Taking you into one night of an Uber or Lyft type driver, the movie turns a boring night into a trip of terror. Nicely written and played out by a seasoned cast, the movie’s perfect for those that like non-stop intrigue. It’s not Taxi Driver, but I’m sure you will like where this one goes.
A budding actor, James (John T. Usher) starts his evening as a private car driver for Ride at around 10:00 pm in a swanky part of downtown Los Angeles. There he picks up Jessica (Bella Thorne) his first customer for the evening. A sweetheart of a woman the two hit it off on the way to a night club where she’s meeting friends.
Following a cancelled ride he gets directed to another customer, Bruno (Will Brill) who’s waiting outside a posh apartment house. Getting into the car, Bruno asks James if he can take him to a few destinations for the evening. At first James balks, then he agrees when he gets offered a huge tip. When the first stop is in a shady part of town, James starts to worry about Bruno.
The film takes a lot of twists and as the night goes on things start to spiral down to where James finds himself getting into some dangerous situations. Director and writer of Ride, Jeremy Ungar works his actors overtime as they develop likeable characters, two for good reasons and the other who turns out to be the antagonist of a sordid plot that turns into disaster. I like the way Ungar sets the audience up for a romantic drama and then turns it into a night from hell.
The acting is very good with each role being fleshed out before developing an arc that’s interesting, compelling and then encompassed in this warped tale. As the driver, John T. Usher plays a nicely dressed good looking driver who has just come from an audition to take his shift for Ride. Although James is a pretty honest man, he has it rough in Hollywood and has a weakness for women and money. One of those characters you hate to love.
Bella Thorne’s role as Jessica depicts a woman that likes the freedom of single life, but still yearns for a partner to share it with. She’s on the road to a dead end when James returns to pick her up, but now with Bruno in the car. It’s a quirky role that has you guessing why things are happing so quickly and on impulse.
BONUS FEATURES:
The Blu-ray has two bonus features
“The Original Ride Short Film” see how they took a 15 minute film and turned it into a full feature.
“Photo Gallery” with selected scenes from the film.
Ride has been not been rated by the MPAA, but contains language, violence, alcohol and drug use and some brutality. Be cautious when deciding whether immature children should see this film as there are parts that are be inappropriate for your youngsters. Available on Blu-ray and DVD December 4.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good movie for those who like a fast moving story with no plot holes. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Starring: John T. Usher, Bella Thorne, Will Brill
Directed and written by: Jeremy Ungar
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Running Time: 1 hr. 19 min.
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains language, violence, alcohol/drug use
Original Theatrical Release: September 23, 2018
Video Release Date: December 4, 2018
Language: English
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Video: Widescreen 1080p, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
Number of Discs: 1 Disc
Distributed by: RLJE Films
Released Formats: Blu-ray, DVD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
