X
- 2018
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 44 m
- 2018
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 44 m
Summary Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over, after a horse crushes his skull at a rodeo. Back home on the Pine Ridge Reservation, with little desire or alternatives for a different way of life, Brady’s sense of inadequacy mounts as he is unable to ride or...
Directed By: Chloé Zhao
Written By: Chloé Zhao
- 2018
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 44 m
- 2018
- R
- Sony Pictures Classics
- 1 h 44 m
The Rider
7.5
Where to Watch
Summary Once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, and a gifted horse trainer, young cowboy Brady is warned that his riding days are over, after a horse crushes his skull at a rodeo. Back home on the Pine Ridge Reservation, with little desire or alternatives for a different way of life, Brady’s sense of inadequacy mounts as he is unable to ride or...
Directed By: Chloé Zhao
Written By: Chloé Zhao
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
86
98% Positive
42 Reviews
42 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 43 Critic Reviews
86
98% Positive
42 Reviews
42 Reviews
2% Mixed
1 Review
1 Review
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Rider is a docudrama as elegy, a slice of rodeo realism that both romanticizes and demythologizes the Cowboy Way in a corner of America where that still means something.
An account of rodeo riders on a South Dakota reservation, it is so fact-based that it almost qualifies as a documentary. Yet the film’s style, its sense of light and landscape and mood, simultaneously give it the mesmerizing force of the most confident cinematic poetry.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 134 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
105 Ratings
105 Ratings
13% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
9% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 134 User Ratings
7.5
78% Positive
105 Ratings
105 Ratings
13% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
9% Negative
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
The Rider should have won the Oscar for Best Film, rather than Chloe Zhao's next film, Nomadland, which was probably given the award to make up for having passed over this absolutely brilliant film. The existence of this film evolved almost by serendipity. Zhao was in South Dakota, with intention of making an entirely different film, featuring the lifestyle of Native Americans of the area, including Brady Landreau. But when Brady (main character in The Rider) actually suffered a serious head injury in a rodeo bull riding event, she changed focus of the film to be about Brady and his family and friends. The story is authentic and real, bringing the viewer into the characters' lives with complete empathy. Life is tough for young Lakota Natives, with few economic opportunities. The rodeo, and particularly its most dangerous event -- bull riding -- is one of the only ways they can work, rather than farming very difficult territory. Brady is a horse-whisperer, who can tame even the most skittish horses. So the title refers not only to his experience as a bull rider, but also about his relationship with horses, and his almost magical abilities with them. Brady's charisma, quiet nobility, and determination carry the story through to a surprising and satisfying ending. His life motto is "cowboy up," meaning "no matter how hard things are, you can face life with courage and dignity." But the film is not at all sentimental in its telling. Rather, it draws you into Brady's life in a deeply experiential and tender way. Although the story is presented as fictional, the players are the actual people being depicted in the movie. I was so impressed with Brady, both the actor and the character, that I've adopted his "cowboy up" attitude to see me through rough spots. When a film has the capacity to change your thinking, or your life, you realize it has more depth and wisdom than most films, including Nomadland. The Rider -- one of the best films of the past 10 years.
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Es una película conmovedora y sentimental; la trama es muy buena y la actuación de Brady Jandreau es excelente. ¡TOTALMENTE RECOMENDABLE!
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The Rider is a beautiful movie, a Western of sorts that isn’t limited to that classification as it chronicles the life of a down-on-his-luck cowboy who simply keeps on living, as difficult as that sometimes can be.
Once The Rider hooks you – and believe me, it will – there's no way you will ever forget it.
While those aforementioned blockbusters offer a welcome dose of escapism, The Rider traffics in something considerably more affecting: authenticity.
The movie is a rendering of the internal landscape of a contemporary cowboy, with the complexities and ambiguities left intact. It’s a kind of parable, delivered in a manner that has nothing to do with preaching.
The failure of The Rider to see Brady in his intellectual and experiential specificity, to render him as interesting as the dramatic shell in which Zhao places him, is a failure of directorial imagination.
I'm utterly in love with this film. Such beauty, such grace. I was pinned to my seat throughout. I feel like I must travel to the Badlands of North Dakota to see where this **** was filmed. Kudos to the director!
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A slow, quiet, albeit honest journey of a young man's struggle to make it back to the rodeo scene after his accident. Many films take this path of bordering reality television recently: walking cameras, breathy close-ups. I didn't think it was as introspective as it postures to be. It's hard to make an impact when a story barely raises it's pulse.
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Good points: 1) Movie provides an inside look at Bronco riding and the young men who love it. We see the tremendous heart and passion that riders have for their sport--even in the face of debilitating injuries suffered. 2) There is a nice family story here. Bad points: 1) the acting is a bit better than in Clint Eastwood's recent film, "The 15:17 to Paris" about the foiled terrorist attack, but both movies suffer from so so acting due to using the real people who went through the life situation. 2)the movies drags at times with slow pacing; 3) I did not experience the wrenching gut punch of emotion described by the reviewers--perhaps my expectations were too high. The movie was just okay for me; not sure what all the buzz is about.
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Slant critic is spot on once again. And is generous with her score. It's a dry and very uninspired exercise in social realism that never elevates itself to create any sense of beauty. Very bad cinematography. Horrible use of close-up. Good nice heartfelt feelings never make for good art. This is another example. Another Oscar bait (life-broken, tortured lead character, minorities, etc...) fooling so-called cultured critics and snobs.
If you like horses zebras or asses, better watch Bressons"au revoir Balthazard". That is cinema.
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Production Company
Caviar,
Highwayman Films
Release Date Apr 13, 2018
Duration 1 h 44 m
Rating R
Website
https://therider.film/
Awards
CinEuphoria Awards
• 1 Win & 6 Nominations
Chlotrudis Awards
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA)
• 1 Win & 5 Nominations
