Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (2006)
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 75
Fresh: 60 | Rotten: 15
Doesn't reach the heights of Zhang Yimou's best, but this is still a heartwarming tale of love and forgiveness from the acclaimed Chinese director.
Average Rating: 7.2/10
Critic Reviews: 24
Fresh: 20 | Rotten: 4
Doesn't reach the heights of Zhang Yimou's best, but this is still a heartwarming tale of love and forgiveness from the acclaimed Chinese director.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 14,115
My Rating
Movie Info
On the heels of such extravagant historical swordplay epics as Hero and House of Flying Daggers, Mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou returns to the reins to tell this intimate tale of an aging father who attempts to remedy a longstanding rift with his grown son. Summoned to Tokyo by his daughter-in-law, Rie (Shinobu Terajima), village fisherman Gou-ichi Takata (Ken Takakura), arrives at a city hospital to find his son, Ken-ichi (Kiichi Nakai), bedridden by liver cancer. Though Gou-ichi
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Ken Takakura
Gou-ichi Takata -
Kiichi Nakai
Ken-ichi Takata -
Shinobu Terashima
Rie Takata -
Li Jiamin
Li Jiamin -
Qiu Lin
"Lingo" -
-
Yang Zhenbo
Yang-yang -
-
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (78) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (62) | Rotten (15) | DVD (7)
The themes are universal (if a touch corny), the rugged Chinese scenery is stupendous, and the performances are touching.
Top CriticWhat remains most vividly after Riding Alone For Thousands of Miles, however, is not its story but its world--the immersion in that world of a foreigner, not a polo-shirted Yank but a stiff-necked Japanese. And it is all overseen by a Chinese director.
It sounds like a slight plot, and it is, but it is rich in detail that makes up for the simplicity of the story.
It's a masterful little film, and, thanks to Zhang's seasoned hands, it's subtly heartfelt but never manipulative.
A father takes a spiritual journey from Japan to China to help mend a decades-long rift between himself and his dying son. The lessons learned en route are as profound as they are simple.
Relatively speaking, minor Yimou, yet it retains that extraordinary cinematic sensibility and superbly observed humanity that characterizes all his work.
A profound example of unashamed feeling expanding across cultural barriers
This may be one man's story but the themes are epic.
It feels rare to watch, as if it were too private to be seen in public.
The director fails to overcome a script that ignores the backstory of the characters, and that agonizingly details minor subplots.
The story may be sentimental, but Yimou layers it by adding cultural clash to the generational ones.
From real-life opera singer Jianin to travel agent Lin Qiu and youngster Zhenbo Yang, the cast is the genuine article...
...gorgeously photographed and, like Babel, a subtly organized commentary on the ways people strive to communicate.
Zhang is one of the world's great filmmakers, both in technique and in his rich humanity. Riding Alone will move you.
Yeah, yeah. Cue the violin music. But also grab a tissue, because the film levels far more of an impact than you might expect.
Sometimes, when the right movie people come together, a blatantly commercial decision actually strengthens the artistic impulse, as you can see from Zhang's filial treatment of Takakura in Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles.
The scenery is spectacular, and the movie does boast fine performances by both the stone-faced Takakura and scene-stealing newcomer Yang Zhenbo.
Ken Takakura's memorable performance, occasional light comedy and striking Chinese scenery don't keep Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles and its big message from being ponderous and affected.
The movie's message is a little too Hallmark Hall of Fame, but Zhang's observant eye neatly captures the idiosyncrasies of Chinese life and the heartbreak in Gouichi's journey.
It's the kind of story that shows more than it tells, a story that's forged in the spaces that exist in between characters and spaces.
Audience Reviews for Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles yet.
Latest News on Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles
August 31, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Crank" Is Well-Ranked; "Illusionist" Is Magic, "Crossover" Is An Air-Ball, "Wicker Man" Gets BurnedThis week at the movies, we've got hoopsters with big dreams ("Crossover," starring...
What's Hot On RT
The Last Stand, Side Effects
Trailer for new Coen Bros movie
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
- Digital Multiplex: Warm Bodies and Aftershock 1
- Discover the Best-Reviewed Films in Summer Movie Scorecard 2013 0
- RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: The Last Stand and Side Effects 12
- Box Office Guru Wrapup: Star Trek Softer Than Expected at #1 85
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 39
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 107
Top Headlines
-
Which Film Franchise Has Been the Best for Female Characters?
0
-
Damon Lindelof Talks Tomorrowland
0
-
10 Movies About Really Fast Cars
0
-
Poltergeist Remake Synopsis Hints at Plot Differences
3
-
Kristen Wiig Says Welcome to Me
1
-
David Fincher's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Gets Bumped
0
-
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance Remake in the Works
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (Qian li zou dan qi) (DE)
- Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (Qian li zou dan qi) (UK)
