The Rider

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 13, 2018

7.5	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 133 Ratings

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ScraperJul 11, 2018

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 itA 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.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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Mauro_LanariJan 24, 2020

(Mauro Lanari)
"Dreams die at dawn", but director Zhao fails "to draw a sincere universal parable of acceptance of one's own limits" since this young Lakota Sioux limits himself to dreaming little, to a "tame the life" reduced to a "get back(Mauro Lanari)
"Dreams die at dawn", but director Zhao fails "to draw a sincere universal parable of acceptance of one's own limits" since this young Lakota Sioux limits himself to dreaming little, to a "tame the life" reduced to a "get back on the horse", although "in dreams begins responsibility" (Yeats, 1914). The result is a "The Horse Whisperer" (Redford, 1998) for indie palates and a forlornness that struggles to transform from local to global. In reversed roles, it was more touching "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" (Pollack, 1969).… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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SonrisasMay 11, 2018

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 niceGood 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.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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Brent_MarchantApr 27, 2018

It's mystifying to me what so many have seen as praiseworthy in this formulaic exercise in utter predictability. This celebration of reckless uber-macho behavior as something noble to which the inner cowboys in all men should aspire is ladenIt's mystifying to me what so many have seen as praiseworthy in this formulaic exercise in utter predictability. This celebration of reckless uber-macho behavior as something noble to which the inner cowboys in all men should aspire is laden with heavy-handed, patently obvious metaphor that even the most casual moviegoer can see coming long before it appears on the screen. Other than some impressive cinematography and a fine lead performance by Brady Jandreau, it's hard to understand why this otherwise-mediocre offering has garnered so much attention and so many accolades. Maybe my lack of interest in the Western genre is unduly coloring my opinion here, but, with a narrative that's easy to figure out and a litany of increasingly archaic ideals that are questionable at best, it's difficult to say anything positive or redeeming about this highly overrated release.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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equity44Jun 28, 2019

Confession: I am a PBR fan and also watch general rodeos too. I'm also a movie and literature fan. The lure of rodeo as with all spectator sports is watching participants attempt to excel at very difficult things that not everyone can do. IConfession: I am a PBR fan and also watch general rodeos too. I'm also a movie and literature fan. The lure of rodeo as with all spectator sports is watching participants attempt to excel at very difficult things that not everyone can do. I often wonder how these young men can suffer injury after injury and still mount up after recovering and I wonder about what their lives will be like when they are too old to ride. Yes, the sport plays upon our yearning for the romanticized days of the Old West but it also allows the participants an avenue for rising above mundane existence.

In literature and cinema I look for something that uplifts the spirit or in dark pieces takes you where you wouldn't necessarily want to walk yourself. This movie however was an hour and forty-five minute exploration of a depressing and mundane existence. Kudos for the cinematography and for the untrained family that acted a dramatized version of their real lives. Kudos for the main character gaining common sense about what he was capable of doing given his physical condition and for his love and care for his sister and his fellow injured rodeo rider. He described himself in the movie not as a bronc rider but as a horse trainer. I hope the family's poverty and isolation does not prevent him from having an opportunity to do that.

As for the reviews that celebrated this as a peg in the takedown of macho culture, fine if one defines macho as brutalizing women and engaging with other men in bar fights. But masculine men can be loving and caring mates and fathers who should be celebrated and not pilloried in the seemingly growing trend to the asexualization of our society.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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