The Ride (1997)

The Ride: Directed by Michael O. Sajbel. With Michael Biehn, Charles Young, Clarence Felder, Brock Pierce. A has-been cowboy is given a second chance at the hands of an unexpected teacher.

“Looking at the other reviews posted for this film I can draw some conclusions. 1 – if you are religion-intolerant or filled with hatred for Christianity you will probably not like this movie. 2 – if #1 is your mindset then you probably donu0026#39;t like the sport of bull riding anyhow, which has a strong Christian presence, so you might as well find some something else more suited to you. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBy the way, despite what some (another reviewer) believe, bull riding is NOT a sport which is cruel to the animal. Iu0026#39;ve done it. The wivesu0026#39; tales abound but simply Are. Not. True.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNow that Iu0026#39;ve gotten past that, Iu0026#39;ll talk about the movie itself. This is not really a movie about bull riding, itu0026#39;s a movie about how a terminally ill boy causes a hard-luck bull rider to reassess his life and his attitudes about many things, including how he feels about God. Brock Pierce plays Danny Ou0026#39;Neill, the terminally ill boy who wants to learn to ride a bull, and is really quite good in this role. Michael Biehn plays the role of Smokey, a once-famous bull rider down on his luck. After being arrested for u0026#39;borrowingu0026#39; someoneu0026#39;s truck, heu0026#39;s sentenced to teach Danny to ride bull as u0026#39;community serviceu0026#39;. Smokey originally wants nothing to do with the idea of teaching Danny to ride a bull – but itu0026#39;s either that or go to county jail, so he relents but is not happy at all about teaching Danny. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile Danny is on the bucking machine, his hat comes off, revealing his chemo-caused bald head. Smokey learns now that Danny is very ill and might not survive. With this Smokeyu0026#39;s shell begins to crack a bit though his initial reaction is that he canu0026#39;t go through with this, knowing that Danny may be dying. Eventually he changes his mind and continues teaching him. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlong the way he canu0026#39;t help but notice the example Danny sets, though he himself resists any attempts to get him to see Christianity. Danny learns to ride the bull and in fact does so successfully at a junior rodeo. When Smokey finally goes to u0026#39;cowboy churchu0026#39; with Danny afterward, as he promised Danny he would, he finds he canu0026#39;t accept God. The idea of someone (Christ) dying for another doesnu0026#39;t ring true to him, and heu0026#39;s mad that if God exists, that he is letting Danny be so sick.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNear the end of the movie, Smokey comes to realize that it is love which would make one person offer up their life in the stead of another, and in an emotional scene, out in a desolate wilderness, he tells God he would give up his life if he could, to save Danny.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBull riding is a heavily Christian sport, and if youu0026#39;re an atheist or not Christianity-tolerant you are not likely to like the sport itself and you will definitely not like this movie. Find something else more suited to your attitudes. For those who have some heart, for those who enjoy and understand that bull riding has a heavy Christian component, this is a movie you will enjoy.”