Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray, DVD and Digital from writer/director Larry Yang and Well Go USA is the story of family and a horse that will RIDE ON.

Lao Luo (Jackie Chan) is a former stuntman who has been living a quiet life with his companion horse Red Hare. Missing his daughter after a divorce, Xiao Bao (Liu Haocun), she is about to come back into his life once again. Owing a lot of money, Lao Luo learns he may lose Red Hare to an auction. Not knowing where to turn, he seeks out daughter Bao for legal help since she is studying law.

Keeping an emotional distance, she asks her boyfriend Naihua (Guo Qilin) if he would be able to help. After a street fight with Red Haire goes viral, movie makers want him and the horse for their action films. Bao becomes a bit of an ad litem agent for her father but finds herself becoming closer to him. Watching her father work, she becomes very worried about them both as the stunts seems to be more and more dangerous.

After one fateful stunt, Bao learns more about her father and what he has been through during their time apart. She realizes what she thought about Lao was all wrong. At the hospital, Lao tells her that it is time for he and Red Hare to retire. The court case still looms about Red Hare’s fate and Bao is still trying to understand her feelings and her father.

Families and stunts can be complicated.

Chan as Lao is definetly playing to his strength with his history as being a stuntman himself. That gives him an edge to playing this role with the added family storyline. He gets the chance to do stunts and show he’s still got it at his tender age of 69 and shows it to be flawless. Chan’s comedic timing is still wonderful and, in this film, even his emotional moments are tender and thoughtful.

Haocun as daughter Bao has her own feelings toward father Lao feeling abandoned by him. There are big trust issues for Bao not understanding the circumstances that led to her father leaving or what happened to him during their time apart. Haocun is stubborn and at the same time protective of Red Hare and eventually her father. Haocun is charming and lovely to watch as her character navigates relationships.

Qilin as Naihua is watching the father-daughter-horse relationship unfold while also wanting to move forward marrying Bao. He truly does enjoy seeing this once detached family come together and wants to do anything to help. Qilin is so sweet as their character navigates it all.

Shout out to Wu Jing as Yuanjie who wants to help Lao offering him a chance to not only sort of relive his stuntman days but helps him out of his financial troubles. Jing is a bit crazy at times with his emotional outburst but he truly does show a good heart. Well done, Jing.

Also, a nod to the beautiful horse Red Hare! Playing opposite Jackie Chan, this horse makes it clear that being a legend doesn’t mean he can upstage this horse. I thoroughly enjoyed watching Red Hare and Chan work together.

Other cast include Joey Yung as Yingzi, Yu Ailei as Xiamao, Yu Rongguang as He Xin, Andy On as Dami Ge, Xiaoshenyang as Li Yan and Shi Yanneng as Dawei.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

RIDE ON is a complex story about a man and his relationship to a wonderful horse, renewing a relationship with a long-lost daughter and a profession he once excelled at. Chan takes every chance to be hilarious, comedic, emotional and strong and that’s everything for this former stuntman. The added bonus of the horse Red Hare allows Chan to play opposite a ‘character’ that doesn’t have much to say but sure makes his feelings clear.

The martial arts look seamless (thanks to great choreography) and although there are not a lot of fight scenes, when they are on screen it is well done and not over played. RIDE ON comes in at one hundred and twenty-six minutes and the language can be adjusted if subtitles during a movie isn’t your thing.

The film is colorful, the story is impactful and plays a serious ode to stuntman including Jackie Chan. They are basically unsung heroes in many Asian films with Chan and crew making it clear at the end that they are dearly appreciated. Asian films are known for their grandeur and large casts, especially where martial arts are involved, and writer/director Yang makes sure the story never forgets who makes that possible.

In the end – it is time to get back on the horse!

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