Well Go USA presents a Beijing Alibaba Pictures/Beijing Hairun Pictures Group production in association with China Film Co. Ltd. Written and directed by Larry Yang. Produced by Victoria Hon, Jerry Li, Belle Lau, Yuan Nong, Xu Tianfu, and Zhang Huixia. Cinematography by Sun Ming. Edited by Super Zhang.
Stars Jackie Chan, Liu Haocun, Kevin Guo, Andy On, Su Hang, Wu Jing, Xing Yu, Yu Ailei, Yu Rongguang, and Joey Yung.
Jackie Chan teams up with a horse in this love letter to the stunt industry that is more about a man and his horse but also looks for something more.
Luo Zhilong has been working as a stuntman for decades, risking his life and limbs for the sake of entertainment. He also has taken care of a horse named Red Hare that has bonded with him since birth. The two spend their time together as Luo teaches Red Hare the intricacies of stunt work. While continuing time as a stuntman, events have led him to owe a debt to local thug Da Mi. However, things are about to go from bad to worse when a corporation claims ownership of Red Hare due to the original horse owner passing.
With nowhere and no one else to turn to, Luo turns to his daughter Xiaobao, a lawyer-in-training. However, there is one little problem. They have not spoken to each other in years due in part of Luo’s work taking over for family and being there too late when his wife passed away. In addition, she is engaged to fellow lawyer Mickey. Despite the estrangement, she decides to help her dad and maybe in the midst, repair what they lost as long as he slows down his work.
Jackie Chan‘s output as of late has been a bit of a hit or miss. While his last collaboration with Stanley Tong, Vanguard, was completely disappointing, the long-awaited Hidden Strike was an improvement thanks to his team up with John Cena. However, this film, written and directed by Larry Yang, is perhaps one of his best films in recent years as it is more than a routine Jackie Chan film but it gives him a chance to show his emotional side and the film has a bit of a double meaning.
The title refers to the relationship between Jackie and his horse Red Hare, who provides some comic relief when they are together. The title also refers to Chan’s Luo as he rides on trying to create a work-life balance between his career as a stuntman and his estranged relationship with his daughter, played by a very good Liu Haocun. We see flashbacks of when Luo’s career ruins the relationship to the point where he is humiliated by her after the death of her mother. However, as Luo promises to slow down his work and the fact he clearly cares about Red Hare, Xiaobao comes to his aid and in one particular scene, we see Xiaobao watching some of Luo’s past work (made up of Chan’s classics) and we see him at his most emotional.
There are some comic scenes in the film. This comes especially when it comes to debt collector Da Mi, played by Andy On. What could be a rematch from 2004’s New Police Story goes into more funny territory when we see On become more like a punching bag alongside his gang. There are also some cute funny moments with Kevin Guo’s Mickey, who gets “initiated” to try his hand at helping Red Hare get into stunt work which leads to a funny slapstick scene between Chan, Guo, and the horse.
It is safe to say Ride On is a good Jackie Chan film. While there are sporadic action sequences, it is more of a love letter to the stunt industry and its ups and downs with Chan showcasing a variety of emotions throughout the film as he tends to keep the two loves of his life no matter what it takes.