Ride with the Devil

On the Kansas Missouri border during the Civil War, Ride with the Devil tracks four people trying to stay true in a landscape where loyalties shift and violence rules. An ardent Unionist, a son of an immigrant, a freed enslaved person, and a young widow forge an uneasy bond as they struggle to survive. They dodge raiders, weigh risky alliances, and question what counts as honor when the law vanishes and cruelty becomes ordinary. The story narrows its focus to intimate choices and fragile friendships, honoring personal codes in a setting that feels lawless rather than heroic. Ang Lee builds a quiet, character driven drama that sits between war movie tropes and Western romance. Their fates feel personal as the war rages around them.

Directed by Ang Lee and released in 1999, Ride with the Devil presents Daniel Woodrell's material adapted for the screen by James Schamus. The production blends war realism with Western mood, anchored by Skeet Ulrich and Tobey Maguire.

The film did not garner major award nominations, reflecting its modest reception despite a high profile director and strong cast. A few critics praised its mood and performances, but overall it was seen as a minor, contemplative entry in Ang Lee's diverse body of work.

Ride with the Devil stands out for its attempt to fuse Civil War era grit with a Western romance on the border between Kansas and Missouri. Jeffrey Wright's portrayal adds gravity as a freed man, and the film foregrounds loyalty and race in unfamiliar terrain for some viewers seeking depth.

Critics treated the film as a moody, character driven drama rather than a war movie. It probes how unlikely kinships form under pressure, questions bravado, and shows violence as a shaping force on people who must choose where their loyalties lie in a landscape that tests trust and love alike.