Ride Review: A Gritty Gaze into the Heart of Texas Ranch Life

Set in the small town of Stephenville, Texas, Jake Allyn’s directorial debut Ride delves into the storied world of American rodeo. Taking on both acting and writing duties, Allyn populates the film with a cast of real-life rodeo riders, bringing an authentic feel to the characters and atmosphere. Leading the cast is veteran actor C. Thomas Howell as John, a rancher struggling to save his young daughter Virginia from cancer. Playing John’s son Peter fresh out of prison is Allyn himself, joined by rodeo legend Forrie J. Smith as his grandfather Al.

Facing skyrocketing medical bills, the family is plunged into crisis. With insurance unable to cover an expensive experimental treatment, John is desperate to raise the funds on his own. Meanwhile, Peter, plagued by past mistakes, returns to competing in rodeos and his dangerous lifestyle. As financial pressure mounts, a reckless plan is hatched that propels the story towards high-stakes drama. Woven throughout is the dynamic between three generations of Texan rodeo men, each dealing with hardship in their own way.

Filmed on true rodeo circuits, Ride transports viewers into the gritty world at the heart of small-town America. With realistic performances from its seasoned actors, the film shines an intimate light on the trials facing a family while also critiquing the flaws in the healthcare system. An ode to the cowboy spirit, Ride is an emotionally engaging tale of family, addiction, and holding onto hope in troubled times.

The Road Back to Family

The story centers around the Hawkins, a multigenerational Rodeo family living in rural Texas. We meet Peter, the eldest son, who is released from prison after four years inside. A past mistake haunts him, and he relapses back to old addictions. His father John is a former bull rider turned rancher, still renowned around the local circuits. But John finds his world upending with some troubling news.

John’s youngest child, eleven-year-old Virginia, has taken ill again with cancer. With their mother Monica, the town sheriff, by Virginia’s hospital bed, John learns his daughter requires expensive experimental treatment uninsured. As the bills mount toward $160,000, John is left scrambling to come up with the cash on his own. He puts everything up for sale, even the family farm, yet falls woefully short of the total.

Meanwhile, Peter falls back under the influence of Tyler, his shady drug dealer, promising rodeo winnings to pay an old debt. He moves back to his parents home, complicating things further. The tensions are already high with Monica, distant since Peter’s crime that landed him in prison years ago. His grandfather Al, a once great bull rider turned preacher, tries keeping the family aligned.

When Peter learns of Virginia’s dire situation, he is determined to help in any way possible. Seeing John broken by his daughter’s condition and the financial fire threatening to destroy them, Peter hatches a plan with his father to rob Tyler’s home for cash. But their heist goes disastrously wrong, setting off a chain reaction with devastating consequences.

As Monica starts connecting clues to uncover the truth of what happened, Peter and John must make difficult choices balancing love, duty, and the law to save Virginia before it’s too late. Overshadowing everything is a scathing critique of a healthcare system that fails working families in their greatest time of need.

Facing the Truth

At the center of the story stand the Hawkins family, each struggling with their own regrets from the past. John has always carried himself like the stalwart cowboy, yet finds his world shaken caring for his ill daughter alone. As Virginia’s condition worsens, John is driven to desperate ends to pay for her treatment.

His son Peter remains haunted by mistakes that cost him years locked away. Fresh out of prison, Peter plunges back into addictions to numb the pain. Believing Rodeo is his path to redemption, Peter strikes a dangerous deal that endangers the family further. Though their relationship is fractured, Peter recognizes his father’s crushing burden and vows to help however he can.

As Sheriff, Monica shoulders the duty of upholding the law, even when it means investigating her own kin. Yet beneath her tough exterior lies a mother deeply worried for her children. Torn between responsibilities, Monica must navigate personal loyalties and her sworn position.

Steadying force Grandpa Al has weathered life’s storms with gritted teeth. A former champion now turned preacher, Al aims to guide the family with his folksy wisdom. But living with his own regrets, can even Al’s strong faith lift the heavy weight on this family?

Each character struggles against past mistakes and exterior expectations, finding themselves repeatedly pulled between tough choices. It’s a testament to the authentic performances that so fully embody these flawed yet intensely human characters, their bonds of family, and their desire for redemption in a changing world.

Capturing the Soul of the American West

Director Jake Allyn brings a keen eye for detail from his own background in rodeo. From the opening scenes following a weathered cowboy, you can sense Allyn’s passion for transporting viewers straight into this world. The authentic sequences inside bustling arenas immerse you in clanging gates and cheering crowds.

Allyn populates his film with characters who feel wholly real, thanks to experienced actors like Howell and Smith. Their nuanced portrayals of flaws but good-hearted men anchor the more dramatic plot points. Supported by a script co-written from true lived experience, the stories unfolding are grounded, relatable tales familiar to many rural communities.

