Riding The Bullet DVD Review:

Based on a story from Steven King’s first e-book, Riding the Bullet is also a unique film in the fact that it was aired on USA Network’s Big Sunday movie in January, nearly three months before it was released on home video. Beneath all of the unique elements behind this indi-thriller, Riding the Bullet is also quite an original film, although not always well constructed.

Taking place during the Vietnam War, Riding the Bullet is the story of one man’s journey in discovering the worth of human life. Alan has a horrible birthday in which his girlfriend suggests that they stop seeing each other for a while, which leads him to nearly commit suicide. Soon after his recovery, Alan gets news that his mother is in the hospital, so he embarks on a 100-mile hitchhike to see her. Although Alan escaped death, he seemed to have awakened something, and all along the journey he is visited by ghosts and demonic characters. It is uncertain for most of the film whether the demons want Alan dead, or if they are just there to teach him a lesson on the value of life, but by the end they offer him a deal in which either his mother or him must die.

Although Riding the Bullet may be labeled as a horror film, it is more of a supernatural drama, filled with more life lessons than thrills. Alan comes to face with many of his fear on the lonely road, and he finds something in himself that he had long forgotten about. Many of the scenes are poetic and touching rather than shocking and horrifying.

Many of the elements in the film having to do with the horror are somewhat disturbing because of the demonic traits. The character which convinces Alan to try and slit his wrist on his birthday looks more like a character you would be likely to see on Tales From the Crypt rather than an emotional film like this. At times the blending of the two genres doesn’t quite make sense and can be disorienting.

While the film seems to be fairly well constructed for an independent, there are issues with the casting which can be quite distracting. Jonathan Jackson plays Alan and there are moments when he seems to be almost too whiny to be at all bearable. Although it may have been a smart move to cast him because of him female fan base, he doesn’t always fit into the role accurately. Another character which was questionably cast was the role of a ghost which rides with Alan for a majority of the film. David Arquette was cast in this role and it seems that much of the scenes he is attempting to be scary just end up more humorous than anything else.

Although the casting is questionable, it doesn’t seem to be so bad that it brings the film down entirely. It is merely a distraction which causes the film to fall short in that area. The DVD is well constructed enough to make you wonder why it has gotten so much attention. Although the film has received little attention from fans or the media, the DVD has a slew of special features including Director’s commentary. Also, there is a making of featurette, a photo gallery, a storyboard comparison, and an extra commentary with the cast and crew.



Ryan Izay