The Ride Review: Leo unenthusiastically agrees to go on a road trip with his father, Barry, to see his ailing mother, but what starts as a dramatic situation turns thrilling when his father’s lenders decide to hunt them down.
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The Ride Movie Cast
Piolo Pascual, Kyle Echarri, Joey Marquez, Gabby Eigenmann, Ramon Christopher, Kit Thompson
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The Ride Netflix Director
Thop Nazareno
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The Ride 2025 Writers
John Paul Bedia, Dodo Dayao, Thop Nazareno
The film has a runtime of around 64 minutes.
The Ride Review
At its core, the Filipino movie The Ride is an emotionally charged drama film that delves deep into familial bonds at the time of a crisis. However, it steers away from the drama at some point and takes a thrilling jump into the world of crime, keeping formulaic narratives at bay to explore fractured family bonds, personal responsibility, and the consequences of past choices.
The film, at a short 64 minutes, is very tight and showcases how difficult it is for bonds to survive the scars of betrayal. However, the pacing feels brisk as the different plot points lack clear motivation and jump around everywhere without grounding the different characters and situations. The film mostly focuses on the two protagonists, and thus, the supporting characters lack depth and dimension, existing only to push Barry and Leo’s plot forward.
The gunfights and chase sequences add thrill to the storyline and are enjoyable, although the film doesn’t 100% commit to either. A lot of the exciting moments happen off-screen and leave us missing out on a film that could’ve been truly tense and a nail-biting experience. The editing and sound choices in these situations dilute the tension a lot, and although they are still engaging, they lack the impact that the film could’ve delivered on. I think the film isn’t able to balance both the drama and the action-thriller aspect well, and feels more like it has elements of the action genre without the full commitment.
Piolo Pascual and Kyle Echarri deliver good performances. Pascual delivers a gritty performance wherein we are asked to explore the different facets of his character. Meanwhile, Echarri, as Leo, is quietly powerful, and his arc from resentment to vulnerability forms the best part of the film. It gives depth to the story and leaves you invested in the storyline. The film also looks great, and the aesthetics provide a moodier and more contemplative feel.
Final Thoughts
The Ride offers a good character study wrapped in a crime drama shell. It’s mostly engaging, and the nuanced performances are its biggest strengths. However, I think the film’s lack of commitment either way and the short runtime don’t leave room for exploration, which stops it from being a memorable experience.
What are your thoughts on The Ride? Let us know in the comments below!
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