]