Ride on: Die zweite Chance

Washed-up stunt man Jackie Chan has papers served on him to take his horse. He meets with estranged daughter Haocun Liu to find a lawyer, and she puts forth her geeky boy friend.

It's Jackie Chan and a horse, which is all fans like me need to make us happy for a couple of hours. Even if Chan is going to be seventy on his next birthday, and his stunts are achieved by close-up, short takes, and actually having stunt men in the longer shots, I can still enjoy Chan's sense of humor, and the fact that this is a movie where he actually acts, with a story about an old man growing up, and the dedication to taking real risks to make good movies that stunt men have shown for more than a hundred years.

And it's a very handsome horse.

Ride On has the distinction of being an international Jackie Chan film that has something for everyone. For hardcore Jackie Chan fans it has its share of martial arts, stunt choreography, and comedic interludes. However, it is a family friendly film that has a poignant and powerful message about love and family. Finally, it has a stunt horse, and everyone loves a horse that can act and do stunts.

Larry Yang did a create job creating the story of a down and out, fictional stunt man that is modeled, in many ways, after Chan himself. In fact, the film pays such deep homage to Chan's work that many of the scenes incorporate Chan's style and fight choreography. More significantly, the film walks the razor's edge by using historical film clips and injury outakes of Chan's real life, but still maintaining its fictitious persona. Under this guise the audience is getting a Jackie Chan film that, simultaneously, pays homage to Chan's own career.

Chan has matured as an actor and he does a good job here playing the role of a man coming to grips with his age, his family struggles, and his financial hardships. He is very good in this role and he is very likable. Lia Haocun is, particularly, good as his estranged daughter with a legal mind. She is so good that many international social media outlets were sharing a scene from the film and identifying her as his actual daughter.

As the film pays tribute to the legacy of Jackie Chan, it was great to see Wu Jing and Shi Yanngeng in the roles of model cinematic characters, which they actually are.

While the film is family friendly, it is not a children's movie. It has something for adults and children, and the themes are very adult and serious, despite some funny scenes. There is plenty of action and adventure for the viewer looking for more than simply a tribute film, or just a family friendly animal picture. There is a martial arts, action film very much alive in Ride On.

The real star of the film is the horse. He is well trained and fun to watch on screen. Chan's paternal relationship with him transcends the ordinary, and is executed in a powerful, heartfelt, and moving way. This is the heart of the film.

While this film is Chinese made for a Chinese audience, it does have international appeal. If you are lover of Jackie Chan, and appreciate his voluminous archive of work, you will like this a lot. However, you don't need to know anything about Jackie Chan to appreciate and enjoy this move. I liked it a lot, and I recommend it.

The film is in Mandarin with English Subtitles.

Not the best but also it's good to watch with your family

The view in this movie was so beautiful and awesome

Also it's good if you watch the movie without thinking about things because it's just like you watch a clips of a comedy show

You can also see how much this movie focusing on the relationship between the child and the dad and mom

The relationship between the man and the horse was sweet and beautiful

I was sad because they didn't give a chance for other characters and n the movie and focusing on the horse and the man 😐

But that doesn't mean it's a bad movie it's still fun to watched

I feel bad for the movie reviews because it's bad and the movie wasn't that bad actually.

No pun intended - there is one scene in this movie that some people confused with Jackies private life. I have to admit, I had no idea about his private life and his issues with his daughter (or hers with him?) ... I reckon if you are not in the know you can easily be fooled ... especially because it was quite emotional ... and it looked like something that could actually happen in real life for them too.

That said, the movie itself lends itself to comparisons ... Jackie Chan being his own stunt man most of the time, having started as stunt man too. So the story is close to home in that regard for sure. Add to that a horse and you have quite the interesting mix. The stunts/action set pieces are really good ... and if you are fan, no one has to convince you anyway ... story is quite simple, but it doesn't need to be more complicated ... and if the drama of it all does not grip you ... well then the movie is not for you I reckon ... most will at least have some moments where they shed a tear or two ... ride on indeed (the movies title is the biggest pun)

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.