Realizing that as a Christian based film it will follow certain parameters that you might not agree with personally, The Ride is still an enjoyable and dare I say inspiring film. The Ride stars Michael Biehn as an over the hill bullrider whose life gets turned around by a young fan who believes in him.
Young Brock Pierce has to believe in something because he's about 14 years old and has terminal cancer. He wants to ride a bull in a rodeo before he dies and wants the best teacher around to show him the ropes.
That would be Biehn who's so far down on his luck he steals the boys ranch trailer where Pierce is a guest and gets himself roughed up by some bookies he owes money to. He gets an unusual kind of community service, he's sentenced to the boys ranch run by Clarence Felder and Jennifer O'Neill and because young Mr. Pierce has prayed for it, Biehn assigned to make him a bullrider.
Bullriders are the elite of the cowboys and they've even spun out on their own organization the Professional Bull Riders. As that organization does have a significant Christian contingent, I'm sure The Ride is a favorite film among the riders and the staff. It's not in the class of such rodeo films as Junior Bonner, The Lusty Men, or Arena, but it's not a bad film, given it doesn't have quite the production values of those Hollywood based films.
Young Brock Pierce gives a most moving performance as the terminally ill kid. And he comes across as a real kid, not some child movie star. The adult cast members had some job keeping pace with him.
As a fan of the PBR, I want to dedicate this review to a pair of young bullriders who have the right stuff to make it to the very top of the profession. The two Ryans, McConnel and Dirteater, sustained some serious injuries last season and young Mr. Dirteater is still on the mend for a second injury. I've got faith in both of them.
Young Brock Pierce has to believe in something because he's about 14 years old and has terminal cancer. He wants to ride a bull in a rodeo before he dies and wants the best teacher around to show him the ropes.
That would be Biehn who's so far down on his luck he steals the boys ranch trailer where Pierce is a guest and gets himself roughed up by some bookies he owes money to. He gets an unusual kind of community service, he's sentenced to the boys ranch run by Clarence Felder and Jennifer O'Neill and because young Mr. Pierce has prayed for it, Biehn assigned to make him a bullrider.
Bullriders are the elite of the cowboys and they've even spun out on their own organization the Professional Bull Riders. As that organization does have a significant Christian contingent, I'm sure The Ride is a favorite film among the riders and the staff. It's not in the class of such rodeo films as Junior Bonner, The Lusty Men, or Arena, but it's not a bad film, given it doesn't have quite the production values of those Hollywood based films.
Young Brock Pierce gives a most moving performance as the terminally ill kid. And he comes across as a real kid, not some child movie star. The adult cast members had some job keeping pace with him.
As a fan of the PBR, I want to dedicate this review to a pair of young bullriders who have the right stuff to make it to the very top of the profession. The two Ryans, McConnel and Dirteater, sustained some serious injuries last season and young Mr. Dirteater is still on the mend for a second injury. I've got faith in both of them.