The film maintains Ang Lee's usual steady and slow style, and tells a story that took place during the American Civil War with a delicate and smooth expression. The setting of the scene and the background of the times make this movie look magnificent and majestic compared to his previous films
.
The film is bold enough to show scenes and stories from the Civil War. Director Ang Lee focuses on depicting the entanglements between emotions. The film has paid great attention to the setting and language, and its level of detail is no less than that of "Rationality and Sensibility." The film is subtle, this subtlety makes it normal, and the plot is also easy to accept. However, the film lacks the obvious preaching elements that it should have. The emphasis is on emotional entanglements and the character transformation of the characters. It can be said that it is the history of a person's growth in a war environment. "Ride with the Devil" is not considered a successful work, and its original sharp edge was also obscured by the later "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". However, "Ride with the Devil" has far-reaching implications for Ang Lee and for the development of American cinema as a whole. This is Ang Lee's boldest attempt. Criticism of the political system and cold-eyed analysis of American history are far more sharp and acrimonious than shooting a love story with homosexuality as a gimmick
.