Cinematographer Keith Leman lends the entire film a moodily somber tone that absorbs you in the darkness shadowing over the family. His camerawork shines a light on both the dusty, rusted glory of Rodeo but also the hard-bitten hardness of daily life. Subtlely designed lighting highlights both the dreamy idealism but also the stark realism at the core of this ranching culture.

From sun-drenched exteriors to the cramped closeness of hospital rooms, the settings themselves become characters. The tangible authenticity transports viewers straight to the rodeo heartland of Texas. Alongside the melodrama of desperation lurks a critique of societal failures to uphold communal values of healthcare, family, and dignity.

At its core, Ride is a dedication to portraying everyday struggles with empathy and understanding. Its Western soul bleeds honest humanity that lingers long after viewing.

Facing Life’s Hardest Rides

Woven throughout Ride are profound reflections on themes still resonant today. Family forms the core backbone, with members fractured by past mistakes yet striving to mend bonds in crisis. Peter, John, and Al each grapple with regrets from times gone by, seeking paths towards togetherness again.

Addiction arises too as an escape from life’s pains, one that only pulls the characters under further. For Peter, the rodeo—and later, opioids—offer temporary relief but distance him from his loved ones’ true needs. Their portrayals shine light on addiction’s grips and the support needed to overcome it.

The film also examines generational scars handed down. Allyn’s script spotlights how personal demons may emerge from trauma suffered years before, still impacting future family dynamics. His characters show the hard-fought work to overcome a past not wholly their own.

A most potent theme involves the failings of modern healthcare. Witnessing John’s plight to fund experimental treatment brings the system’s cracks into stark focus. No family should risk financial ruin from a child’s medical crisis. Ride advocates forcefully for compassion over profits in times of critical community care.

Throughout Allyn crafts these heavy subjects with astute care. His characters live fully dimensional lives, flawed but human. Viewers empathize deeply with their struggles to right past wrongs and face life’s harshest rides together as a unit, no matter the difficulties ahead. Ride holds a mirror reflecting societal issues with empathetic understanding for all.

Faces of Struggle, Voices of Truth

At the heart of Ride lies its deeply invested performances. As patriarch John, C. Thomas Howell brings a lived-in weariness and grit to the hardscrabble rancher. Facing financial and familial ruin alike, Howell’s torn expressions and ragged line delivery expose a man pushed to the brink. Annabeth Gish matches him as the stern yet caring Monica, calm exterior belying private turmoil.

Jake Allyn intimately understands the anger and regret haunting Peter. As the wayward son, Allyn’s downcast eyes and slouching form embody a lost soul grasping for redemption. Forrie J. Smith is a highlight as kindly preacher Al. With his gravelly drawl and weathered features, Smith gifts the character authentic cowboy spirit and steadfast empathy.

Zia Carlock affectingly captures young Virginia’s frightened bravery against illness with just a glance. Even bit roles like Scott Reeves’ suspicious deputy feel fully realized thanks to committed performances. The cast brings an earnest humanity that anchors even the more dramatic scenes.

Director Allyn draws from this talented troupe nuanced work exploring love, duty, and addiction’s grips. Privately, characters communicate worlds without words. Their longing gazes and subtle body language immerse the audience in lives ric with unspoken pains. Tensions simmer in Howell and Allyn’s intense standoffs, the lingering pain of their fractured bond communicated in pensive silences.

It is a testament to the cast’s abilities that complex emotions resonate so strongly, even for lesser-developed roles. Their skilled portrayals elevate Ride from merely a family drama to a profoundly moving depiction of the human struggles we all face.

Facing Life in the American Heartland

At its core, Ride shines a light on the unwavering strength of community in small town America. Through its realistic characters, the film pays tribute to the resilient spirit of the country folk who call places like Stephenville home. Despite facing pressures from all sides, the ties of family and shared experience prove paramount.

Allyn’s skillful direction, combined with powerful performances, immerses viewers in a depiction of rural life that feels authentic from start to finish. The director understands these people and pays them respect. While drama ensues, the humanity at the heart of the story lingers with audiences long afterward.

Ultimately, Ride leaves reverberations as a slice-of-life film. It criticizes a system failing citizens, yet celebrates communities banding together no matter the odds. The resilient spirit exemplified by the Hawkins family feels recognizable to many. Even in a changing world, some constants remain—the trials of each new day and families striving together through whatever storms may come.

In the end, it’s a story truly worth seeing. Jake Allyn’s directorial debut proves a triumph, showcasing why certain places and people deserve spotlight. Their real-life struggles deserve acknowledgment, their resilient spirits forever rooted deep in the American soil.