As debt accumulates and collectors come knocking, a washed-up stuntman trains with his horse for one last hurrah.
Written and directed by Larry Yang, this comedy feels like on that was written for its aging star to give him a big starring role, something to show he still can do what he’s best known for, but with a bit of a twist. Some of the film comes off very much as a case of how the mighty have fallen. The film is meant to be a story of a family reunited and new hope, but there is something in the background that comes off more sad than anything else. From the marketing, it does not seem like that is the goal of the film, but watching it, it feels like it very much is the goal to show that showbusiness leaves people husks of themselves, having made sacrifices that cost them their families, their health, and their livelihood once they can no longer perform. The horse story feels like a bit of a tool to get the story to work, but something that could have been easily removed. The writing here makes the film feel like it’s aiming at sweet melodrama with a side of stunts and the directing makes it come off more glossy. There is something here, it’s hard to explain, but it’s interesting, even though the cover art makes it looks like some light comedy, the film is more of the somewhat uplifting drama type. Once that is clear, it’s easier to enjoy the film for what it is.
The cast here is numerous yet small. There’s a bunch of people here, but most of the film is spent with Jackie Chan, the horse, and Haocun Liu who plays his estranged daughter. The film shows stunts and Chan does seem to get to do some of them, but this is a story of a washed-up stuntman, so it does lead to some stunts, some of them failing on purpose, and some looking really cool, giving Chan some of his usual to do, but also giving him plenty of time to be the sad man at the middle of it all. While this sadness is something Chan gives a good performance of and the stunts are well done as well, something feels like it’s missing here in his performance, it’s hard to pinpoint, but there is a sort of life that is missing, something that his previous work had, a magic maybe even, that is not here and it plays against the film. Some will see this as a stunning performance, to others, like this viewer, it comes off as something missing, something being off, something not connecting right. The actress who plays his daughter, Haocun Liu, is fantastic. She plays so well the inner turmoil of having sworn off her father and meeting the man he is now and whom she likes. Her performance steals scenes away from Chan and his horse, steals scenes from just about everyone in the film. She’s not the lead, but she’s the one you’ll remember the most out of this. The rest of the cast is good, everyone working well together, giving good acting performances and, in some cases, performing fantastic stunts quite well. The acting here works mostly and definitely helps the story from falling into maudlin territory.
The film’s look is good, a bit on the glossy side, with some good cinematography and editing that allows you to see the stunts which are numerous here. One of the stunts is for the horse only and for those who care about seeing animals potentially in danger for no real reason in this day and age, that sequence, actually 2 sequences in the film, will annoy them. It’s well done, but it’s done as stunts versus being done with CGI, so while both sequences look good, the horse was put at unnecessary risk.
Overall, Ride On is a decent movie that seems to advertise one thing and offer a different one in the end. The film has a new direction for Jackie Chan with less stunts and more drama and a great performance from Haocun Liu who plays his daughter here. She’s really the shining star here, making the film her own and really grabbing the viewer’s attention. The film is entertaining, but please go into it expecting horse stunts and drama more than anything else.