Riding With the Devil

Reviewed by Ronald F. Maxwell

By the time of the firing on Fort Sumter in 1861, which marks the beginning of the American Civil War, a gruesome prologue was already long underway in Missouri and Kansas. May 24, 1856, was the night that John Brown's self-named Army of the Lord hacked, shot and stabbed a grisly human swath along Pottawatomie Creek.

What followed in this territory west of the Mississippi and continued nearly unabated until even after the collapse of the Confederacy in 1865 were events and atrocities most un-informed Americans would more readily associate with Kosovo than with the good ol' USA. It is in this uncertain and dangerous world that Riding With the Devil is set. The film takes an unflinching look at the brutality from both sides and refreshingly refrains from sweeping moral judgements.

Free of pandering to cliched expectations and the constraints of a politically correct point of view (such as, the Confederates defended the institution of slavery therefore any atrocity committed by Yankees is justifiable and even heroism on the part of rebels is despicable) the film can explore deeper, more complex themes.

Riding With the Devil explores a tragic subject without being a tragedy. We follow a small group of Sesech partisans across seasons and battles, witnessing through their eyes the unpredictable violence, the vulnerability of civilians, the total war of guerrilla armies. But at its heart, amid all this mayhem and death, friendship, loyalty and generosity survive–even a sense of humor. And, without giving away the ending, there is metamorphosis and resurrection.

This is classic filmmaking with a sure and steady hand. No razzle-dazzle here, no self-conscious use of the camera, no tricks. It's that rare Hollywood event, a story of substance told with genuine artistry. The first thing the filmmakers got right was the jargon. These characters talk like they couldn't be from anywhere else but mid-19th century America. Nearly all Hollywood historical films get the sets and costumes right, and this film is no exception, but rarely do they capture the moral universe, the defining idiosyncracies of peoples who lived in their own particular times. Human life is universal, but it is always expressed in individual ways. Riding With the Devil captures the authenticity of the character in time and place, and therefore tells a story we are willing to believe.

Considering what gets "green-lighted" these days, its nothing short of a miracle that this film got made, and made with an outstanding cast of new-comers at that. The Sesech partisans are Tobey McGuire as Jake Roedel, Skeet Ulrich as Jack Bull Chiles, Simon Baker as George Clyde and Jeffrey Wright as Daniel Holt. Holt is Clyde's former slave, fighting with his former master, which will startle audiences most of whom were never told that some blacks fought for the Confederacy. Those who may want to delve further into this subject will want to read "Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees in Civil War Virginia, " by Afro-American University of Virginia scholar Ervin L. Jordan, Jr. Sometimes the movies really do reflect the mystery and contradictions of human existence. Sometimes friendship and personal loyalty trumps ideology and politics. Sometimes it doesn't. Riding With the Devil is not only first class entertainment. It's a liberating experience.

November 5, 1999

Mr. Maxwell wrote and directed the film "Gettysburg" and is currently preparing his own feature film on Joan of Arc.

Copyright 1999 by Ronald F. Maxwell