Review of Ride On

Ride On (2023)
5/10
Jumping down is easy, stepping down isn't.
11 June 2023
Jackie Chan's new film is a mixture of action and family drama, adding to that is the bond his character shares with his horse. A washed up stuntman, past his glory days is struggling to meet ends and the debt collector wants to take away his horse. As he fights them off, the video of it goes viral. Soon he learns, the previous owner of his horse is going to take him away, he reaches out to his estranged daughter for one last time, to save the horse and mend their relationship.

The film is filled with tear jerking moments which is pretty much what one asks for when an horse is involved. Those scenes mostly work too. Then there is a video montage of Jackie Chan's classic stunts montage which his character reacts to. Needless to say how that particular scene feels. As far as the screenplay goes, it is the usual run on the mill family drama with few action scenes thrown in to please the fans. The melodrama however is stretched and not all the scenes work as intended.

The father - daughter relationship suffered due to how basic it was and somehow it lacked the desired impact. Maybe that's why the bonding with horse had far more impact. The pace is uneven too and resorts to convenient resolution before ending on a predictable note. Jackie Chan still carries the film on his shoulder and this time not with his action skills but by making Ride On his most emotional performance to date.
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