Riding Alone For Thousands Of Miles 2005

Marta Barber, Miami Herald: Cynics may not fall for its melodrama, but Riding Alone is good for everyone else, including children. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: One of the most beautiful and touching road movies in recent years. Read more

Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: As a sad yet joyful celebration of cultural exchange, Riding Alone plays like a small miracle, unfolding in a world as it ought to be. Read more

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: There is a great late-career role for Ken Takakura, a Japanese actor, now in his 70s, who started out in gangster films and has been seen in Hollywood films. Read more

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Relatively speaking, minor Yimou, yet it retains that extraordinary cinematic sensibility and superbly observed humanity that characterizes all his work. Read more

Keith Phipps, AV Club: The title takes on and sheds irony. The stoic Takakura meets many new friends eager to help him on his quest, but that doesn't make the task any less lonely. Read more

Richard Nilsen, Arizona Republic: It sounds like a slight plot, and it is, but it is rich in detail that makes up for the simplicity of the story. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: The film is simple bordering on sentimental bordering on sloppy, yet it's kept in artistic check by the vast backdrops of China's remote Yunnan province and by Takakura's nearly wordless performance. Read more

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles is unlikely to be ranked as one of Zhang's greatest accomplishments but is clearly the work of a major filmmaker. Read more

Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle: Though lovely and scenic, it drones for thousands of miles. Read more

Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly: Ken Takakura, a great rain-creased oak of an actor, delivers a quietly massive performance. Read more

John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press: 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. Read more

John Anderson, Newsday: [The film] deals with a number of subjects -- age, parenthood, estrangement, generosity -- all guaranteed to have you reaching for your hankie. So bring three. Read more

Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger: There are many languages spoken in this world, but the one most prone to misinterpretation may be the one shared by fathers and sons. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The themes are universal (if a touch corny), the rugged Chinese scenery is stupendous, and the performances are touching. Read more

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Read more

Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times: In Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles his characters use digital communication appliances to send beautiful sentiments. Using old-school celluloid, so does Zhang. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: A film about human disconnectedness fails to connect -- or, more precisely, the eventual connections seem a bit forced and a tad maudlin. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: A story of parental devotion and reconciliation that is a treat to the eyes and also an enticement to tears of empathy. Read more

Russell Edwards, Variety: Read more

Ella Taylor, Village Voice: ... strangely flat. Read more

Desson Thomson, Washington Post: It's a masterful little film, and, thanks to Zhang's seasoned hands, it's subtly heartfelt but never manipulative. Read more