Verdict
Summary
An intriguing mixture of fictional biography, behind-the-scenes moviemaking, relational melodrama, and just enough martial arts action fans of Jackie Chan expect of him at this late stage of his career, Ride On is incredibly sincere, if a bit too sentimental as it tries really hard pulling at the heartstrings (especially for hardcore fans of Jackie, whom this movie is aimed at).
Plot:
A stuntman’s career is in the slumps when he finds himself in the spotlight one last time.
Review:
A once-thriving and well respected Chinese stuntman named Luo (Jackie Chan, essentially playing a pared-down version of himself) is down to his last few bucks and shreds of self respect when he and his stunt horse are filmed by passerby as they evade Luo’s bookies, who are owed payment that Luo simply can’t afford. The debt collectors will take anything – including Luo’s horse – as payment, but without his horse, Luo is just a palooka without a meal ticket anymore. His relationship with his daughter is terrible, and work has all but dried up, and Luo keeps food on his table and in his horse’s trough by doing tricks on the streets for disinterested crowds who no longer care for tricks by animals. When the footage of Luo’s escape goes viral, the movie business takes an interest in Luo and his horse again, but as the jobs become trickier and more dangerous for his horse, Luo must confront what’s most important: His career and a come back, or the well-being of his beloved animal, which is basically his son/brother/best friend. When the horse’s custody is called into question at a crucial moment in time, Luo must contend with losing it to a rich man, who can throw lots of money in a court battle, and Luo, with virtually nothing to his name, might very lose it all if fate doesn’t shine down upon him.
An intriguing mixture of fictional biography, behind-the-scenes moviemaking, relational melodrama, and just enough martial arts action fans of Jackie Chan expect of him at this late stage of his career, Ride On is incredibly sincere, if a bit too sentimental as it tries really hard pulling at the heartstrings (especially for hardcore fans of Jackie, whom this movie is aimed at). Jackie delivers a very good, down-to-earth performance, but the movie blurs its lines as it tries to be a movie about the real Jackie as well as being a made-up version of him, which is confusing since the film relies on lots of footage from his oeuvre. It’s difficult to believe that the movie intends on trying to be the best of both worlds, and the cross-pollinating of fact/fiction is a little jarring sometimes. Still, I did appreciate this film more than some of Jackie’s more recent titles like Bleeding Steel, and his fans should enjoy it overall. Larry Yang wrote and directed it.
Well Go USA’s Blu-ray edition contains a behind the scenes feature, plus a feature about the horse, the trailer, and an English language track.
