Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Lorri Nichols Not exactly how I envisioned Hank to be but I certainly did not know him. This movie needed Hank Williams music in it to make it complete - and you know he crashed many of bars and took over the stage, he loved to show off, he loved the limelight, he had to be seen and recognised, it it would have been great to have heard Hank tell his story to the young driver, to see flashbacks that lead up to where they were at that point - because to be honest parts of this movie were kind of flat, a little back story would have been a real attention grabber... where was that in this movie? I would give it an 8 - only because I think Hank have more charm & character than they had the actor express. I know this was just his 'last ride' but Hank had a real temper he also was smooth as silk with the ladies and he was one rowdy guy always looking for a fight - I just think maybe they could have let Jessie James add a lil more oomph into this character... this is definitely worth the watch. Kaley Cuoco was awesome in the movie, even though she had a small part.

rgblakey When done right some of the best films out there are those dealing with real life people, especially those that have become icons in the entertainment industry. For some reason some get the big budget treatment and others seem to be left to the straight to video or limited run route. The latest is The Last Ride focusing on Hank Williams senior, but takes an interesting direction with the tale, but does it deliver? The Last Ride follows the end of 1952, with the best years of Hank Williams's career behind him, he hires a local kid to drive him through the Appalachian countryside for a pair of New Year's shows in West Virginia and Ohio. This is one of those films that is a bit hit and miss depending on how you look at it. On one side it is pretty intriguing the direction and time period that they chose to go with to tell this story of Hank Williams. While entertaining it is almost a bit of a letdown as this isn't really a Hank Williams story at all, but still is. This film plays more of a character study that relies mostly on the performances and the direction in hopes to tell this story in a way that is different than most of its kind. Through most of the film the lead character has no idea who he is driving around, which in turn makes it engaging waiting for that big reveal moment when he knows, but sadly that point never comes. There is no doubt he realizes, but it isn't played up as much as you might think and will probably be anticipating. On the flip side the performances are all pretty well executed keeping what could have been a slow boring film engaging and worth the time spent. There are some strange choices regarding green screen at times for some driving moments, but also seems to give it an old film feeling that kind of works with the time period.This isn't a perfect film by any means, but is interesting on a few levels. The choice of what time they chose to make the focal point and lack of ever using any of him performing in the movie or even the soundtrack makes it a big risk but does manage to payoff. The overall film plays out more like a well-made TV movie, but these days is not necessarily a bad thing. Filled with a great cast and easily one of Henry Thomas' best performances in some time The Last Ride manages to keep your attention and take you on a trip worth riding along for, especially for those that are fans of Williams. Just know going into this film it is not the story of Williams struggle in the music industry, but his struggles in life when it was probably time to hang up his hat.

tproudfoot Don't go for the music. This is not "Walk the Line", "Coal Miners Daughter" or "The Buddy Holley Story".I saw this film at it's Montana premier here in Bozeman. I'm not sure whether to call this a "buddy/road trip movie" or a "coming of age" story. The fact that Hank Williams is the mystery passenger is almost irrelevant to the relationship that builds between the two main characters. One can be spoiled by the sophistication of today's blockbuster special effects. The simple rendering of snowfall and other "throw-back" effects reveals this as definitely a low budget movie. And even though both the writing and the acting are a bit stilted, there is an endearing sweetness about "The Last Ride" It is worth seeing.

jtprius510 Harry Thomason's The Last Ride made me very self and health conscious.My mind wondered throughout most of its' transitions about my own health, as the driver Silas - played by Henry Thomas - throughout most of the ride there, gradually became less and less of a chronic cigarette smoker as a result of seeing his mysterious passenger in the backseat slowly coughing and struggling to death more and more for fresh air, a pack of smokes, or newer bottles of alcohol.By the time they get to the last gas station, before The Last Ride's ultimate climax, I think Silas, unnoticeably quits smoking, before a girl at the pump tells him he is this gas stations last customer. The owner of it died last year of a black lung so this is the gas stations last night of being open for business.The Last Ride starring – that's right – Jesse James as Hank Williams is about Hank Williams' last ride out, to a show somewhere in West Virginia. Two things I considered high brow about The Last Ride are as follows. One thing was The Last Ride, wasn't nearly as autobiographical as you could imagine any movie about a legendary country singer like, say Ray Charles, or Johnny Cash being, as much as it was more so about his last ride, in a literal sense, out to some gig he had in a random place and the relationship he developed with the young man, Silas, employed to get him out there safely.Williams was an alcoholic and chronic cigarette smoker too so it was the drivers' responsibility to get out there sober, while Silas is already worried about getting him out there alive. Another thing was how obvious Thomason didn't make the identity of Williams as a legendary country singer. I had to get out my laptop for research on the last ride to figure out who the mysterious passenger was because I don't think they ever tell you throughout this picture.Altogether I would say the last ride is about Hank William's posthumous fame.Silas doesn't listen to the radio so all he knows about his mysterious passenger the whole way there is that he is an alcoholic musician that carries a gun and won't stop being incredibly mean to him, while scolding him all of the time for calling him sir. But the funnier thing about that is Williams won't give Silas any other name to refer to him as.I think Silas learns of his passenger's traveling name by accident through a long distance phone call he has with an employer who is supposedly his employer, played by some guy whose been a senator for Tennessee for a couple of years and he didn't even mean to give Silas that information. Silas wasn't even supposed to have this guy's number because he is not in fact who originally hired this driver. It's just a weird movie, whose overall story structure run on a lot of obscure Lynchian fuel that you may have seen in either Lost Highway or Refn' latest nominated Drive, starring Ryan Gosling.The aesthetic liberties taken with the mechanics of The Last Ride's story structure is what I think makes up for all that it lacks in cinematography. You can tell they had a budget during the filming of The Last Ride. Altogether in retrospect I see The Last Ride as a hood classic whose mystery comes from what the film doesn't tell you throughout its' duration, about what is actually taking place.Audiences shouldn't go into the last ride knowing who that mysterious musician alcoholic passenger is. Aside from all of the mystery, movies like that about people with fighting chances that they can't stop blowing are usually touching to general audiences because the premise of them is normally in regards to their last chance and the main character of every movie like that never knows how close he is to that last breath, much like each and every one of us.The conservative nature of The Last Ride's scheme is what I think keeps it from venturing too far into anything sentimental or philosophical so its' a lot more chill and a lot less bias than most autobiographical films usually are.