Ride With the Devil, directed by Ang Lee, tells a remarkable story about common citizen soldiers fighting the uncommon Civil War fight in their own backyards. Mr Caviezel plays Black John, a character about whom Mr Caviezel has said “...he’s not a nice man.”   Ang Lee “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” may have been the first Ang Lee film to bring him worldwide attention. But like the Australian, Peter Weir before him, he clearly tells ‘American’ stories using a new vision and a fresh pair of eyes. Ang Lee has said that all movies before ‘Tiger, Dragon’ he told for the money; ‘Tiger, Dragon’ he said, he told because it had always been his dream. (We believe he earned his keep on this film.) About this film as scheduled to open the London Film Festival in November 1999, festival supremo Adrian Wootton said, “The word masterpiece is often overused but I really believe that’s what Ang Lee has delivered with his latest film”. [ top ]   Character Black John Today when we think about the Civil War, we can be reminded that people fought that war who were not soldiers, but were people passionately committed to a cause. People who were willing to pay the ultimate price for pressing the cause to its limits, especially in a locale. Black John as an bushwhacker archetype is clearly on target here, as he leads his band of Missouri Irregulars. This is a complex character, fully conceived and bravely portrayed. His interactions with other characters provoke thought. This is not a simple film. Mr Caviezel, it is rumoured, asked Ang Lee to explain violence in scenes before shooting them. We agree that any good storyteller must understand a character’s motivation in order to deliver an informed performance. Look carefully in one pivotal scene, and you can catch Mr Caviezel acting with his eyebrow. We believe that his other fine work proves that he doesn’t rely solely on this talent, in the way that a certain diva we’ve watched tell stories might rely solely on her ability to act with her neck. [ top ]   Reviews We have not been successful in finding any interviews by Mr Caviezel about “Ride With the Devil” in particular. He may, however, mention his work in this film in other interviews. Here then is the remaining review from Roger Ebert. [As of July 7, 2004, other reviews have been retired and are no longer available online.] [ top ]   Tidbits and Grace Notes Added April 12, 2002 In the book of the screenplay, “Ride with the Devil”©, by James Schamus, he writes: “[Scene 140]. Jim Caviezel, who plays Black John with such intense conviction, asked me about a wonderful line Black John says to Jake in the book that I had left out of this scene: ‘Do not think you are a good man. The thought will spoil you.’ I realized my mistake in dropping it. On screen, it now anchors the entire scene.” ©Universal Studios Publishing Rights, a division of Universal Studios Licensing Inc. First published in 1999 by Faber and Faber limited, London. Added December 13, 2002 The author and on-set advisor Fredrick J Chaiventone, who trained the actors, including Mr Caviezel, sends us the following notes. Fredrick J Chaiveneone taught guerilla warfare at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College. He taught the actors ‘little stuff, like how to fire their weapons, how to treat women, details about their state of cleanliness, health’ and so forth. He tells us: “There was additional music on the set of the film ‘Ride With The Devil’. The music in question was provided by Connie Dover (keyboard/vocals), Roger Landes (guitar/bouzouki/mandolin), Kirk Lynch (uileann pipes), John Whelan (accordion). Ang Lee so enjoyed the sets that he had John Whelan and Roger Landes ‘suit up’ along with Zan McLeod and Kelly Werts for the wedding party scene. For a sense of the music played you can visit Connie Dover’s web site. In addition to Ang Lee and Jim Caviezel, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers and Simon Baker-Denny were delighted by the musical interludes and remain fans of the performers. [Also] the “inserted dialogue” for Black John came from a late night reading of the script at a sidewalk restaurant in Kansas City. Jim’s “military advisor” was intimately familiar with the book and period and recommended that the lines be added to the script (as Jim Schamus noted, they had been originally omitted). Jim loved the sense and feel of the lines and lobbied to have them re-introduced to the script.” Chaiveneone’s latest book is “Moon of Bitter Cold”. [ top ]   FAQ Question Where can I find the official site? Answer As of December 13, 2002, the official site has been retired. You can find key details at the IMDB entry. Question Isn’t this the film with Jewel? Answer Yes. Credited only as Jewel [Kilcher], she shares below-the-title billing with Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Mr Caviezel, Thomas Gury and Jonathan Brandis. We understand there was some music on this set that was not captured on film. [ top ]                                      Mr Caviezel on the right Mr Caviezel on the right