Red Dirt Rising

This movie may have been a great story told; unfortunately it it is dramatically flawed. One cannot feel anything for the characters as their emotions and choices are somehow blurred in the sequence of scenes without transitions. In one scene the boys are talking, in the next some guy is driving a tractor in the grassy field. We must then do guesswork to realize that it's the dad of one of them that made them a race track. This is only one example of many.

The WWII war scenes are simply unbearable and bordering on the ridiculous. Just few of them, though, which helped.

The soundtrack starts promising since country and Southern music can be so rich with raw feelings and simple harmony; but the music fades away in the sequence of badly connected scenes. The film fails to grasp the atmosphere of the Great Depression and that of the South. To the extent it succeeds -- it is flat and only raises eyebrows.

The dialog is as flat as are the characters, the camera work and the editing. (The best part was that they did not use any profanity.) The movie did not deserve at all the 9 stars it had received in the beginning.

All i can say is that IMDb had given it a 9.2 so i watched it ....the whole thing thinking it would get good .....what a waste of time i would have rather had a root canal !!!! Very dis-pleased considering it is a true story I give the movie a -10 the script and acting was horrible I think my grade 8 drama class could have done a better job the movie jumps around to much there isn't enough of a lead in the movie is bad from the get go the only good thing about the movie was the old cars they should have made this movie a short story it drags on and then just gets worse as the movie goes on to the point that you actually forget what the story is about Im still confused by it ....they are running bootlegged liquor then start a race track he goes to war and comes back nothing is changed and he tries racing again thats it in a nut shell

I grew up in the generation following this story, but it appealed to me for several reasons. First of all, I have loved dirt track racing since my father took me to them as a kid back in the day in south Texas, so for me, this movie is real. It isn't the typical Hollywood fare these days, not by a long shot, but it is a real story of love of struggle, of persistence, and of following one's dreams. It's slow in the beginning, but that beginning also lays the foundation for the rest of the film as there are both story and character development happening, and the result is a lovely story of what love, and dedication and following our dreams will bring so long as we don't give up.

Having grown up in a stock car racing family, I recognize the realities of a passion for racing without the financial backing to realize the dream. This film tells the story of a young man with a compelling desire to race with the big boys, but no way to break in. It's a film about never giving up on your dream, no matter what. It's about allowing the desire to race and compete to clear the path to victory.

The story is moving. The film is beautifully shot and directed. The acting is honest. Even though Red Dirt Rising is an independent film produced with a small budget, it can hold it's own against the big Hollywood dramas. This film is a winner and you don't have to be a race fan to root for the hero.

For a movie about racing, it sure was slow. All drama, well at least an attempt at drama that never really hit. The racing was few and far between. Combined with the terrible acting I suggest you pass on this.